The WNBA Playoffs are only a few weeks away. Although some teams have already punched their ticket into the postseason, three spots remain open and looks like it will remain that way all the way until the last day of the season. With that being said, every game throughout the league for the rest of the year has implications that impact the snapshot of the playoff picture, and that was no different in Wednesday’s games.
Wednesday’s Matchups
Storm vs. Lynx
The Storm defeated the Lynx 89-77 Wednesday. Seattle dominated for the majority of this matchup behind the impressive play of Breann Stewart. Stewart scored 33 points and recorded 8 rebounds in the blowout win against Minnesota and shot an impressive 65% from the field. Sue Bird finished her second to last regular season home game for the Storm with 13 points and 6 assists. The Storm’s win moved them into a tie for 4th with the Washington Mystics.
As for Minnesota, the team struggled mightily from beyond the arc, only shooting 27.3% on 22 attempts. Sylvia Fowles was only held to 12 points and the team was led by Nikolina Milic with 13.
Although both teams are on different ends of the playoff picture, implications were never higher. The Storm, who have already clinched a playoff spot are battling for a better seed once the regular season has concluded. They are currently tied for fourth with Washington in an eight-team playoff format. avoiding the bottom half of the playoff teams keeps you out of the first-round single elimination game, essentially giving you a bye. The Storm knows this position all too well as they sneaked through as the fourth seed last year in the 2021 playoffs. The team that finished ahead of them and as the third seed last season; Minnesota, but this year, things don’t look quite the same for the Lynx.
Minnesota is one of six teams battling for the final three remaining playoffs spots this season as they currently sit out of the picture in 11th place.
Liberty vs. Sparks
The Liberty come from behind to move there win streak to three in a row against the Sparks 64-61. New York was playing from behind in all but the final minutes in this one as L.A. started off strong. The Sparks headed into the second quarter up 24-8 and held the lead all the way until a free throw from Sabrina Ionescu with 34 seconds to go in the game took the lead for New York for the first time and for good.
Ioneshu lead the Liberty with 20 points, 6 assists and 8 rebounds, despite only going 33.3% from the field. New York is currently holding the 8th seed with a 13-18 record but has the Mercury right on its heels in 9th with the same record. The weekend matchup for the Liberty against Phoenix will be one of the most important games in the league down the stretch.
As for the Sparks, Nneka Ogwumike led the team with 19 points and was impressive in the post all game. Los Angeles moves to 12-19, now one game behind the 8th place spot, they currently sit in 10th place.
To what I believe the be the most exciting team in the WNBA, the Liberty has shown true grit to get back into playoff contention this season. The depth the team has shown makes you excited as a fan that the game is heading in the right direction.
Dream vs. Fever
This game unfortunately felt over before it began as the Dream defeated the Fever 91-81. Atlanta game out hot in this one and outscore Indiana 62-34 in the first half. The Fever came back and showed signs of life in the 2nd half, but the deficit was too much to overcome.
Rhyne Howard led the Dream to victory with 20 points. The Dream move to 13-18 and independently hold on to the seventh seed in the latest playoff picture.
As for Indiana, some good things came from this loss, starting with NaLyssa Smith. She led the team with 21 points. Another great note in this game is rookie Lexie Hull scored her career high 14 points and 7 rebounds. Overall, the shooting must improve for the Fever as they only shot 38.9% from the field, compared to Atlanta’s 50.0%.
The Fever have just been unmatched all season and will desperately need to fix this team once the offseason comes. Building up through the draft with the inevitable number 1 pick will also benefit this squad to be competitive against other teams in this league.
Current Playoff Picture
| # | Team | Win | Loss | GB |
| 1 | Chicago Sky -x | 23 | 8 | – |
| 2 | Las Vegas Aces -x | 22 | 9 | 1.0 |
| 3 | Connecticut Sun -x | 21 | 10 | 2.0 |
| 4 | Seattle Storm -x | 20 | 12 | 3.5 |
| 5 | Washington Mystics -x | 20 | 12 | 3.5 |
| 6 | Dallas Wings | 14 | 16 | 8.5 |
| 7 | Atlanta Dream | 13 | 18 | 10.0 |
| 8 | New York Liberty | 13 | 18 | 10.0 |
| 9 | Phoenix Mercury | 13 | 18 | 10.0 |
| 10 | Los Angeles Sparks | 12 | 19 | 11.0 |
| 11 | Minnesota Lynx | 12 | 20 | 11.5 |
| 12 | Indiana Fever -o | 5 | 28 | 19.0 |
What’s Ahead
As the playoff picture continues to shape up, two more games with playoff implications are on Thursday evening.
The Phoenix Mercury will look to gain so traction away from the crowded bottom with a win against 3rd seed Connecticut Sun. The Mercury have had excellent guard play all season from Skyler Diggins-Smith (19.9 ppg this season) and Diana Taurasi (16.7 ppg) and hope it continues in this matchup. Game is on at 7pm EST on ESPN2.
Finally, The Dallas Wings will look to gain a two-game lead with only six games remaining against the rest of the pack battling for a spot in playoff contention. They will have no easy task however, as they will face Kelsey Plum (20.2 ppg) and the Las Vegas Aces. Tip Off is at 8pm EST and on ESPN3.
What are your Thoughts?
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