WNBA Playoff Picture 2024: Official Bracket Scenarios After Liberty vs. Wings | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats & Rumors

It may be the loneliest number, but it’s also the magic number for the New York Liberty to clinch first place in the WNBA and maintain home-field advantage in the upcoming playoffs.

After New York defeated the Dallas Wings in the lone WNBA game on Thursday, the Minnesota Lynx are just one win or one loss away from securing the top spot. It’s likely only a matter of time before the Liberty celebrate that achievement, but they certainly have their eyes set on the bigger prize of a championship.

And here’s how the current play-offs look, with seven of the eight spots secured:

1. New York Liberty, 6/31
2. Minnesota Lynx, 27-9 (3.5 GB)
3. Connecticut sunshine, 26-10 (4.5 GB)
4. Las Vegas Aces, 23-13 (7.5 GB)
5. Seattle Storm, 22-14 (8.5 GB)
6. Indiana Fever, 19-18 (12 GB)
7. Phoenix Mercury, 17-19 (13.5 GB)
8. Chicago Sky, 13-23 (17.5 GB)
9. Atlanta Dream, 12-24 (18.5GB)
10. Washington Mystics, 12-24 (18.5GB)

A look at the standings gives a foretaste of the exciting play-off matches to come.

If the seeding holds, Liberty could face the Las Vegas Aces in the second round, a matchup between this season’s best team and the two-time reigning champions, who are trying to become the first WNBA team to win three straight titles since the Houston Comets won the league’s first four championships.

The star power alone, featuring A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Kelsey Plum, Sabrina Ionescu, Jackie Young and Jonquel Jones, would make the entire series a ratings hit.

Caitlin Clark will also be a prominent player in the postseason after helping lead the Indiana Fever’s impressive turnaround from their 1-8 start. The rookie has fully adapted to the WNBA level and could pose a threat to some of the league’s top teams alongside Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston.

But there is one more team to be determined in the regular season before fans can turn their attention to the playoffs.

The Chicago Sky hold on to the final playoff seed despite going 2-8 in their last 10 games. As if the recent struggles weren’t enough, star rookie Angel Reese is also out for the season with a wrist injury.

Chicago seemed to finally gain some momentum after a seven-game losing streak, winning two straight games against the Los Angeles Sparks and Dallas Wings. But now the team must do without Reese, coming off a stunning 89-58 loss to the Washington Mystics on Wednesday.

That was a significant result for Washington, as it now trails Sky by just one game and is level with Atlanta Dream.

The battle for eighth place is expected to be much clearer after this coming weekend, as the Dream and Mystics face off back-to-back on Friday and Sunday.

Atlanta also plays Chicago on Tuesday, so with a strong final sprint it can certainly play its way into the play-offs.