Plenty of movement happened on Wednesday during a busy five-game slate. The Fever secured a significant victory over the Sun, who dropped to third place following that result and the Lynx’s win over the Mercury. The Storm managed to hold off the Dream to maintain their fourth-place position, and the Mystics came from behind to beat the Sky and give themselves a chance at making a late push.
As a reminder, the top eight teams, regardless of conference, make the playoffs in the WNBA. Teams are placed into a standard bracket with the No. 1 seed facing the No. 8 seed in the first round, and so on. The initial round is a best-of-three series, while the semifinals and Finals are best-of-five series. The first round follows a 2-1 format, with the higher seed hosting the first two games and the lower seed hosting Game 3 if necessary. The semifinals and Finals use a standard 2-2-1 format.
Here’s a breakdown of the current playoff picture, including standings and key tiebreakers:
Standings
New York Liberty (26-6) — Playoff spot clinched
Minnesota Lynx (23-8) — Playoff spot clinched
Connecticut Sun (22-8) — Playoff spot clinched
Seattle Storm (19-11)
Las Vegas Aces (18-12)
Phoenix Mercury (16-16)
Indiana Fever (15-16)
Chicago Sky (11-19)
Atlanta Dream (10-20)
Washington Mystics (9-22)
Dallas Wings (8-22)
Los Angeles Sparks (7-24)
Note: Two-team ties are decided by head-to-head record, with further tiebreakers if necessary. 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 (26-6)
Tiebreakers: vs. Lynx (1-1); vs. Sun (3-1)
A surprising loss to the Sparks marked a rough stretch for the Liberty, who are still leading the race for the top seed. They have a significant lead but need to keep an eye on the red-hot Lynx. The Liberty have one game left against Minnesota to determine the season series.
Key remaining games: vs. Lynx, Sept. 15
Lynx overtake Sun for second
3. Minnesota Lynx (23-8)
Tiebreakers: vs. Liberty (1-1); vs. Sun (0-2); vs. Storm (3-1); vs. Aces (3-1)
The Lynx’s winning streak has propelled them to second place, overtaking the Sun. With seven consecutive wins, they are now in the mix for the top spot. Napheesa Collier and the Lynx are on an impressive run.
Key remaining games: at Liberty, Sept. 15; at Sun, Sept. 17
2. Connecticut Sun (22-8)
Tiebreakers: vs. Liberty (1-3); vs. Lynx (2-0); vs. Storm (0-1); vs. Aces (0-1)
The Sun dropped to third place for the first time after losing to the Fever. They will now be chasing the top spots in the remaining games.
Key remaining games: vs. Storm, Sept. 1; vs. Storm, Sept. 3; vs. Aces, Sept. 6; at Aces, Sept. 15; vs. Lynx, Sept. 17
Storm and Aces fighting over fourth
4. Seattle Storm (19-11)
Tiebreakers: vs. Sun (1-0); vs. Lynx (1-3); vs. Aces (1-2)
The Storm regained their winning form with a victory over the Dream, maintaining their fourth-place position. They hold a one-game lead over the Aces in the race for fourth.
Key remaining games: vs. Liberty, Aug. 30; at Sun, Sept. 1; at Sun, Sept. 3; at Liberty, Sept. 5; vs. Aces, Sept. 17
5. Las Vegas Aces (18-12)
Tiebreakers: vs. Sun (1-0); vs. Lynx (1-3); vs. Storm (2-1)
The Aces are on a rough patch, losing five of their last seven games. They dropped to fifth place after a defeat to the Wings.
Key remaining games: at Lynx, Aug. 23; at Sun, Sept. 6; at Liberty, Sept. 8; vs. Sun, Sept. 15; at Storm, Sept. 17
Mercury have Fever right on their tail
6. Phoenix Mercury (16-16)
Tiebreakers: vs. Fever (0-3); vs. Sky (2-0)
The Mercury’s post-Olympic break struggles continued with a loss to the Lynx. They are now only half a game ahead of the Fever for the sixth spot.
Key remaining games: N/A
7. Indiana Fever (15-16)
Tiebreakers: vs. Mercury (3-0); vs. Sky (2-1); vs. Dream (3-0)
The Fever are close to securing their first playoff appearance since 2016 after a notable win against the Sun. They control their fate in the race for sixth place.
Key remaining games: at Sky, Aug. 30; vs. Dream, Sept. 8
Sky, Dream, Mystics battling for final spot
8. Chicago Sky (11-19)
Tiebreakers: vs. Dream (2-1); vs. Mystics (1-2)
The Sky continue to struggle in the second half of the season, losing four games in a row. They hold a one-game lead over the Dream for the final playoff spot.
Key remaining games: vs. Mystics, Sept. 11; vs. Mercury, Sept. 15; at Dream, Sept. 17
9. Atlanta Dream (10-20)
Tiebreakers: vs. Fever (0-3); vs. Sky (1-2); vs. Mystics (1-1)
The Dream’s momentum from the Olympic break has faded, losing three consecutive games. They are one game behind the Sky for the last playoff spot.
Key remaining games: at Fever, Sept. 8; vs. Mystics, Sept. 13; at Mystics, Sept. 15; vs. Sky, Sept. 17
10. Washington Mystics (9-22)
Tiebreakers: vs. Sky (2-1); vs. Dream (1-1)
The Mystics have improved with three straight wins but remain 2.5 games out of the playoffs. They have a chance to challenge for the last spot with games against the Sky and Dream.
Key remaining games: at Sky, Sept. 11; at Dream, Sept. 13; vs. Dream, Sept. 15
A clear gap at the bottom
11. Dallas Wings (8-22)
The Wings have shown improvement with back-to-back wins but are still 3.5 games out of the playoffs with 10 games left.
12. Los Angeles Sparks (7-24)
The Sparks ended their losing streak but remain in last place, likely heading to the lottery for the fourth consecutive year.
