WNBA playoff picture: Lynx get No. 1 seed, tie wins record; Aces ride 16-game winning streak to No. 2 seed

The 2025 WNBA regular season came to a close on Thursday after an anticlimactic night of basketball. While all eight playoff teams had been confirmed earlier this week, there were still five seeds to be determined on the final day. Instead of a dramatic end to the summer, however, the two games that mattered — Minnesota Lynx versus Golden State Valkyries and Las Vegas Aces versus Los Angeles Sparks — both ended in blowouts. 

Early in the evening, the Lynx used a dominant fourth quarter to pull away from the Valkyries for a 72-53 win to tie the 2023 Aces for the most wins in a season in league history with 34. Napheesa Collier made her own history in the process by joining Elena Delle Donne as the only WNBA players to record a 50/40/90 season. 

The result of the Valkyries’ outing determined not only their fate, but that of the Indiana Fever and Seattle Storm. Because the Valkyries lost, the Fever finished as the No. 6 seed, the Storm climbed to No. 7 and the Valkyries fell to No. 8. The Valkyries and Storm have identical 23-21 records, and split their season series, 2-2. The second tiebreaker for two-team ties is better record against .500 or better teams, and the Storm were 10-13, while the Valkyries were 10-18. Thus, the Storm get the No. 7 seed. 

Later on, the Aces traveled to Los Angeles and made easy work of a Sparks team that had nothing to play for after being eliminated from playoff contention earlier this week. In their 103-75 win, the Aces set the WNBA’s single-game 3-point record with 22 makes. A’ja Wilson also made one final MVP statement with 23 points, 19 rebounds, four assists and four blocks. 

With their win, the Aces clinched the No. 2 seed, while the Atlanta Dream will drop to No. 3. The two teams finished with identical 30-14 records, but the Aces owned the tiebreaker after winning the season series between the clubs, 3-0. 

Now, the playoff bracket is set. The playoffs get underway on Sunday with a quadruple-header featuring Game 1 of all four first-round matchups. The last possible Finals date is Oct. 17. 

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. 

Final standingsMinnesota Lynx (34-10) — PlayoffsLas Vegas Aces (30-14) — PlayoffsAtlanta Dream (30-14) — PlayoffsPhoenix Mercury (27-17) — PlayoffsNew York Liberty (27-17) — PlayoffsIndiana Fever (24-20) — PlayoffsSeattle Storm (23-21) — PlayoffsGolden State Valkyries (23-21) — Playoffs
—————————–Los Angeles Sparks (21-23) — LotteryWashington Mystics (16-28) — LotteryConnecticut Sun (11-33) — LotteryChicago Sky (10-34) — LotteryDallas Wings (10-34) — Lottery

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

First-round playoff matchupsNo. 1 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 8 Golden State ValkyriesNo. 2 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 7 Seattle StormNo. 3 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 6 Indiana FeverNo. 4 Phoenix Mercury vs. No. 5 New York LibertyLynx earn No. 1 seed1. Minnesota Lynx (34-10)

The Lynx are locked in as the No. 1 seed and have clinched home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. They have also set a franchise record for wins in a season and tied the 2023 Aces’ all-time record of 34. This is the first time the Lynx are the No. 1 overall seed since 2017, which just so happens to be the last time they won the title. 

Aces ride 16-game streak to No. 2 seed2. Las Vegas Aces (30-14)3. Atlanta Dream (30-14)

Season tiebreaker: Aces win, 3-0

The Aces were under .500 on July 25 and lost by 53 to the Lynx on Aug. 2. Now, after the most stunning late-season turnaround the WNBA has ever seen, they’re the No. 2 seed. They secured that spot by crushing the Sparks in the regular-season finale on Thursday to run their winning streak to 16 games — tied for the second-longest in league history. 

The Dream had an incredible season in their own right with a franchise-record 30 wins. They will have to settle for the No. 3 seed, however, as the Aces own the tiebreaker between the clubs. Based on how the lower seeds shook out, though, the Dream might be better off at No. 3 anyway. 

Mercury will play Liberty in first round4. Phoenix Mercury (27-17)5. New York Liberty (27-17)

Season tiebreaker: Mercury win, 3-1

The Mercury completely overhauled their roster during the offseason, and notably brought in Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper to form a big three. Though they were hot and cold at times, they earned the No. 4 seed and home-court advantage in the first round. Their “reward” is a matchup against the reigning champion Liberty. 

The Liberty got off to a 9-0 start, but went 18-17 the rest of the way due to a barrage of injuries. While they easily secured a playoff spot, they won’t have home-court advantage in any round — barring an upset — and would have to face the Lynx in the semifinals. 

The Mercury won the season series between the teams, 3-1, which gave them the No. 4 seed and homecourt advantage. However, in terms of predicting which team will win the series, it’s hard to read too much into the regular-season results considering the injury issues for both clubs. 

Valkyries make history, but drop to No. 86. Indiana Fever (24-20)7. Seattle Storm (23-21)8. Golden State Valkyries (23-21)

Season tiebreaker for Valkyries vs. Storm: 2-2 (Storm win via better record against .500+ teams)

The Fever, Storm and Valkyries had all secured a playoff spot heading into the final day of the season, but did not know their seed. And because the Fever and Storm had already concluded regular-season action, all they could do was sit and watch the Valkyries take on the Lynx. 

Due to the Valkyries’ loss, the Fever earned the No. 6 seed, the Storm jumped up to No. 7 and the Valkyries fell to No. 8. The Storm and Valkyries finished with identical 23-21 records, but the Storm won the tiebreaker. The two teams split their season series, 2-2, but the Storm had a better record against .500 or better teams (10-13) than the Valkyries (10-18). 

The Fever are in the playoffs for the second consecutive season despite getting just 13 games from Caitlin Clark and having five players suffer season-ending injuries. The Storm would have hoped to have been higher in the standings, but making the playoffs was paramount and they did just that. The Valkyries made history as the first expansion team to earn a playoff spot in their inaugural season. 

Lottery-bound9. Los Angeles Sparks (21-23)10. Washington Mystics (16-28)11. Connecticut Sun (11-33)12. Chicago Sky (10-34)13. Dallas Wings (10-34)

The Sparks’ push for the playoffs turned out to be too little, too late. They went 15-9 after their 6-14 start, but that wasn’t enough to chase down the Storm. Their playoff drought has now reached five seasons, which is not only the longest active drought in the league, but the longest in franchise history. To make matters worse, they owe the Storm their 2026 first-round pick, which will now be a lottery selection. 

Though the Mystics 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. All told, they’ll have three first-round picks in the 2026 WNBA Draft — the same number they had in the 2025 draft. 

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

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