WNBA table, playoff analysis, schedule: The Aces’ dry spell continues with a surprising defeat against the Wings

The 2024 WNBA season is less than a month away, and the playoff situation is slowly taking shape. The Connecticut Sun and Minnesota Lynx secured playoff spots on Saturday, joining the New York Liberty as confirmed teams for the postseason. Although no one has officially been eliminated yet, there is a large gap between the three teams at the bottom of the standings.

There was only one game on Tuesday and that was a surprise, as the Wings beat the struggling Aces despite 42 points from A’ja Wilson. The rest of the league is in action on Wednesday, with five games scheduled, including Sun vs. Fever, Lynx vs. Mercury and Dream vs. Storm.

As a reminder, the top eight teams, regardless of conference affiliation, advance to the WNBA playoffs. Under the current playoff format, teams are placed into a standard bracket, with the No. 1 seed playing No. 8 in the first round, No. 2 playing No. 7, and so on. Teams play a best-of-three series in the first round and a best-of-five series in the semifinals and finals. Notably, the first round has a 2-1 format, meaning the higher seed has the first two games at home, while the lower seed has the deciding Game 3 at home, should the series go that far. The semifinals and finals have a standard 2-2-1 format, with the higher seed hosting Games 1, 2, and 5, if necessary.

Here’s everything you need to know about the current playoff situation, including the standings and key decision criteria:

Table position

1. New York Freedom (26-5) — Playoff spot secured
2. Connecticut Sun (22-7) — Playoff spot secured
3. Minnesota Lynx (22-8) — Playoff spot secured
4. Seattle Storm (18-11)
5. Las Vegas Aces (18-12)
6. Phoenix Mercury (16-15)
7. Indiana fever (14-16)
8. Chicago sky (11-18)
9. Atlanta Dream (10-19)
10. Washington Mystics (8-22)
11. Dallas Wings (8-22)
12. Los Angeles Lakers (6-24)

Note: Ties between two teams will be decided by head-to-head first, then, if necessary, by the better match against teams with a record above .500. Ties between more than two teams will be decided by the combined head-to-head against the other teams.

Only freedom at the top

1. New York Liberty (26-5)

• Decision criteria: against Sun (3-1)

The Liberty returned to winning ways with a comfortable win over the Mercury on Monday. Their lead over the Sun in the race for first place is now back to three games, and with the tiebreaker it’s practically four. They have secured a playoff spot and are close to securing home-court advantage for the entire playoffs.

Important remaining games: against Lynx, 15 September

Sun and Lynx fight for second place

2. Connecticut Sun (22-7)

• Decision criteria: against Liberty (1-3); against Lynx (2-0); against Storm (0-1); against Aces (0-1)

The Sun have been underwhelming lately, but they keep coming up with big wins. Most recently, they beat the Liberty to extend their winning streak to three games, clinch a playoff spot and stay ahead of the red-hot Lynx, and are half a game ahead in the race for second place.

Important remaining games: vs Storm, September 1st; vs Storm, September 3rd; vs Aces, September 6th; at Aces, September 15th; vs Lynx, September 17th

3. Minnesota Lynx (22-8)

• Decision criteria: against Sun (0-2); against Storm (3-1); against Aces (3-1)

The Lynx kept going with a win over the Fever on Saturday on the night of Maya Moore’s jersey retirement ceremony. They have now won six games in a row and secured a playoff spot. With a three-game lead over the Storm and the tiebreaker, they are unlikely to fall below third place. Now the question is can they catch the Sun.

Important remaining games: on Sun., 17 Sept.

Storm and Aces fight for fourth place

4. Seattle Storm (18-11)

• Decision criteria: against Sun (1-0); against Lynx (1-3); against Aces (1-2)

The Storm’s strange start to the second half of the season continued with a home loss to the Mystics on Monday. With a 1-3 record since play resumed, they have dropped back to fifth place. Worse, this was supposed to be the easy part of their remaining schedule. It only gets harder from here.

Important remaining games: against Liberty, August 30th; on Sunday, September 1st; on Sunday, September 3rd; at Liberty, September 5th; against Aces, September 17th

5. Las Vegas Aces (18-12)

• Decision criteria: against Sun (1-0); against Lynx (1-3); against Storm (2-1)

The Aces’ hopes that their dramatic win over the Sky on Sunday would be the catalyst to get them back on track were dashed with a loss to the underperforming Wings on Tuesday. They have now lost five of their last seven games and dropped back to fifth place.

Important remaining games: at Lynx, August 23; at Sunday, September 6; at Liberty, September 8; around Sunday, September 15; at Storm, September 17

Mercury quite comfortable in sixth place

6. Phoenix Mercury (16-15)

• Decision criteria: against Fever (0:3); against Sky (2:0)

The Mercury fell apart in the fourth quarter on Monday, losing to league leaders Liberty. They are still 1.5 games ahead of the Fever in the race for sixth place, but don’t have the tiebreaker between the clubs. They are pretty comfortable right now, but have some work to do to stop Caitlin Clark and Co.

Important remaining games: on Sky, 15 September

Fever, Sky and Dream fight for the last two places

7. Indiana Fever (14-16)

• Decision criteria: against Mercury (3:0); against Sky (2:1); against Dream (3:0)

The Fever earned their biggest win in nearly a decade on Monday. They held the Dream at bay on a night when Caitlin Clark set the rookie 3-point recordThey are now 3.5 games ahead of the Dream and have the tiebreaker, making it a 4.5 game lead. With 10 games remaining, they will almost certainly make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Important remaining games: at Dream, August 26; at Sky, August 30; against Dream, September 8

8. Chicago Sky (11-18)

• Decision criteria: against Mercury (0-2); against Fever (1-2); against Dream (2-1)

The Sky’s rocky start to the second half of the season continued with a narrow loss to the Aces on Sunday. They are now 1-4 since the start of the season and their lead over the Dream for the eighth and final playoff spot has shrunk to one game.

Important remaining games: against Fever, August 30th; against Mercury, September 15th; at Dream, September 17th

9. Atlanta Dreams (10-19)

• Decision criteria: against Fever (0-3); against Sky (1-2)

The Dream suffered a tough loss on Monday when they failed to pull off a dramatic comeback against the Fever. They have now narrowly lost their last two games and have fallen a game behind the Sky in the race for the eighth and final playoff spot.

Important remaining games: against Fever, August 26; at Fever, September 8; against Sky, September 17

A clear gap on the floor

10. Washington Mystics (8-22)

The Mystics have been competitive all season and are finally starting to turn their performances into wins. After their surprise win over the Storm on Monday, they have suddenly won two games in a row. But it’s almost certainly too little, too late, as they are still 3.5 games out of a playoff spot.

11. Dallas Wings (8-22)

The Wings are suddenly on a roll. Coming off their stunning comeback win over the Sparks, they beat the defending champions on Tuesday to win two games in a row for the first time since May. However, they are still 3.5 games out of the playoffs with 10 games left to play and another lottery trip ahead of them.

12. Los Angeles Lakers (6-24)

The Sparks suffered a devastating loss on Sunday when they blew a 22-point lead against the Wings. They have lost all six games since resuming play and seven straight overall. Now in last place, it’s time for them to focus on the lottery.