12 biggest WNBA games that will determine the playoff race
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Minnesota Lynx sit atop the WNBA at 29-7 but face the league's toughest remaining schedule — 7 of their final 8 games against teams .500 or better, including 5 on the road — though they've been better away from home (15-2) than at Target Center (14-5).
- Las Vegas Aces have clinched a playoff berth and benefit from the easiest remaining schedule, with all 7 of their games left against teams currently holding losing records.
- Indiana Fever play 5 of their 8 remaining games against .500-or-better teams, including back-to-back matchups with the Lynx in the final days of the season, as they chase a top-four seed and home-court advantage in the first round.
- Washington Mystics are on track for the playoffs after missing the postseason the last two years, led by Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin — and they face the Fever on Sept. 20 in a matchup that could decide seeding.
- Satou Sabally has not played since June 23 due to ongoing concussion issues stemming from last season's WNBA Finals, and her status remains uncertain as the New York Liberty battle for a top-four seed.
- The regular season pauses Aug. 31 through Sept. 16 for the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, after which Atlanta-New York and Indiana-Minnesota will each play back-to-back series that could decide tiebreakers for playoff positioning.
Why it matters: The Lynx's 29-7 record locks in home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, but their brutal closing schedule — 7 of 8 games against .500-or-better teams — could cost them seeding if they slip. Meanwhile, the defending champion Aces face only losing-record opponents down the stretch, meaning Las Vegas could enter the postseason with the hottest momentum of any team.
Ask SkimNews
