Excitement in the WNBA: Day’s Summary
The WNBA continues its 2025 season with exciting matchups. The Las Vegas Aces set a new franchise record with their thirteenth consecutive victory. In addition, the Golden State Valkyries made history by becoming the first expansion team to qualify for the playoffs in their inaugural season. However, the most recent news is the absence of Caitlin Clark, a player for the Indiana Fever, who announced that she will not return this season due to an injury.
With only seven days left in the regular season, the competition intensifies. Six teams have already secured their place in the postseason: Minnesota Lynx, Las Vegas Aces, Atlanta Dream, Phoenix Mercury, New York Liberty, and Golden State Valkyries. Meanwhile, Seattle Storm, Indiana Fever, and Los Angeles Sparks are battling for the last two available spots.
Despite their recent defeat to Las Vegas, the Minnesota Lynx have already secured the best record in the league and the home-court advantage during the playoffs. The Aces, on the other hand, remain the most dominant team. Meanwhile, the current champions, the New York Liberty, could lose the opportunity to be among the top four seeds and, therefore, the home-court advantage in the first round.
Here’s an analysis of the situation of the nine teams that have already qualified or are still in contention, and the possible positions they could obtain:
Team Analysis
Minnesota Lynx (32-9)
Upcoming matches: @ GS (September 6), @ IND (September 9), vs. GS (September 11)
Perspective: For the Lynx, the most important thing is to stay healthy and reach the playoffs in top form. The loss to Las Vegas could be a minor setback, but it shouldn’t affect their confidence, considering they won the regular season series 3-1.
Atlanta Dream (27-14)
Upcoming matches: vs. LA (September 5th), vs. CON (September 8th), @ CON (September 10th)
Outlook: Atlanta could secure three more wins. The Dream has a 2-0 record against the Sparks and 1-1 against the Sun. Atlanta has the tiebreaker over Phoenix, but not against Las Vegas, their direct rivals for second place.
Las Vegas Aces (27-14)
Upcoming matches: vs. CHI (September 7), vs. CHI (September 9), @ LA (September 11)
Perspective: The Aces secured a close victory against Chicago on August 25th and are the favorites in the upcoming games against the Sky. The possibility of securing the second seed could be an additional incentive in the last game of the regular season against Los Angeles. The Aces also have the tiebreaker in their favor against Atlanta and Phoenix.
Phoenix Mercury (27-14)
Upcoming matches: @ CON (September 6), vs. LA (September 9), @ DAL (September 11)
Perspective: The Mercury are on a six-game winning streak and eight in the last nine games. Kahleah Copper has performed great in the last month. The Mercury have secured home-court advantage in the first round, but Atlanta and Las Vegas have the tiebreaker in their favor.
New York Liberty (24-17)
Upcoming matches: @ SEA (September 5), vs. WAS (September 9), @ CHI (September 11)
Perspective: The Liberty need to win their remaining three games and for Las Vegas to lose all three to secure a top-four spot. It’s more realistic for them to focus on maintaining the fifth spot, which is still not secured.
Golden State Valkyries (23-18)
Upcoming matches: vs. MIN (September 6), @ SEA (September 9), @ MIN (September 11)
Perspective: The Valkyries have had a great season in their first year. They could move up to fifth place, but they are currently in sixth. They still have to face the Lynx twice.
Seattle Storm (22-20)
Upcoming matches: vs. NY (September 5th), vs. GS (September 9th)
Perspective: Seattle has a better road record (13-9) than home record (9-11). They have won five of their last seven games, but are coming off a home loss against Los Angeles.
Indiana Fever (21-20)
Upcoming matches: vs. CHI (September 5), @ WAS (September 7), vs. MIN (September 9)
Perspective: The absence of Caitlin Clark doesn’t change much for the Fever, as she hasn’t played since mid-July. The question is whether they can finish the season strong.
Los Angeles Sparks (19-21)
Upcoming matches: @ ATL (September 5), vs. DAL (September 7), @ PHO (September 9), vs. LV (September 11)
Outlook: The Sparks have the most remaining games, but three of them are against teams vying for second place. They need a strong finish to avoid a fifth consecutive season without making the playoffs.
