Less than a week remains in the 2024 WNBA regular season, and the playoff picture is taking shape. Seven teams have clinched a postseason berth, while the Dallas Wings and the Los Angeles Sparks are officially heading to the lottery. That leaves three teams — the Chicago Sky, Atlanta Dream and Washington Mystics — battling for the final playoff spot.
There were five games on the docket for Friday night, and the early slate did not disappoint. The Mystics held off the Dream in order to move into eighth, while the Storm completed a 21-point comeback to stun the Wings and the Aces outlasted the Fever. Later on, the Lynx made easy work of the Sky, and the Sun did the same with the Mercury.
As a refresher, the top eight teams, regardless of conference affiliation, make the playoffs in the WNBA. Under the current playoff format, the teams are placed into a standard bracket with the No. 1 seed playing No. 8 in the first round, No. 2 vs. No. 7 and so on. Teams will play a best-of-three series in the first round and best-of-five series in the semifinals and finals. Notably, the first round is a 2-1 format, which means the higher seed gets the first two games at home, while the lower seed gets the deciding…
