Less than a week remains in the 2024 WNBA regular season, and the playoff picture is taking shape. Seven teams have clinched a postseason berth, while the Dallas Wings and the Los Angeles Sparks are officially heading to the lottery. That leaves three teams -- the Chicago Sky, Atlanta Dream and Washington Mystics -- battling for the final playoff spot.
There was just one game on Thursday, which saw the Liberty crush the Wings and lower their magic number for the No. 1 seed to one. They will now clinch homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs with either one win or one Lynx loss. The Lynx play the Sky on Friday before a showdown with the Liberty in New York on Sunday.
The action will heat up on Friday night with five games, including a rematch between the Aces and Fever and a key game in the race for eighth between the Dream and Mystics.
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 (31-6) -- Playoff spot clinched
- Minnesota Lynx (27-9) -- Playoff spot clinched
- Connecticut Sun (26-10) -- Playoff spot clinched
- Las Vegas Aces (23-13) -- Playoff spot clinched
- Seattle Storm (22-14) -- Playoff spot clinched
- Indiana Fever (19-18) -- Playoff spot clinched
- Phoenix Mercury (17-19) -- Playoff spot clinched
- Chicago Sky (13-23)
- Atlanta Dream (12-24)
- Washington Mystics (12-24)
- Dallas Wings (9-28) -- Eliminated
- Los Angeles Sparks (7-30) -- 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 (31-6)
- Tiebreakers: vs. Lynx (1-1); vs. Sun (3-1)
The Liberty won again on Thursday, as they cruised past the lifeless Wings. Their magic number for the No. 1 seed 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: vs. Lynx, Sept. 15
Lynx leapfrog Sun for second
2. Minnesota Lynx (27-9)
- Tiebreakers: vs. Liberty (1-1); vs. Sun (0-2); vs. Storm (3-1); vs. Aces (3-1)
The Lynx extended their winning streak to four games by beating the Dream on Tuesday. They are now 10-1 post-Olympic break, the best record in the league in that span, and remain a full game up on the Sun in the race for the No. 2 seed. The Sept. 17 matchup between the clubs looms as a potential decider.
Key remaining games: at Liberty, Sept. 15; at Sun, Sept. 17
3. Connecticut Sun (26-10)
- Tiebreakers: vs. Liberty (1-3); vs. Lynx (2-0); vs. Storm (1-2); vs. Aces (0-2)
The Sun picked up another win over the last-place Sparks on Tuesday, but they remain a game back of the Lynx, who have been the best team in the league post-Olympic break. Chasing them down won't be easy, though they do still have one game remaining against them.
Key remaining games: at Aces, Sept. 15; vs. Lynx, Sept. 17
Aces still leading Storm in race for fourth
4. Las Vegas Aces (23-13)
- Tiebreakers: vs. Sun (2-0); vs. Lynx (1-3); vs. Storm (2-1)
The Aces got A'ja Wilson back from an ankle injury for Wednesday night's matchup with the Fever, and she led them to a big win while setting the single-season scoring record in the process. Vegas has quietly won five of its last six and remains a game up on Seattle for fourth place, with the tiebreaker still to be decided.
Key remaining games: vs. Sun, Sept. 15; at Storm, Sept. 17
5. Seattle Storm (22-14)
- Tiebreakers: vs. Sun (2-0); vs. Lynx (1-3); vs. Aces (1-2)
The Storm weren't super convincing on Wednesday, but they did enough to beat the last-place Sparks and win back-to-back games for the first time since before the Olympic break. They remain one game back of the Aces in the race for fourth, with one game to play against their rival.
Key remaining games: vs. Aces, Sept. 17
Surging Fever solidify hold on sixth
6. Indiana Fever (19-18)
- Tiebreakers: vs. Mercury (3-0); vs. Sky (3-1); vs. Dream (3-0)
The Fever looked like a young team on Wednesday in a loss to the Aces, their second in three games. Still, they are 1.5 games up on the Mercury in the race for sixth, and own the tiebreaker between the clubs. With just three games remaining, they're in good shape to secure the No. 6 seed.
Key remaining games: N/A
7. Phoenix Mercury (17-19)
- Tiebreakers: vs. Fever (0-3); vs. Sky (2-0)
It's looking more and more like the Mercury will wind up with the No. 7 seed. They were beaten soundly by the Storm on Saturday and have now dropped five of their last six. They are 1.5 games back of the Fever, who hold the tiebreaker between the teams, which essentially makes it a 2.5-game gap with four to play.
Key remaining games: N/A
Sky, Dream, Mystics battling for final spot
8. Chicago Sky (13-23)
- Tiebreakers: vs. Dream (2-1); vs. Mystics (1-3)
The Sky's mini two-game winning streak came to an abrupt halt on Wednesday with a 31-point loss to the Mystics, which was their biggest margin of defeat of the season. They lost the tiebreaker to the Mystics in the process, and their lead over both the Dream and Mystics is down to one game.
Key remaining games: at Dream, Sept. 17
9. Atlanta Dream (12-24)
- Tiebreakers: vs. Sky (1-2); vs. Mystics (1-1)
The Dream's playoff hopes took another big hit on Tuesday with their loss to the Lynx. They are now one game back of the Sky in the race for eighth. Although there is still one game to be played between the clubs, the Dream only have four games left and are starting to run out of time.
Key remaining games: vs. Mystics, Sept. 13; at Mystics, Sept. 15; vs. Sky, Sept. 17
10. Washington Mystics (12-24)
- Tiebreakers: vs. Sky (3-1); vs. Dream (1-1)
The Mystics just won't go away. They kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a clutch win over the Sky on Wednesday to pull within one game of the final postseason berth. If they end up stealing the No. 8 seed, their 3-1 record over the Sky this season will be a major reason why.
Key remaining games: at Dream, Sept. 13; vs. Dream, Sept. 15
Wings and Sparks lottery bound
11. Dallas Wings (9-28)
The Wings, who have now lost six 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 (7-30)
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.
