The WNBA regular season is officially back after Team USA absolutely crushed France in the FIBA Women’s World Cup final, and we’ve got just *one week* of games left before things get wild. All eight playoff spots are locked in, so no drama there, but trust me, there’s still plenty to fight for. This sprint to the finish, concluding on September 24, is all about that precious homecourt advantage, and boy, is it tight.
Valkyries Are Chasing Down the Lynx at the Top
Cheryl Reeve’s Minnesota Lynx, sitting at a stellar 31-9, were cruising along, looking like they’d lock up that top spot ages ago. They’ve held sole possession of first place since July 12, when the Las Vegas Aces took a beating from the Indiana Fever. But then, BAM! The Lynx hit a two-game skid right before the World Cup break, including a tough loss to the Golden State Valkyries. Meanwhile, the Valkyries, now 29-11, have been on a *tear*, ripping off four straight wins to cut the gap to just two games. The Lynx do hold the season tiebreaker, which effectively makes their lead three games with only four remaining for each squad. Their magic number to clinch the No. 1 seed is two.
Minnesota is still the clear favorite for homecourt advantage throughout the entire playoffs, but Golden State’s remaining schedule is significantly easier. The Lynx have to face the Liberty at home, then go on the road for games against the Sun and a back-to-back with the Fever. The Valkyries, on the other hand, play the Fire twice, then face our very own **Storm** here in the Emerald City, and finally finish up against the Sparks. If the Valkyries win out, which is a real possibility with that schedule, the Lynx would need to go 2-2 in their final four. If you pencil in a win against the lowly Sun, that still leaves Minnesota needing to win one more from their tough slate against the Liberty and those two Fever games. Their games against New York and Indiana have been super competitive this season, so if they drop that New York game on Friday, the pressure is gonna be intense!
Mid-Pack Mayhem: Homecourt in the First Round is the Prize
While the top two are battling, the rest of the playoff picture is absolute chaos, especially in the middle of the pack. Teams are desperately trying to secure homecourt advantage for that crucial best-of-three first round. Looking at the standings, we’ve got three distinct groups: the top two with the Lynx and Valkyries, then the Aces (27-13), Dream (26-14), and Fever (26-14) duking it out for spots 3-5. After that, it’s a tight squeeze with the Liberty (24-16), Mystics (24-16), and Wings (24-16) all tied up for the 6-8 spots. Every single game this final week matters, folks. There are going to be some fierce seeding battles that could completely change who has the edge when the playoffs actually tip off.
The WNBA season wraps up on September 24, and with homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs for the top seed, plus the best-of-three homecourt for the rest, every bounce, every basket, every single game over the next week is going to be a nail-biter. Don’t miss a second of it, because these standings are far from final!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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