Fever clinch playoffs without Caitlin Clark
USAT’s Meghan Hall breaks down the Indiana Fever team as they head into the playoffs with several notable injuries to their roster.
Sports Pulse
The final days of the 2025 WNBA regular season have arrived and the playoff picture is taking shape.
The Seattle Storm claimed the eighth and final spot in the postseason on Tuesday with a dramatic win over the Golden State Valkyries, officially eliminating the Los Angeles Sparks from the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. Although all eight playoff spots have been earned, there’s plenty to be decided in the seedings with only a few games remaining.
The Minnesota Lynx clinched the No. 1 overall seed and homecourt advantage throughout the postseason with one game remaining on their schedule. The Phoenix Mercury are locked into the No. 4 seed and have a first-round matchup against the defending champion New York Liberty, who secured the No. 5 seed.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Dream and Las Vegas Aces are jockeying for the No. 2 seed, which will come in handy should both advance to the semifinals.
The sixth, seventh and eighth seed will come down the Valkyries’ regular-season finale against the Lynx on Thursday. If Golden State defeats Minnesota, the Valkyries will secure the No. 6 seed, the Fever will be the No. 7 seed and Seattle will be the No. 8 seed. But, if the Valkyries lose to the Lynx, Golden State will drop to the No. 8 seed, the Fever will stay at No. 6 and the Storm will move up to the No. 7 seed.
Here’s a look at the 2025 WNBA playoff picture, including the league’s postseason format, a potential bracket and first-round matchups based on the current standings:
WNBA playoff picture
*clinched seed
Minnesota Lynx (33-10)*Las Vegas Aces (29-14)Atlanta Dream (29-14)Phoenix Mercury (27-16)*New York Liberty (26-17)*Indiana Fever (24-20)Golden State Valkyries (23-20)Seattle Storm (23-21)
The Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Dallas Wings, Chicago Sky and Connecticut Sun have all been eliminated from playoff contention.
WNBA first-round matchups, potential bracket
Based on standings before games played on Sept. 10
No. 1 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 8 Seattle StormNo. 4 Phoenix Mercury vs. No. 5 New York LibertyThis matchup is set as the Mercury and Liberty are both locked in at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.No. 2 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 7 Golden State ValkyriesNo. 3 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 6 Indiana FeverWNBA playoff format
The WNBA playoffs are set to begin on Sept. 14 with the WNBA Finals scheduled to end by Oct. 19 at the latest. The top eight WNBA teams based on the overall regular-season standings qualify for the playoffs. The bracket will feature three postseason rounds, including the championship series. The first-round will be a best-of-three series, while the semifinals will have best-of-five format. The WNBA Finals are a best-of-seven series, with the higher seed hosting Games 1, 2, 5 and 7.
WNBA standings
Standings reflect results as of 4 p.m. ET on Sept. 10
Minnesota Lynx: 33-10Las Vegas Aces: 29-14 (4 games back)Atlanta Dream: 29-14 (4)Phoenix Mercury: 27-16 (6)New York Liberty: 26-17 (7)Indiana Fever: 24-20 (9.5)Golden State Valkyries: 23-20 (10)Seattle Storm: 23-21 (10.5)Los Angeles Sparks: 21-22 (12)Washington Mystics: 16-28 (17.5)Connecticut Sun: 11-32 (22)Chicago Sky: 10-33 (23)Dallas Wings: 9-34 (24)
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