WNBA: Aces, Valkyries seek highest possible playoff seeding

It’s the final day of the 2025 WNBA regular season, and for the most part, the playoff picture is already set. For teams that have already clinched their postseason seeds, like the No. 1-seed Minnesota Lynx (33-10) and No. 4-seed Phoenix Mercury (27-16), Thursday’s games will serve only as tune-ups—or an opportunity to give their best players some time off, if they choose.

For the Las Vegas Aces (29-14), however, the work isn’t done quite yet. Their race with the Atlanta Dream (30-14) for the No. 2 seed is still too close to call, but if they finish the season with the same record as the Dream, they’ll own the tiebreaker and earn the higher seed. The Aces will need to beat the Los Angeles Sparks (21-22) on Thursday to make that happen.

The Golden State Valkyries (23-20) are in a similar situation. Currently seeded at No. 7, the Valkyries can move up to No. 6 and usurp the Indiana Fever (24-20) by means of tiebreaker if they defeat the Lynx on Thursday. That may seem like a tall task, but as the first-ever expansion team to make the playoffs in its inaugural season, Golden State has already defied expectations countless times.

There are several more games on Thursday’s slate, but they won’t mean much as far as the playoffs are concerned, so let’s focus on the last day of the regular season from the perspective of the teams that still have something to gain—or lose.

The Aces are looking to lock up the No. 2 seed with their 16th-straight win

The Aces’ ascent from regular-season mediocrity has been a sight to behold. Just over a month ago, Las Vegas held a disappointing 14-14 record, but the team hasn’t lost a single game since then, going from the cusp of playoff contention to a near-lock for the No. 2 overall seed. The Aces have passed the Mercury and the New York Liberty—two teams they’ll be expected to compete against in the postseason—along the way.

The Dream have proven to be a tougher opponent to shake, though, and though the Aces own the head-to-head tiebreaker with Atlanta, they’ll need to win yet again on Thursday to make it count.

The Sparks have had a strong second half, too, but were ultimately unable to overcome a 5-12 start to the season. Even so, they’re a young team with nothing to lose, so it would be surprising to see them mail it in in their final game; the Sparks won just one of three regular-season meetings with the Aces, but they’re still dangerous, having scored 90 or more points in 11 of their games since the All-Star break.

That being said, this is a game which the Aces will probably try their hardest to win. While a No. 3 seed would still be a major accomplishment considering where Las Vegas was at the beginning of August, finishing at No. 2 would guarantee the Aces home court advantage throughout the playoffs against every team except Minnesota—an enormous detail, especially if the Lynx fail to advance to the WNBA Finals.

The main thing to watch for on Thursday will be just how hard Aces head coach Becky Hammon pushes her starters. Big-name players like A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young have been playing terrific basketball during their team’s winning streak, but Las Vegas will probably want to get the trio a little bit of rest before the playoffs. Hammon pulled the plug on her starters early in the Aces’ recent blowout win over the Sky, and she’ll probably do the same thing on Thursday if they get out to a big lead against Los Angeles.

Can the Valkyries continue making history with a No. 6 finish?

It’s been a magical season for the Valkyries, who became the first expansion team in WNBA history to make the playoffs in their inaugural season. Golden State outplayed seemingly more talented teams like the Sparks and the Seattle Storm en route to a No. 7 seed at worst; if the Valkyries win on Thursday against the Lynx, they’ll finish in a tie with the Indiana Fever, winning the No. 6 seed via tiebreaker.

The Lynx have been at the top of the WNBA standings for much of the season and will be a heavy favorite to win the 2025 championship. However, their regular-season success might end up working in the Valkyries’ favor; Minnesota has been intentional about resting some of its key players (Napheesa Collier, in particular) down the stretch, and with the No. 1 seed all sewn up, it’s hard to blame head coach Cheryl Reeve and her staff for that decision.

There’s always the possibility that Reeve uses Thursday’s game as a high-intensity practice of sorts, too. Perhaps, she’ll play her starters as usual in the first half and then rest them in the second. Regardless, the Valkyries will be playing with house money, having already far surpassed any preseason expectations set for them. There won’t be much of a difference between the Nos. 6 and 7 seeds for the Valkyries aside from who they play in the first round (either Atlanta or Las Vegas), and even that won’t be determined until the Aces play later on Thursday, so Golden State won’t have the luxury of scoreboard watching.

New York Liberty (26-17) vs. Chicago Sky (10-33)

Phoenix Mercury (27-16) vs. Dallas Wings (9-34)

Golden State Valkyries (23-20) vs. Minnesota Lynx (33-10)

Las Vegas Aces (29-14) vs. Los Angeles Sparks (21-22)