The WNBA playoff field is officially set.
The Seattle Storm rallied late to beat the Golden State Valkyries 76-73 on Tuesday night in their final game of the regular season. That officially gave them the final spot in the WNBA’s postseason and eliminated the Los Angeles Sparks from playoff contention.
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The Storm and the Sparks entered the night fighting for the last available playoff spot, though the Storm had the very clear advantage. They either had to beat the Valkyries to get in, or they could still get in even if the Sparks lost. While the Sparks survived yet another triple-double outing from Alyssa Thomas in Phoenix, the Storm held on in the final seconds at Climate Pledge Arena to grab the win and clinch the spot on their own.
The Storm struggled against the Valkyries on Tuesday night and completely left the door open for the Sparks. But a 14-4 run to start the fourth quarter brought them right back in it, and then Erica Wheeler drilled a 16-footer with less than 20 seconds left to put the Storm up for good. The Valkyries — who are the first expansion team to make the playoffs in their first season — had several good looks at a game-winner in the final seconds, but Janelle Salaun missed both a layup and a 3-point attempt before Wheeler snagged a final rebound.
Literal seconds before that game ended, the Sparks secured a tight 88-83 win over the Mercury. Dearica Hamby dropped 25 points and nine rebounds while Rae Burrell added a career-high 20 points off the bench, and they held on despite Thomas’ eighth triple-double of the season. Thomas had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the Mercury.
While a win for the Sparks wouldn’t have sealed the deal, it at least would have allowed them to control their own destiny. That would have set up a win-and-in scenario on Thursday night in their regular-season finale against the Las Vegas Aces. The Aces, however, picked up their 15th straight in on Tuesday night. The Aces rolled over the Chicago Sky 92-61 on Tuesday night to improve to 29-14 on the season. They’ve lost just once in the entire month of August, and have won 17 of their last 18 games. The lone slip came against the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx.
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But now, that contest won’t matter much at all. The Storm can now turn their attention to the postseason. The Sparks, on the other hand, will be watching their fifth consecutive playoffs from home.
WNBA playoff picture
With just two days left in the regular season, here’s a look at the current standings in the league. The Lynx have already clinched the best record in the WNBA, guaranteeing them the No. 1 seed.
1. Minnesota Lynx (33-10)
2. Las Vegas Aces (29-14)
3. Atlanta Dream (29-14)
4. Phoenix Mercury (27-16)
5. New York Liberty (26-17)
6. Golden State Valkyries (23-20)
7. Indiana Fever (24-20)
8. Seattle Storm (23-21)
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9. Los Angeles Sparks (21-22)
10. Washington Mystics (16-28)
11. Connecticut Sun (11-32)
12. Chicago Sky (10-33)
13. Dallas Wings (9-34)
If the standings don’t change, here’s what the first round of the playoffs would look like.
1. Lynx vs. 8. Storm
2. Aces vs. 7. Fever
3. Dream vs. 6. Valkyries
4. Mercury vs. 5. Liberty
The first round of the playoffs is a three-game series, following a 1-1-1 format. The semifinals will switch to a best of five series, and then the WNBA Finals will jump to a best of seven format for the first time. The playoffs will officially start on Sunday, Sept. 14.
