WNBA playoff picture: Standings, schedule as Aces beat Lynx to extend winning streak to 13 games

The final week of the 2025 WNBA season has arrived, but the playoff picture remains murky. The Minnesota Lynx have secured the No. 1 seed and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, but no other team is locked into a spot and two postseason berths still remain up for grabs. 

The Las Vegas Aces continued their incredible late-season turnaround Thursday with a win over the Lynx to run their winning streak to 13 games and move back into second place. Elsewhere, the Golden State Valkyries came back to beat the Dallas Wings and became the first expansion team in WNBA history to make the playoffs in their inaugural season. 

Valkyries become first expansion team in WNBA history to make playoffs in inaugural season

Jack Maloney

The playoff push will continue Friday with three more games, all of which will have playoff implications:

• Los Angeles Sparks at Atlanta Dream, 7:30 p.m. ET -- ION
• Chicago Sky at Indiana Fever, 7:30 p.m. ET -- ION
• New York Liberty at Seattle Storm, 10 p.m. ET -- ION

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. 19. 

Standings

1. Minnesota Lynx (32-9) -- Clinched playoff berth
2. Las Vegas Aces (27-14) -- Clinched playoff berth
3. Atlanta Dream (27-14) -- Clinched playoff berth
4. Phoenix Mercury (27-14) -- Clinched playoff berth
5. New York Liberty (24-17) -- Clinched playoff berth
6. Golden State Valkyries (23-18) -- Clinched playoff berth
7. Seattle Storm (22-20)
8. Indiana Fever (21-20)
9. Los Angeles Sparks (19-21)
10. Washington Mystics (16-26) -- Eliminated from playoff contention
11. Chicago Sky (10-30) -- Eliminated from playoff contention
12. Connecticut Sun (10-31) -- Eliminated from playoff contention
13. Dallas Wings (9-33) -- 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

• 1. Minnesota Lynx (32-9)

The Lynx destroyed the lottery-bound Sun on Saturday to officially clinch the No. 1 overall seed and home-court advantage throughout the postseason. Furthermore, they set a new franchise record for wins in a season with 31. With three games remaining they will have to run the table to break the 2023 Aces' WNBA record of 34 wins in a season. 

2025 WNBA playoffs: Minnesota Lynx clinch No. 1 seed, homecourt advantage throughout postseason

Jack Maloney

Aces win 13th in a row to re-take second place, Liberty fading

• 2. Las Vegas Aces (27-14)
• 3. Atlanta Dream (27-14)
• 4. Phoenix Mercury (27-14)
• 5. New York Liberty (24-17)

The furious race for the No. 2 seed continued Thursday when the Aces beat the Lynx to run their winning streak to 13 games and the Mercury held off the Mystics for their sixth win in a row. The Aces, Dream and Mercury have all been red-hot over the last few weeks and boast identical 27-14 records. The race for the No. 2 seed seems destined to go down to the final day. 

Meanwhile, the Liberty have dropped off from the pack. Though they clinched a playoff spot on Tuesday, they have lost two in a row and seven of their last 11 games. They are now closer to sixth than they are to fourth. 

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Valkyries make history, only two playoff spots remain

• 6. Golden State Valkyries (23-18)
• 7. Seattle Storm (22-20)
• 8. Indiana Fever (21-20)
• 9. Los Angeles Sparks (19-21)

The Sparks' up-and-down form over the last few weeks continued with their loss to the Dream on Wednesday to fall 1 ½ games back of the eighth-place Fever and two games back of the seventh-place Storm. The Sparks do own the tiebreakers against both clubs, but are running out of time. 

The Valkyries beat the Wings at home on Thursday for their fifth win in a row and became the first expansion team ever to make the playoffs in their inaugural season. 

Lottery bound

• 10. Washington Mystics (16-26)
• 11. Chicago Sky (10-30)
• 12. Connecticut Sun (10-31)
• 13. Dallas Wings (9-33)

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. 

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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.