WNBA playoff picture: Standings, schedule as Liberty clinch postseason berth despite loss to Valkyries

The 2025 WNBA regular season is coming to a close, and the playoff picture is starting to take shape. With less than two weeks remaining, five of the eight playoff spots have been secured, but only one seed has been locked down. The reigning champion New York Liberty secured their place on Tuesday despite a loss to the Golden State Valkyries. 

Four teams are still eligible for the final three spots, and the Los Angeles Sparks are now only one game back of eighth after the Indiana Fever’s loss to the Phoenix Mercury. 

The playoff push will continue Wednesday with a massive matchup between the Atlanta Dream and Sparks. If the Dream win, they will move back in front of the Aces in the race for the No. 2 seed, while the Sparks can move to within half a game of the Fever if they win. 

Atlanta Dream at Los Angeles Sparks, 7:30 p.m. — League Pass

As a reminder, the top eight teams in the league make the playoffs, regardless of conference. From there, they are placed into a standard eight-team bracket. The first round of the playoffs is a best-of-three series, while the semifinals are a best-of-five and the Finals, as of this season, are a best-of-seven. 

The regular season will conclude on Sept. 11 and the playoffs begin on Sept. 14. The last possible Finals date is Oct. 19. 

Standings

Minnesota Lynx (32-8) — Clinched playoff berthLas Vegas Aces (26-14) — Clinched playoff berthAtlanta Dream (26-14) — Clinched playoff berthPhoenix Mercury (26-14) — Clinched playoff berthNew York Liberty (24-17) — Clinched playoff berthGolden State Valkyries (22-18)Seattle Storm (22-20)Indiana Fever (21-20)Los Angeles Sparks (19-20)Washington Mystics (16-25) — Eliminated from playoff contentionConnecticut Sun (10-30) — Eliminated from playoff contentionChicago Sky (9-30) — Eliminated from playoff contentionDallas Wings (9-32) — Eliminated from playoff contention

Note: Two-team ties are decided first by head-to-head record and then, if necessary, by better record against .500+ teams. Ties between more than two teams are determined by the combined head-to-head record against the other teams. 

Lynx have clinched No. 1 seed

The Lynx destroyed the lottery-bound Sun on Saturday to officially clinch the No. 1 overall seed and home-court advantage throughout the postseason. Furthermore, they set a new franchise record for wins in a season with 31. With four games remaining they still have a chance to break the 2023 Aces’ WNBA record of 34 wins in a season. 

Three teams tied for second place, Liberty fading

2. Las Vegas Aces (26-14)3. Atlanta Dream (26-14)4. Phoenix Mercury (26-14)5. New York Liberty (24-17)

After the Mercury held off the Fever on Tuesday, the Aces, Dream and Mercury all have an identical 26-14 record with just over a week remaining in the regular season. The race for the No. 2 seed has been incredible and will likely go down to the final day. 

Meanwhile, the Liberty have dropped off from the pack. Though they clinched a playoff spot on Tuesday, they have lost two in a row and seven of their last 11 games. They are now closer to sixth than they are to fourth. 

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Valkyries closing in on history, Fever fall to eighth

6. Golden State Valkyries (22-18)7. Seattle Storm (22-20)8. Indiana Fever (21-20)9. Los Angeles Sparks (19-20)

The Sparks looked like they were fading from the playoff race as the calendar turned to September, but they pulled off a 17-point comeback to stun the Storm in Seattle on Monday. On Tuesday, the Valkyries took care of the Liberty and the Fever fell to the Mercury. 

The Valkyries are now 2½ games up on the Sparks and own the tiebreaker between the clubs, so they are almost certainly going to become the first expansion team ever to make the playoffs in their inaugural season. 

The Storm, Fever and Sparks, however, have more uncertain futures. The Sparks are now just 1½ games back of the Storm and one game back of the Fever, and own the tiebreakers against both clubs. 

Lottery bound

10. Washington Mystics (16-25)11. Connecticut Sun (10-30)12. Chicago Sky (9-30)13. Dallas Wings (9-32)

The Mystics officially joined the lottery-bound crew with a loss to the Valkyries on Saturday. Though they were more competitive than expected this season, they ultimately fell apart down the stretch after trading All-Star guard Brittney Sykes. They got a first-round pick for Sykes, though, and will now have another lottery selection, so missing the playoffs is for the best. 

The Sun, Sky and Wings have been a step behind everyone else all summer and have long been destined for the lottery. Only the Wings control their own first-round pick in the 2026 draft, however. 

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The Sky owe their first to the Lynx, while the Sun owe the Sky swap rights to their first rounder. The Sky also own Mercury’s first rounder, so the Sky will get the more favorable of the Sun/Mercury picks, while the Sun will get the least favorable of those selections.