Breaking down the WNBA playoff picture: How final seeds will be set Thursday — SkimNews
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- Minnesota Lynx clinched the No. 1 seed Tuesday after the Golden State Valkyries lost to the Portland Fire, and will host Indiana on Thursday without point guard Olivia Miles (calf injury).
- Atlanta Dream beat the New York Liberty 83-65 on Wednesday, locking Atlanta at No. 4, the Liberty at No. 8, and the Dallas Wings at No. 7, and setting up a Lynx-Liberty first-round matchup.
- Golden State (31-12) at the Los Angeles Sparks and the Las Vegas Aces (30-13) at Phoenix decide the Nos. 2-3 seeds Thursday; a Valkyries win or Aces loss gives Golden State No. 2, while Las Vegas owns a 3-0 tiebreaker if both finish 31-13.
- Indiana (28-15) and Washington are fighting for the Nos. 5-6 seeds — a Fever win clinches No. 5, but a Fever loss paired with a Mystics win over Chicago hands Washington No. 5 via its 2-1 season-series edge.
- If the Fever land at No. 6, it would be their third straight season with that seed; the Mystics are trying to end a two-year playoff absence.
- All four best-of-three first-round series begin Sunday, with the higher seed hosting every game including a deciding Game 3, per the league format.
Why it matters: Thursday's slate concentrates every remaining tiebreaker into one night, with real stakes: home court through a potential Game 3, the Aces' 3-0 head-to-head over the Valkyries looming as the swing factor, and a possible third consecutive No. 6 seed for a Fever franchise that just beat the league's top team 96-77 without its star point guard.
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