WNBA standings, playoff picture, schedule: Fever solidify hold on sixth, four-way race for eighth heating up

As the calendar turns to September, the 2024 WNBA regular season is winding down, and the playoff spots are filling up. The New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx and Connecticut Sun were joined by the Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm on Friday, leaving just three postseason berths available. Still, no teams have officially been eliminated. 

There were five games on Sunday. Early on, we saw the Sun beat the Storm to maintain their hold on second place over the Lynx, who were also in action. They held off the Sky, who lost for the sixth time in a row and are now clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot. Elsewhere, the Fever beat the Wings to solidify their hold on sixth, while the Aces crushed the Mercury to move a full game clear of the Storm in the race for fourth. 

The league will take Labor Day off on Monday, before returning for four games on Tuesday. 

As a refresher, the top eight teams, regardless of conference affiliation, make the playoffs in the WNBA. Under the current playoff format, the teams are placed into a standard bracket with the No. 1 seed playing No. 8 in the first round, No. 2 vs. No. 7 and so on. Teams will play a best-of-three series in the first round and best-of-five series in the semifinals and finals. Notably, the first round is a 2-1 format, which means the higher seed gets the first two games at home, while the lower seed gets the deciding Game 3 at home should the series go that far. In the semifinals and Finals, it is a standard 2-2-1 format, with the higher seed hosting Games 1, 2 and 5, if necessary.

Here’s everything you need to know about the current playoff picture, including the standings and key tiebreakers:

StandingsNew York Liberty (27-6) — Playoff spot clinchedConnecticut Sun (24-8) — Playoff spot clinchedMinnesota Lynx (24-9) — Playoff spot clinchedLas Vegas Aces (20-12) — Playoff spot clinchedSeattle Storm (19-13) — Playoff spot clinchedIndiana Fever (17-16)Phoenix Mercury (16-17)Chicago Sky (11-22)Atlanta Dream (11-21)Washington Mystics (9-23)Dallas Wings (9-23)Los Angeles Sparks (7-25)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. 

Liberty alone at the top1. New York Liberty (27-6)

Tiebreakers: vs. Lynx (1-1); vs. Sun (3-1)All is well again for the Liberty, who used a big second half to pull away from the Storm and get back in the win column on Friday. They remain 2.5 games ahead of the Sun, and also own the tiebreaker between the clubs, and three games up on the Lynx. With just seven games remaining, it would take a major collapse for the Liberty to miss out on the No. 1 seed. 

Key remaining games: vs. Lynx, Sept. 15

Sun reclaim second from Lynx2. Connecticut Sun (24-8)

Tiebreakers: vs. Liberty (1-3); vs. Lynx (2-0); vs. Storm (1-1); vs. Aces (0-1)The Sun got back in the win column this weekend with back-to-back victories over the Mystics and Storm, and are now a half game up on the Lynx in the race for the No. 2 seed. They face another big stretch ahead with the Storm and Aces up next on the schedule. 

Key remaining games: vs. Storm, Sept. 3; vs. Aces, Sept. 6; at Aces, Sept. 15; vs. Lynx, Sept. 17

3. Minnesota Lynx (24-9)

Tiebreakers: vs. Liberty (1-1); vs. Sun (0-2); vs. Storm (3-1); vs. Aces (3-1)The Lynx’s seven-game winning streak came to an end on Friday with a surprise defeat to the Wings, who are suddenly playing terrific basketball. They were able to bounce back and defeat the Sky on Sunday despite Alanna Smith’s absence, but still remain half a game back of the Sun. 

Key remaining games: at Liberty, Sept. 15; at Sun, Sept. 17

Aces and Storm fighting over fourth4. Las Vegas Aces (20-12)

Tiebreakers: vs. Sun (1-0); vs. Lynx (1-3); vs. Storm (2-1)A’ja Wilson put together another terrific performance on Friday to lead the Aces past the Dream. As a result, they clinched a spot in the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season and leapfrogged the Storm again for fourth place. The big question now for the defending champs is whether they can build any sort of momentum. 

Key remaining games: at Sun, Sept. 6; at Liberty, Sept. 8; vs. Sun, Sept. 15; at Storm, Sept. 17

5. Seattle Storm (19-13)

Tiebreakers: vs. Sun (1-0); vs. Lynx (1-3); vs. Aces (1-2)The Storm were unable to build off their dramatic win over the Dream earlier this week and fell to the first-place Liberty on Friday. Now just 2-4 since the season restarted, they’ve fallen back down to fifth place in the perpetual tussle with the Aces for the No. 4 seed and homecourt advantage in the first round. On the bright side, they have clinched a playoff spot.

Key remaining games: at Sun, Sept. 1; at Sun, Sept. 3; at Liberty, Sept. 5; vs. Aces, Sept. 17

Surging Fever solidify hold on sixth6. Indiana Fever (17-16) 

Tiebreakers: vs. Mercury (3-0); vs. Sky (3-1); vs. Dream (3-0)The Fever kept things rolling on Sunday with a big win over the Wings thanks to another big night from Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark. They are 6-1 since the Olympic break, which is the best record in the league in that span, and are now a full game up on the Mercury. Add in the tiebreaker and that’s essentially a two-game advantage. Soon, they’ll clinch their first playoff appearance since 2016.  

Key remaining games: vs. Dream, Sept. 8

7. Phoenix Mercury (16-17)

Tiebreakers: vs. Fever (0-3); vs. Sky (2-0)The Mercury’s poor form post-Olympic break continued with a loss to the Aces on Sunday to drop under .500 for the first time since July 1. They are now one game back of the Fever in the race for sixth, and have lost the tiebreaker, making that essentially a two-game gap. To make matters worse, Natasha Cloud will be suspended for their next game after reaching the technical foul limit. 

Key remaining games: N/A

Sky, Dream, Mystics, Wings battling for final spot8. Chicago Sky (11-21) 

Tiebreakers: vs. Dream (2-1); vs. Mystics (1-2); vs. Wings (2-1)Chennedy Carter remains in the league’s health and safety protocols, and the Sky look woeful without her and Marina Mabrey. They were beaten on Sunday by the Lynx to run their losing streak to six games. They are now clinging to the final playoff spot via a tiebreaker over the Dream. As of now, it’s hard to see them hanging on. 

Key remaining games: vs. Mystics, Sept. 11; vs. Mercury, Sept. 15; at Dream, Sept. 17

9. Atlanta Dream (11-21)

Tiebreakers: vs. Sky (1-2); vs. Mystics (1-1); vs. Wings (1-1)The Dream finally got back in the win column by beating the lowly Sparks on Sunday. They haven’t taken full advantage of the Sky’s free fall, but have now at least drawn even in terms of records. The Sky currently lead the tiebreaker, however, so the Dream are still stuck in ninth for the time being. 

Key remaining games: at Fever, Sept. 8; vs. Mystics, Sept. 13; at Mystics, Sept. 15; vs. Sky, Sept. 17

10. Washington Mystics (9-23)

Tiebreakers: vs. Sky (2-1); vs. Dream (1-1); vs. Wings (2-0)The Mystics’ three-game winning streak came to an end Saturday against the Sun. They remain two games out of the eighth and final playoff spot, and would have to leap both the Dream and Sky, but they have three combined games remaining against those teams, so it’s not impossible. 

Key remaining games: at Sky, Sept. 11; at Dream, Sept. 13; vs. Dream, Sept. 15

11. Dallas Wings (9-23)

Tiebreakers: vs. Sky (1-2); vs. Dream (1-1); vs. Mystics (0-2)The Wings’ own three-game winning streak was also halted this weekend when they lost to the Fever. They are also two games back of the Sky, and have three teams ahead of them, which makes their task tough. This week, though, they play all three of the Mystics, Dream and Sky, and this stretch could make or break their season. 

Key remaining games: vs Mystics, Sept. 3; at Dream, Sept. 6, at Sky, Sept. 8

A clear gap at the bottom12. Los Angeles Sparks (7-25)

The Sparks lost to the Dream on Sunday, which means they still have not won back-to-back games since early June. They remain in last place, and soon it will be back to the lottery for a fourth time in a row, the longest such streak in franchise history.