2024 WNBA playoff picture: Bracket predictions and scenarios ahead of season finales | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors

Tuesday was the penultimate day of the WNBA schedule, with the regular season coming to an end. With the last games taking place on Thursday, the postseason schedule is almost set.

The New York Liberty secured first place with an 87-71 victory over the Washington Mystics, meaning Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and the rest of New York’s star-studded roster will have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

“That was one of our goals, to get the home-court advantage,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said, according to Ben Pickman of The Athletic.

Meanwhile, the Atlanta Dream took a big step toward securing the last available playoff spot with an 86-70 win over the Chicago Sky.

The postseason is scheduled to begin on Sunday, September 22, and all eight playoff teams will be in action. Under the current playoff format, implemented in 2022, no team will receive a first-round bye.

The opening round will feature four best-of-three series, with the higher-seeded teams having home-court advantage for the first two games. If a third game is needed, the series will shift to the lower-seeded team’s home field.

The semifinals and championship round each consist of a best-of-five series in the traditional 2-2-1 home-away format.

As in most leagues, the opening rounds will feature matches between the first and eighth placed teams, the second and seventh placed teams, the third and sixth placed teams, and the fourth and fifth placed teams.

What we don’t know exactly is what these pairings will look like.

1. New York Liberty (32-7)

3. Connecticut Sun (27-12)

4. Las Vegas Aces (26-13)

7. Phoenix Mercury (19-20)

9. Washington Mystics (13-26)

While the playoff field is largely set, a few things are still up in the air. No team has yet secured the final spot and seeding has yet to be determined. When tiebreakers come into play, seeding will be decided first by head-to-head results, followed by conference winning percentage, percentage against all teams with a .500 or better record, point differential in head-to-head matches, and finally by coin toss.

New York is in first place, and the Minnesota Lynx have secured second place. A last-second three-pointer from Bridget Carleton allowed Minnesota to beat the Connecticut Sun 78-76 to secure the spot for the Lynx.

A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum and the defending champion Las Vegas Aces secured a spot in the opening round with their 85-72 win over the Seattle Storm. Thanks to a loss by the Sun, Las Vegas still has a shot at third place.

Due to the head-to-head tiebreaker, Las Vegas would move up one spot with a win and Connecticut a loss on Thursday.

Atlanta now has a one-game lead in eighth place, but must beat the Liberty on Thursday to secure it. The Mystics and Sky are both one game behind the Dream and need help.

Washington will finish its season against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever. Chicago will finish its schedule against the Sun.

The Storm, Fever and Phoenix Mercury have secured their current playoff spots.

Updated opening round bracket predictions:

8. Atlanta Dream vs. 1. New York Liberty

7. Phoenix Mercury vs. 2. Minnesota Lynx

6. Indiana Fever vs. 3. Connecticut Sun

5. Seattle Storm vs. 4. Las Vegas Aces