The 2024 WNBA regular season concludes Thursday night with all 12 teams in action, though some games are much more important than others — at least when it comes to this year’s playoffs and the 2025 draft lottery.
Seven of the eight playoff spots have been clinched, with only the last one up for grabs tonight with the The Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky And The Washington Mystics still in contention. Two of those teams could also enter next year’s lottery for a chance at the No. 1 overall pick.
As for the teams that have already qualified for the playoffs, there are still a few seeds to be determined. The top two teams are already assured of their spots, as are the 5th, 6th and 7th spots, leaving the third and fourth seeds to be determined.
Sounds complicated? Actually, it’s simpler than it sounds. Here’s a summary of what’s at stake tonight, the schedule and the standings heading into the final day:
WNBA Schedule for Final Day of Regular Season
Six games are scheduled for Thursday night (Eastern time):
WNBA Standings
x=clinched a playoff spot; And= eliminated from the playoff race
|
Team |
L |
L |
EN |
|
new York -x |
32 |
7 |
— |
|
Minnesota -x |
30 |
9 |
2 |
|
Connecticut -x |
27 |
12 |
5 |
|
Las Vegas -x |
26 |
13 |
6 |
|
Seattle -x |
24 |
15 |
8 |
|
Indiana -x |
20 |
19 |
12 |
|
Phoenix -x |
19 |
20 |
13 |
|
Atlanta |
14 |
25 |
18 |
|
Washington |
13 |
26 |
19 |
|
Chicago |
13 |
26 |
19 |
|
Dallas -e |
9 |
30 |
23 |
|
The Angeles Islands -e |
7 |
32 |
25 |
WNBA Playoffs Standings
Five of the top seeds are already in place ahead of tonight’s games:
-
New York Liberty
-
Minnesota Lynx
-
To be determined
-
To be determined
-
Seattle Storm
-
Indiana Fever
-
Phoenix Mercury
-
To be determined
How the final seeds of the WNBA playoffs will be determined
The three “to be determined” seeds could be finalized as soon as the first matches are over, depending on the results. Here are the decisive scenarios:
-
Atlanta Dream clinches 8th place with win or loss in Chicago
-
The Washington Mystics take 8th place with a win and a loss in Atlanta and a win in Chicago
-
Chicago Sky secures 8th place with one win and losses to Atlanta and Washington
-
Connecticut Sun clinches 3rd place with a win or loss in Las Vegas
-
Las Vegas Aces clinch 3rd place with a win and a loss to Connecticut
2025 WNBA Lottery
The Los Angeles Sparks and Dallas Wings are guaranteed to be in next year’s draft lottery for a chance at the No. 1 overall pick. As are the Washington Mystics, regardless of the outcome of tonight’s games. Washington already acquired Atlanta’s 2025 first-round pick in a trade, so the Mystics would either end up with their own lottery pick if they miss the playoffs, the Dream’s, if Washington makes the playoffs, or two lottery picks if both teams miss the playoffs.
This article was originally published on USA TODAY: WNBA Playoffs: What’s at stake on the final day of the 2024 regular season?
