WNBA playoff picture: Standings, schedule as Dream block out Sun to move back into second place

Just a few days remain in the 2025 WNBA season, and the playoff picture is still murky. The Minnesota Lynx have secured the No. 1 seed and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, and the reigning champion New York Liberty will be the No. 5 seed, but no other team is locked into a spot, and one postseason berth remains up for grabs. 

There was just one game on Monday, and it didn’t provide much drama. The Atlanta Dream beat the lottery-bound Connecticut Sun by 25 to extend their winning streak to five games and move back into second place. 

The playoff push will continue Tuesday with five games, all of which have playoff implications. Most notably, the Los Angeles Sparks will be eliminated from postseason contention with a loss. 

Watch Tuesday’s WNBA action on Fubo (Try for free), and follow the game live with analysis and highlights right here on CBS Sports. 
All odds provided by BetMGM.

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. 

The regular season will conclude on Sept. 11 and the playoffs begin on Sept. 14. The last possible Finals date is Oct. 17. 

StandingsMinnesota Lynx (33-9) — Clinched playoff berthAtlanta Dream (29-14) — Clinched playoff berthLas Vegas Aces (28-14) — Clinched playoff berthPhoenix Mercury (27-15) — Clinched playoff berthNew York Liberty (25-17) — Clinched playoff berthGolden State Valkyries (23-19) — Clinched playoff berthIndiana Fever (23-20) — Clinched playoff berthSeattle Storm (22-21)
—————————–Los Angeles Sparks (20-22)Washington Mystics (16-27) — Eliminated from playoff contentionConnecticut Sun (11-32) — Eliminated from playoff contentionChicago Sky (10-32) — Eliminated from playoff contentionDallas Wings (9-34) — Eliminated from playoff contention

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

Lynx have clinched No. 1 seed

The Lynx locked in the No. 1 seed and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs and set a franchise record for wins in a season late last month. Now, all that’s left to play for is the all-time single-season wins record. If the Lynx win their remaining two games, they’ll surpass the current record of 34 wins by the 2023 Aces. 

Dream win fifth in a row, reclaim second place2. Atlanta Dream (29-14)3. Las Vegas Aces (28-14)4. Phoenix Mercury (27-15)5. New York Liberty (25-17)

The Aces cruised past a short-handed Sky team on Sunday to extend their winning streak to 14 games and temporarily move back into second place. The Dream were in action on Monday, however, and crushed the Sun to reclaim second place as the game of leapfrog continues. The Aces do own the tiebreaker between the clubs and have a game in hand, though, so they control their own destiny. If they win out, they will be the No. 2 seed. 

The Mercury, who suffered a surprise loss to the Sun on Saturday, are now one game back of the third-place Aces and 1½ games behind the Dream. 

Meanwhile, the Liberty have dropped off from the pack and are locked into the No. 5 seed. 

Valkyries make history, Fever clinch spot6. Golden State Valkyries (23-19)7. Indiana Fever (23-20)8. Seattle Storm (22-21)9. Los Angeles Sparks (20-22)

Last week, the Valkyries became the first expansion team ever to make the playoffs in their inaugural season. The Fever joined them in officially clinching a berth with their win over the Mystics on Sunday. 

Now, only one spot remains, and the Storm have the inside track. They’re 1½ games up on the Sparks, who beat the Wings on Sunday to stay alive. There is now only one path for the Sparks to make the playoffs; they need to win their final two games against the Mercury and Aces and hope the Storm lose their final game against the Valkyries. 

Lottery bound10. Washington Mystics (16-27)11. Connecticut Sun (11-32)12. Chicago Sky (10-32)13. Dallas Wings (9-34)

The Mystics officially joined the lottery-bound crew with a loss to the Valkyries on Saturday. Though they 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. 

The Sun, Sky and Wings have been a step behind everyone else all summer and have 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 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.