WNBA standings, playoff picture, schedule: Lynx become first team to clinch playoff berth

The final month of the WNBA regular season has arrived, which it means it’s officially time for the playoff push. Each team has less than 15 games remaining and 10 of the league’s 13 teams are within reach of a playoff spot. And while the Minnesota Lynx — who officially clinched a playoff spot on Tuesday — have opened up a huge lead in the race for the No. 1 seed, every other seed remains up for grabs. 

Tuesday night’s action saw the Dallas Wings upset the shorthanded Indiana Fever and the New York Liberty outlast the Los Angeles Sparks. There are four games on Wednesday, three of which have playoff implications:

As a reminder, the top eight teams make the playoffs, regardless of conference standings. From there, they are placed into a standard eight-team bracket. The first round of the playoffs is a best-of-three, 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 (27-5)New York Liberty (21-11)Atlanta Dream (20-11)Phoenix Mercury (19-12)Las Vegas Aces (18-14)Indiana Fever (18-15)Golden State Valkyries (16-15)Seattle Storm (16-16)Los Angeles Sparks (15-17)Washington Mystics (14-17)Dallas Wings (9-24)Chicago Sky (8-23)Connecticut Sun (5-26)

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. 

Lynx running away with No. 1 seed

The Lynx cruised past the Liberty in the second half on Sunday to win their fifth game in a row despite Napheesa Collier’s continued absence. Collier, the MVP frontrunner, went down with a sprained ankle on Aug. 2 and was expected to miss at least two weeks. The Lynx’s big lead in the race for the No. 1 seed will allow them to give Collier all the time she needs to recover. Despite being inactive on Tuesday, the Lynx became the first team to clinch a playoff spot.  

Three-team battle for No. 2 

2. New York Liberty (21-11)3. Atlanta Dream (20-11)4. Phoenix Mercury (19-12)

All three teams in the mix for the No. 2 seed have dealt with significant injury problems this season. 

The Liberty are currently without Breanna Stewart — expected to be back at the end of August — Kennedy Burke and Nyara Sabally. The Dream just got Rhyne Howard and Brittney Griner back, but lost starting point guard Jordin Canada to a leg injury in their big win over the Mercury on Sunday. As for the Mercury, they’re the healthiest at the moment and still have a chance to grab the No. 2 seed despite a poor run of form over the last month. 

Aces and Fever dueling for fifth

5. Las Vegas Aces (18-14)6. Indiana Fever (18-15)

This season has not gone to plan for either club. 

The Fever have dealt with significant injury problems. Caitlin Clark remains sidelined and without a return date, while Sydney Colson (torn ACL) and Aari McDonald (broken foot) went down with season-ending injuries earlier this month. Still, they’re clinging to fifth place over the surging Aces, who have quietly won four in a row and six of their last seven thanks to some inspired play from three-time MVP A’ja Wilson. Notably, the Fever have already clinched the tiebreaker between the teams. 

Indiana’s surprise loss to Dallas on Tuesday dropped them below Las Vegas for the time being, but the Aces will have to play the reigning champion Liberty on Wednesday. 

Four teams for final two spots

7. Golden State Valkyries (16-15)8. Seattle Storm (16-16)9. Los Angeles Sparks (15-17)10. Washington Mystics (14-17)

There are four teams still in the mix for the final two spots, though it would not be surprising to see the Mystics fall back soon after trading All-Star guard Brittney Sykes at the deadline. 

The Storm hoped to contend for a title this season, but have lost five in a row by a combined 17 points to plummet into eighth. On the other end of the spectrum, the Sparks have won nine of their last 12 games following a brutal start to surge into playoff contention. As for the Valkyries, they hope to become the first expansion team to make the playoffs in their inaugural season. 

Lottery bound

11. Dallas Wings (9-24)12. Chicago Sky (8-23)13. Connecticut Sun (5-26)

This season has been a disaster for all three of these teams. The Sky have been beset by injuries, the Wings’ offseason moves didn’t pan out and the Sun were never going to be good after their offseason departures. All of them are lottery bound, but only the Wings control their own pick. 

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.