WNBA standings, playoff outlook, schedule: Liberty secures No. 1 spot, Fever grabs No. 6, Dream grabs last spot

The 2024 WNBA regular season, one of the most important in league history, has now concluded. After a rather disappointing final night on Thursday, All playoff seedings have been determined and the first-round playoff matchups have been set..

Heading into Thursday, there were still three teams left in the hunt for the final playoff spot, but The Dream made sure there was no drama with a comfortable win over the Liberty.who had nothing to play for after taking first place earlier in the week. With their win, the Dream claimed the eighth seed and will face Liberty in the first round.

The only other seeding situation still up in the air was decided fairly quickly. Needing a win to secure third place, the Sun destroyed the Sky in the first match of the night. They will now face Caitlin Clark and the No. 6 seed Indiana Fever in the first round.

As a reminder, the top eight teams, regardless of conference affiliation, make the playoffs in the WNBA. Under the current playoff format, teams are placed in a standard bracket where the No. 1 seed plays the No. 8 seed in the first round, the No. 2 plays the No. 7 seed, and so on.

Teams will play a best-of-three series in the first round and a best-of-five series in the semifinals and finals. Notably, the first round is in a 2-1 format, meaning the higher seed will play the first two games at home, while the lower seed will play the decisive third game at home if the series goes that far. In the semifinals and finals, a standard 2-2-1 format will be played, with the higher seed hosting games 1, 2, and 5, if necessary.

Final classification

1. Liberty of New York (32-8) — Playoffs
2. Minnesota Bobcat (30-10) — Playoffs
3. The Connecticut Sun (28-12) — Playoffs
4. Las Vegas Aces (27-13) — Playoffs
5. Storm in Seattle (25-15) — Playoffs
6. Indiana fever (20-20) — Playoffs
7. Phoenix Mercury (19-21) — Playoffs
8. Atlanta Dream (15-25) — Playoffs
9. Washington Mystics (14-26) — Lottery
10. The sky of Chicago (13-27) — Lottery
11. Dallas Wings (9-31) — Lottery
12. Los Angeles Sparks (8-32) — Lottery

Note: Ties between two teams are decided first by head-to-head record and then, if necessary, by the better record against teams with a score of .500 or higher. Ties between more than two teams are determined by the combined head-to-head record against the other teams.

First round playoff games

• #1 New York Liberty vs. #8 Atlanta Dream
• No. 2 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 7 Phoenix Mercury
• No. 3 Connecticut Sun vs. No. 6 Indiana Fever
• No. 4 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 5 Seattle Storm

With all the action complete, here's a look at the final playoff picture.

Liberty secures first place

1. New York Liberty (32-8)

The Liberty matched their franchise record for wins in a season with 32 and are the No. 1 seed in the playoffs for the first time since 2015. They are still looking for the first title in franchise history and have a real chance to get it this season. Entering the playoffs, they are the favorites to win it all.

First round opponent: No. 8 Atlanta Dream

Lynx takes second place

2. Minnesota Lynx (30-10)

No one expected the Lynx to be this good, but they got off to a blistering start and never looked back. Led by Napheesa Collier and a stellar defense, they reached the 30-win mark for the first time in franchise history and earned the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.

First round opponent: Mercury Phoenix No. 7

Sun, Aces and Storm round out the next three spots

3. Connecticut Sun (28-12)

The Sun started with an incredible 13-1 record, but finished with a 15-12 record and couldn't hold off the Lynx for second place. As a result, they fell to third place and will face Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever in the first round. Will this be the year the Sun get over the hump? They've been to five straight semifinals, but have nothing to show for it.

First round opponent: Indiana Fever No. 6

4. Las Vegas Aces (27-13)

The Aces struggled a lot early in the season, and even after the Olympic break, but ended up winning nine of their last 10 games and staying in fourth place. Their poor start has left them with a tougher path than they would have liked, but they still have a very real chance to complete the second three-peat in league history.

First round opponent: No. 5: Seattle Storm

5. Seattle Storm (25-15)

The Storm had a solid season, but not as successful as they had hoped given the offseason additions of Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith. While the defense was solid, the offense just didn't click. They went 1-3 against the Aces in the regular season, including a double-digit loss earlier this week.

First round opponent: No. 4 Las Vegas Aces

Fever secures sixth place, Mercury seventh

6. Indiana Fever (20-20)

For the first time since 2016, the Fever are headed to the playoffs. First overall pick Caitlin Clark put together a historic rookie campaign and turned the Fever into arguably the most dangerous offensive team in the league. They'll face the battle-tested Sun in the first round, who boast the league's best defense.

First round opponent: No. 6 Connecticut Sun

7. Mercury Phoenix (19-21)

The new Mercury had some flashes of brilliance, especially early on, but ultimately failed to impress. They finished the season losing eight of their final 12 games and are now stuck with the No. 7 seed and a first-round matchup against the hottest team in the league.

First round opponent: Good. 2 Minnesota Bobcats

I dream of taking the last position

8. Atlanta Dream (15-25)

Dream's rollercoaster season ended on a high note, as they defeated Liberty on the final day to secure the No. 8 seed and a second consecutive playoff appearance. They'll have their work cut out for them in the first round, though, as they'll face a Liberty team that can rack up points quickly.

First round opponent: No. 1 Liberty of New York

Deleted

9. Washington Mystics (14-26)

The Mystics were off to an 0-12 record, the fourth-worst start in league history, but made a surprising turnaround after the Olympics and entered the final day with a chance to grab the No. 8 seed. They ultimately didn't get it, but it was a valiant effort. And a trip to the lottery is better for their long-term future anyway.

10. Chicago Sky (13-27)

The Sky got off to a much better start than anyone expected, but fell apart after a midseason trade that sent Marina Mabrey to the Sun and a season-ending injury to Angel Reese. They went 3-13 after the Olympics and finished the season on a five-game losing streak. To make matters worse, they owe the Wings a first-round pick swap and thus can't get the No. 1 overall pick.

11. Dallas Wings (9-30)

The Wings had some bad luck with injuries in the first half of the season, but that doesn't explain their nine-game losing streak to end the season. They are destined for the lottery for the first time since 2020, and the Sky owe them a pick swap this year. While they will only get one lottery pick, The combined odds of either them or Sky winning the lottery mean they have the best chance of landing the number one pick..

12. Los Angeles Sparks (8-32)

The Sparks were always primed for a rebuilding year, but even that didn't go as planned. Second overall pick Cameron Brink tore his ACL in June and things only got worse from there. They lost 15 of their final 17 games and were the first team eliminated from playoff contention this season. This is the fourth straight lottery appearance for the Sparks, the longest such streak in franchise history.