Wnba preview: Playoff photos, five matchups to watch this week
While the regular season of the WNBA of 2025 approaches its conclusion, four playoff points are guaranteed and four remain open. The following 11 days will present numerous intriguing matchups, with the results that have implications on how the post -stal band is modeled. However, despite everything that remains unknown, the most recent week of the Wnba action has provided some clarity for certain teams.
The axes blocked a place in the playoffs with their victory 79-74 on the sky. Here is a tip of hat late for them, because – Wow. Las Vegas has passed the winning stripes of New York and Minnesota at nine games at the beginning of this season, now organizing the 12 consecutive wnba victories. Over 12, Becky HammonThe team delivered the best offense of the League (113.1 offensive evaluation) behind the complete two -way domain of A’Ja Wilson. At the same time, Chelsea Gray AND Jackie Young It continues to thrive as versatile producers of shots and facilitators. Between the game of the axes in clutch situations and the overall general game on both ends of the floor, they, they I am Currently showing glimpses of a team that could make noise in the post-installation, something that seemed unlikely before the all-star break.
Announcement
With a victory on Friday over the wings, the dream joined the Aces and Lynx as one of the three teams to conquer a playoff place, before the mercury conquered the next day with a victory over Liberty. Neither organizations is not familiar with the post -station, since each team has reached the playoffs in 2024. However, the coherent game of both teams since the beginning of the season has held every team at the top of the ranking. Phoenix’s success deserves another mention, given the turnover of the roster almost complete from 2024 to 2025 – Alyssa Thomas And his MVP caliber season played a significant role in it.
However, the positive news was not the only type of information spread to WNBA organizations last week. The Mystics, one of the surprise teams of the first half of the season that produced three All-Stars of 2025 (two debutants!), They saw their campaign once in progress receiving an expiration date after suffering an outbreak loss at the Valkyries on Saturday. The loss has grouped them with the sky, the sun and the wings like four teams that are officially eliminated by the playoff dispute. The four group is intended to take on an additional member, which will be determined very soon.
Here are the games that are worth paying attention during the last complete week of the regular season.
The week to come
Los Angeles Sparks @ Seattle Storm
(Monday 1 September at 22:00 and on NBA TV)
Announcement
Probably, the biggest game of the week arrives on the first day of the month. The Sparks went to Seattle on August 1st and went out with a double victory for extraordinary thanks to a Dearica Hamby winner of the game. Nine days later in Los Angeles, the story was repeated as the storm, with a recent acquired Brittney SykesHe fell victim to another winning Hambly shot. Now, the seed storm of seed, separated by a single game in the loss column by the sparks of Ninth Seed, will take off again in a critical game for the ranking. Given their recent history and the stakes, there is a good possibility that tonight’s matchup will end to be as good as the previous two.
Indiana Fever @ Phoenix Mercury
(Tuesday 2 September at 22:00 and on NBA TV)
There are several discussion points before Tuesday’s match – Dewanna Bonner Against his former team, the MVP case of Alyssa Thomas, Caitlin ClarkHealth, but no one more important than this meeting affects the ranking. There is a possibility that mercury and fever can meet in the first round of the post -Station of 2025. Tuesday, Phoenix will probably have the luxury of launching the same five initials that brought the field to the first two matches, including the most recent victory of 35 points over the Indiana. In the meantime, the Indian will have a different group of five this time – a group that has experienced some ups and downs recently on one of the most critical features of the season. The fever is fighting to hang on the eighth seed while the mercury is trying to climb the highest half of the playoff photo. A competitive and fun matchup should follow.
Announcement
Minnesota Lynx @ las vegas aces
(Thursday 4 September at 22:00 Et on Prime Videos)
The axes have a pause of 15-3 post-rifle records. One of the three losses was a respectable 10 -point defeat at the hands of the fever, while the other two altered the season, 31 and 53 points for the lynx within eight days from each other. The first loss (31 points) caused a change to the Aces starting unit and the second (53 points) may have frightened the straight axes, since then seen their unbeaten record. In the meantime, Cheryl ReeveThe team has lost three of its last five games, and although a seed for the playoffs is locked up, building a little momentum and recovering part of its previous success before the post-installation season seems necessary. In addition to the battle between the first two teams of the League, fans who tuner will see two MVP hopes.
New York Liberty @ Seattle Storm
(Friday 5 September at 22:00 et on Ion)
Announcement
When will the samples in defense finally return to full health? It seems that a key player cannot return from an injury unless another player suffers one and should come out of the rotation. At the time of writing this document, the main initial training of New York Jones-Stewart-Legischu-Cloud-Fiebich He scored only 107 minutes together in 10 games. I am in fifth place in the WNBA ranking following a road loss in Phoenix – two games in the loss column behind the mercury and two above the Valkyries. While their nucleus of the championship of a year ago remains mostly the same, they will want to at least get more repetitions along the stretch of the season. Seattle is 2-0 against New York this year, however. Going to 3-0 against the reigning champions would prevent the storm from falling anywhere in the standings, which is important with only a handful of matches of the remaining regular season.
Dallas Wings @ Los Angeles Sparks
(Sunday 7 September at 18:00 and on NBA TV)
If wings can get to this game with a healthy Paige BueckersFans should have a fun vision experience, regardless of who else is available to play. The probable rookie of the frontrunner year went to the Crypto.com Arena in mid-August and came out with the game with the highest score of any WNBA player this season and one of the best beginner performances in the history of the Lega-Stelli alone should be enough for people to want to capture Sunday race. However, the biggest story here concerns the part of Los Angeles. The sparks are still outside the playoff band and must invent ground: losing games would not help them reach it.