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WNBA playoff picture, standings, projections: Mystics secure playoff spot; Sky jump back into eighth – CBS Sports
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The final days of a thrilling and historic 2023 WNBA regular season, which will wrap up on Sunday, have arrived. As expected, the defending champion Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty have separated themselves from the pack, but there remains plenty to play for.
At the top of the standings, the Liberty pulled to within half a game of the Aces in the race for the No. 1 seed with their win over the Sparks on Thursday. But while both teams now have 32 wins — a single-season record — the Aces have a game in hand and play the Mercury twice to close out the season. That should allow them to hold off the Liberty for first place.
Below them, the Connecticut Sun are now locked into the No. 3 seed, while the Dallas Wings, Minnesota Lynx, Atlanta Dream and Washington Mystics have all clinched playoff berths. But with just two games separating the Wings from the Mystics, seeding is still up in the air in the middle of the pack.
There is just one spot remaining, which will be contested by the Chicago Sky and Los Angeles Sparks. After the Sparks’ defeat to the Liberty on Thursday, the Sky now have a half-game lead, a game in hand and the tiebreaker between the clubs. All they need now is one win or one Sparks loss and they will clinch the eighth and final seed.
The lottery will feature the Indiana Fever, Seattle Storm and Phoenix Mercury, who have all been eliminated.
Here’s a closer look at how things stand:
Note: Two-team ties are decided first by head-to-head record and then, if necessary, better record against .500+ teams. Ties between more than two teams are determined by combined head-to-head record against the other teams.
1. Las Vegas Aces (32-6)
After their first slump of the season in late August, the Aces have bounced back with big wins over the Mystics and Storm and are closing in on securing the No. 1 seed. They have a half-game lead over the Liberty and their last two games are both against the last-place Mercury who have essentially given up on the season.
2. New York Liberty (32-7)
With a second-half comeback over the Sparks on Thursday, the Liberty extended their winning streak to eight games and pulled to within half a game of the Aces for the No. 1 overall seed. They still need some help from the Mercury, which is probably unlikely, but the Liberty continue to give themselves every chance to catch the Aces.
3. Connecticut Sun (26-12)
No one expected the Sun to be this good this season without Jonquel Jones, but they’ve clearly established themselves as the “best of the rest” behind the Aces and Liberty. They have clinched a playoff spot, and are now using the final week to work themselves into a rhythm. Tuesday’s big win over the Sparks, which came thanks to another Alyssa Thomas showcase, was a good start.
4. Dallas Wings (20-18)
The Wings are going back to the playoffs for the third consecutive season, and have their first 20-win campaign since 2008, when they still played in Detroit. Their inconsistent play in recent weeks is a bit concerning, however. They’ve been alternating mini winning and losing streaks for over a month, and can look amazing one night and horrible the next.
5. Minnesota Lynx (19-19)
The Lynx made easy work of the Mercury on Sunday to clinch a playoff spot and open up a 1.5-game lead over the Dream in the race for the No. 5 seed. They are just the second team in WNBA history to make the playoffs after starting the season 0-6, joining the 2015 Sparks.
6. Atlanta Dream (18-20)
This has been a roller coaster season for the Dream. When they’re good, they’re really good, but when they’re bad, they’re really bad. They’ve had winning streaks of seven and three games, but also four different three-game losing streaks. Through it all, they have officially clinched their first playoff berth since 2018 after their win over the Storm on Wednesday.
7. Washington Mystics (18-20)
The Mystics just cannot catch a break in regards to injuries. Just as it seemed like they were finally getting healthy again, they lost Ariel Atkins to a nasal fracture, had to sit Shakira Austin for precautionary reasons after she took a hard fall on her previously injured hip and saw Kristi Toliver go down with a torn ACL. They have, however, clinched a playoff spot after their win over the Mercury on Tuesday.
8. Chicago Sky (16-22)
Perhaps no team in the league is as desperate to make the playoffs as the Sky, who do not have a first-round pick in the 2024 draft as a result of former head coach and GM James Wade’s short-sighted offseason. It was looking grim on that front a few weeks ago, but their magic number to clinch the eighth and final spot is down to one.
9. Los Angeles Sparks (16-23)
The Sparks’ playoff chances are hanging by a thread after they fell to the Liberty on Thursday for their fifth defeat in six games. They now need to win their final game on Sunday against the Storm and hope the Sky lose both of their remaining contests. If they do miss out, it will extend their drought to a franchise-worst three seasons.
10. Indiana Fever (12-26)
The Fever were knocked out of the playoffs on Sept. 1 with their defeat to the Wings. But while they’ll be in the lottery for a seventh consecutive season, this isn’t the same old Fever. They’ve won more games this summer than they did in 2021 and 2022 combined, and there are some positive signs for the future.
11. Seattle Storm (11-27)
The Storm were officially eliminated from the playoffs after their loss to the Sky on Sept. 3, ending a seven-year postseason streak. This was unfortunately to be expected given the departures of Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird in the offseason, and a trip to the lottery will help the Storm reset for the future.
12. Phoenix Mercury (9-29)
The Mercury’s claim to the longest active postseason streak in the league is no more. For the first time since 2012, they were eliminated from the playoffs with their defeat against the Wings on Sept 3. This group needs a fresh infusion of talent, though, so heading to the lottery is for the best.
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