After an extremely busy Sunday that saw all 12 teams in action, the final weekend of the 2024 WNBA regular season is in the books. As we approach the final few days before the playoffs, the eighth and final spot remains up for grabs, with three teams in the hunt. And there are seeding battles galore up and down the standings.
Early on Sunday, the Fever outlasted the Wings to secure the No. 6 seed, while the Dream beat the Mystics in overtime to keep their playoff hopes alive and the Lynx took down the league-leading Liberty. In the later slate, the Aces kept on rolling with a big win over the Sun, the Storm held on against the Sparks and the Mercury got back in the win column versus the Sky.
As a refresher, the top eight teams, regardless of conference affiliation, make the playoffs in the WNBA. Under the current playoff format, the teams are placed into a standard bracket with the No. 1 seed playing No. 8 in the first round, No. 2 vs. No. 7 and so on. Teams will play a best-of-three series in the first round and best-of-five series in the semifinals and finals. Notably, the first round is a 2-1 format, which means the higher seed gets the first two games at home, while the lower seed gets the deciding Game 3 at home should the series go that far. In the semifinals and finals, it is a standard 2-2-1 format, with the higher seed hosting Games 1, 2 and 5, if necessary.
Here's everything you need to know about the current playoff picture, including the standings and key tiebreakers:
Standings
- New York Liberty (31-7) -- Playoff spot clinched
- Minnesota Lynx (29-9) -- Playoff spot clinched
- Connecticut Sun (27-11) -- Playoff spot clinched
- Las Vegas Aces (25-13) -- Playoff spot clinched
- Seattle Storm (24-14) -- Playoff spot clinched
- Indiana Fever (20-19) -- Playoff spot clinched
- Phoenix Mercury (18-20) -- Playoff spot clinched
- Washington Mystics (13-25)
- Chicago Sky (13-25)
- Atlanta Dream (13-25)
- Dallas Wings (9-30) -- Eliminated
- Los Angeles Sparks (7-31) -- Eliminated
Note: Two-team ties are decided first by head-to-head record and then, if necessary, better record against .500+ teams. Ties between more than two teams are determined by combined head-to-head record against the other teams.
Liberty alone at the top
1. New York Liberty (31-7)
- Tiebreakers: vs. Lynx (1-2); vs. Sun (3-1)
The Liberty were outclassed by the Lynx on Sunday, but they are still the heavy favorites to earn the No. 1 overall seed. Their magic number for the top spot is now down to one, and they will secure homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs with either one win or one Lynx loss.
Key remaining games: N/A
Lynx pulling away from Sun
2. Minnesota Lynx (29-9)
- Tiebreakers: vs. Liberty (2-1); vs. Sun (0-2); vs. Storm (3-1); vs. Aces (3-1)
The Lynx extended their winning streak to six games by beating the league-leading Liberty on Sunday to keep their slim hopes of stealing the No. 1 seed alive. They are now 12-1 post-Olympic break, the best record in the league in that span, and have built a two-game lead over the Sun in the race for second.
Key remaining games: at Sun, Sept. 17
3. Connecticut Sun (27-11)
- Tiebreakers: vs. Liberty (1-3); vs. Lynx (2-0); vs. Storm (1-2); vs. Aces (0-3)
The Sun's three-game winning streak came to an end on Sunday against the defending champion Aces. They are now two games back of the Lynx in the race for second place, with two games remaining for both clubs -- including one against each other. The Sun need to win out and have the Lynx lose out in order to steal the No. 2 seed via the tiebreaker.
Key remaining games: vs. Lynx, Sept. 17
Aces still leading Storm in race for fourth
4. Las Vegas Aces (25-13)
- Tiebreakers: vs. Sun (3-0); vs. Lynx (1-3); vs. Storm (2-1)
A'ja Wilson reached 1,000 points for the season as the Aces easily handled the Sun to win for the seventh time in their last eight games. They haven't always looked convincing during this stretch, but they did on Sunday. They're playing their best defense of the season and remain a game up on the Storm in the race for fourth.
Key remaining games: at Storm, Sept. 17
5. Seattle Storm (24-14)
- Tiebreakers: vs. Sun (2-0); vs. Lynx (1-3); vs. Aces (1-2)
The Storm extended their winning streak to four games with another nail-biter against the Sparks, but they haven't been able to make up any ground on the red-hot Aces. They remain a game back of the defending champions in the race for the No. 4 seed, with one game remaining between the clubs.
Key remaining games: vs. Aces, Sept. 17
Fever secure sixth seed, Mercury locked into seventh
6. Indiana Fever (20-19)
- Tiebreakers: vs. Mercury (3-0)
The Fever returned to winning ways on Sunday afternoon with a high-scoring victory over the Wings. Caitlin Clark poured in a career-high 35 points to help her team reach the 20-win mark for the first time since 2015. As a result, the Fever have secured the No. 6 seed. Even if they lose their final contest and the Mercury win out, the Fever have the tiebreaker between the clubs.
7. Phoenix Mercury (18-20)
- Tiebreakers: vs. Fever (0-3)
The Mercury beat the injury-riddled Sky on the road on Sunday to end their three-game skid, but they didn't get the help they needed. With the Fever's win, they are now locked into the No. 7 seed. The Mercury's 0-3 record against the Fever this season has come back to bite them.
Mystics holding off Sky, Dream for final spot
8. Washington Mystics (13-25)
- Tiebreakers: vs. Sky (3-1); vs. Dream (2-2); combined (5-3)
The Mystics lost to the Dream in overtime on Sunday, but are still clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot. All three teams still battling for eighth have identical records and ties between more than two teams are decided by combined head-to-head record against the other teams. The Mystics are 5-3 against the Sky and Dream, and thus have eighth for now.
Key remaining games: vs. Liberty, Sept. 17; vs. Fever, Sept. 19
9. Chicago Sky (13-25)
- Tiebreakers: vs. Dream (2-1); vs. Mystics (1-3); combined (3-4)
The Sky were more competitive on Sunday, but they still lost again, this time to the Mercury. They've now lost 10 of their last 12 games and are out of the playoff picture as things stand. They have the same record as the Mystics and Dream, though, so they are very much still alive.
Key remaining games: at Dream, Sept. 17; at Sun, Sept. 19
10. Atlanta Dream (13-25)
- Tiebreakers: vs. Sky (1-2); vs. Mystics (2-2); combined (3-4)
The Dream got their biggest win of the season on Sunday when they beat the Mystics in overtime to keep their playoff hopes alive. They have the same record as the Mystics and Dream, but they are stuck in 10th place due to various tiebreakers.
Key remaining games: vs. Sky, Sept. 17; at Liberty, Sept. 19
Wings and Sparks lottery bound
11. Dallas Wings (9-30)
The Wings, who have now lost eight games in a row, are lottery bound for the first time since 2020. With just three players on guaranteed deals for next season, a big winter is in store in Dallas.
12. Los Angeles Sparks (7-31)
The Sparks were the first team eliminated from playoff contention this season. This is the fourth consecutive lottery appearance for the Sparks, the longest such streak in franchise history.
