WNBA Playoff Bracket 2024: Full schedule and matchups for the entire postseason | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors

The WNBA playoff bracket is officially set after the final seeding was decided on Thursday.

Going into the day, the Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics were all still in the running for the eighth and final playoff spot. The Dream only needed to beat the New York Liberty to secure that spot, and they did just that thanks to a 78-67 road victory.

Meanwhile, the Connecticut Sun and Las Vegas Aces were both battling for third place. Connecticut only needed a win over the Sky to do it, and that’s exactly what they did with an 87-54 home victory.

Now the table is set for the highly anticipated playoffs, which begin Sunday. Here’s a look at the standings, schedule (via WNBA.com), quick first-round previews and quarterfinal predictions.

Note that the first round will be played in best-of-three format, with Game 3 played if necessary. The semifinals and finals will be played in best-of-five format, with Games 4 and 5 played if necessary.

All times listed below are ET.

Sunday, September 22 (Game 1)

1:00 p.m.: No. 8 Atlanta Dream at No. 1 New York Liberty, ESPN

3 p.m.: No. 6 Indiana Fever at No. 3 Connecticut Sun, ABC

5:00 p.m.: No. 7 Phoenix Mercury at No. 2 Minnesota Lynx, ESPN

10pm: No. 5 Seattle Storm at No. 4 Las Vegas Aces, ESPN

Tuesday, September 24 (Game 2)

7:30 p.m.: No. 8 Atlanta Dream at No. 1 New York Liberty, ESPN

9:30 p.m.: No. 5 Seattle Storm at No. 4 Las Vegas Aces, ESPN

Wednesday, September 25 (Game 2)

7:30 p.m.: No. 6 Indiana Fever at No. 3 Connecticut Sun, ESPN

9:30 p.m.: No. 7 Phoenix Mercury at No. 2 Minnesota Lynx, ESPN

Thursday, September 26 (Game 3, if necessary)

Time to be announced: No. 1 New York Liberty at No. 8 Atlanta Dream, ESPN2

Time to be announced: No. 4 Las Vegas Aces at No. 5 Seattle Storm, ESPN2

Friday, September 27 (Game 3, if necessary)

Time TBA: No. 3 Connecticut Sun at No. 6 Indiana Fever, ESPN2

Time to be announced: No. 2 Minnesota Lynx at No. 7 Phoenix Mercury, ESPN2

Semi-finals (both matches will take place on the same date, time to be announced)

Game 1: Sunday, September 29

Game 2: Tuesday, October 1

Game 3: Friday, October 4

Game 4: Sunday, October 6

Game 5: Tuesday, October 8

Game 1: Thursday, October 10

Game 2: Sunday, October 13

Game 3: Wednesday, October 16

Game 4: Friday, October 18

Game 5: Sunday, October 20

No. 1 New York Liberty vs. No. 8 Atlanta Dream

The New York Liberty have reached the playoffs 18 times and the finals five times, but they have not won a championship since the WNBA’s inaugural season in 1997.

The conditions for a title challenge are clearly there. New York finished the season with the No. 1 offensive rating and the No. 3 defensive rating in the league, according to Basketball Reference.

The Liberty finished the game ranked first in three-point shots made and four players (Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, Betnijah Laney) averaged 11 or more points per game.

Stewart remains one of the WNBA’s best players and a perennial MVP candidate after averaging over 20 points and eight rebounds per game for the third time in the last four seasons. It was also a great year for Jonquel Jones, who reached her third All-Star game in four seasons.

It will be very difficult for the Dream to beat New York, although the talent to pull off an upset is there. Rhyne Howard can score 30 or more points on any given night and Tina Charles remains a double-double threat in her 13th WNBA season.

Still, the Libs seem to be too strong here in their hunt for franchise number one.

No. 2 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 7 Phoenix Mercury

This could potentially be the last time we see Diana Taurasi, who has been playing basketball for 20 years, on the basketball court. She told reporters that “the end is near,” but added that she does not know when that will be.

Taurasi’s second decade will feature a playoff appearance, but for the Mercury, this is a brutal tie against the best WNBA team heading into the postseason.

Napheesa Collier is a two-way superstar, scoring 20-10 points on a nightly basis and regularly making three or more steals/blocks. Four other Lynx players average about 10 or more points per game, and the team as a whole is shooting excellently (38 percent from the three-point line, 79 percent from the free throw line).

It helps Phoenix, of course, to have a star talent in Kahleah Copper, who already scored 34 points in an 81-80 win over Minnesota earlier this season. It wouldn’t be a surprise if she took over this series, nor would it be a surprise if Brittney Griner, Taurasi and Natasha Cloud proved too strong for Minnesota in the best-of-three matchup.

No. 3 Connecticut Sun vs. No. 6 Indiana Fever

All eyes will be on projected Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark after her sensational, record-breaking first pro season. And rightly so, as Indiana has been a smash hit this year, going 15-6 after a 3-10 start.

The Fever faltered a bit in the home stretch, trailing only 2-4, but it would not be a surprise if Indiana gave Connecticut a tough series.

The Sun beat the Fever 3-1 in the regular season series, but Indiana won the final game as all five starters scored in double figures to lead to an 84-80 victory.

However, the Sun’s defense may be too strong. Connecticut is No. 1 in defense and No. 2 in defensive efficiency. This is a balanced team with six players scoring 10 or more points per game.

Five-time All-Star Alyssa Thomas is a triple-double threat every night and DiJonai Carrington is one of the WNBA’s best defensive players. According to WNBA.com, five Sun players are in the top 20 in defensive win shares.

They’ll have a tough task against a red-hot Fever team where both Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston have dominated games at times this year. Ultimately, on paper, this looks like the most competitive first-round series.

No. 4 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 5 Seattle Storm

The Las Vegas Aces are seeking their third consecutive win thanks to the phenomenal performance of A’ja Wilson, who is expected to win her third WNBA MVP award this year.

Wilson has turned it on in the playoffs the last two seasons, averaging 20.3 PPG and 10.4 RPG in 2022 before collecting 23.8 PPG and 11.8 RPG in 2023. However, she has never played better in 2024 and is the first player in league history to score 1,000 points in a season.

Of course, they are supported by tremendous talent such as Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray. Young in particular proved to be a thorn in Seattle’s side, scoring 32 points in the 94-83 victory and 27 more in the 84-79 win.

However, Seattle has a weapon in Gabby Williams, who was named “best defensive player” at this year’s Summer Olympics while playing for silver medalist France. Williams signed with Seattle midseason, made her 2024 debut in August, and has done quite well for the Storm. It’s also conceivable that Jewell Loyd, who averages 20 points per game, could dominate this series.

Las Vegas still looks like the better team on paper against Seattle, which has made a huge turnaround from last year’s 11-29 start. But don’t be surprised if Seattle takes the series to the limit and gives Las Vegas a huge scare in the first round.