After three weeks of international basketball, the WNBA is back. The FIBA World Cup brought the league stars together on the world stage, but now they return to their WNBA teams for the final stretch of the regular season. With all eight playoff spots already secured, the remaining four regular season games will determine where they enter the postseason and who they will face when playoffs begin.
The Minnesota Lynx, Golden State Valkyries, Las Vegas Aces, Atlanta Dream, Indiana Fever, New York Liberty, Washington Mystics and Dallas Wings make up this year’s playoff field. With the conclusion of the World Cup, the focus shifts from who made the post season to where each team will end up. The WNBA took no time getting back into full swing, with a week filled with upsets and surprises.
The biggest upset of the week came on Tuesday night when the Portland Fire, who did not make the playoffs, defeated the second-place Golden State Valkyries. The 90-82 overtime loss for the Valkyries locked in the Lynx as the No. 1 overall playoff seed. The Valkyries entered the game looking like they would be the clear winners, starting off 17-0. The Fire was able to fight their way back, bringing the game into overtime. Fire guard Carla Leite ultimately won the game in overtime, making a 3-pointer with only 26.5 seconds left on the clock to break the Valkyrie’s six-game winning streak.
The WNBA’s return also featured a rare double-digit loss for the Fever, who were defeated by the Mystics 93-77 on Sept. 20. The 16-point loss marked the team’s first double-digit loss since July 15 and dropped the Fever to the fifth seed, just behind the Dream. The Fever struggled offensively throughout the game, while the Mystics put up a dominant offensive performance. Known for their offensive strength, the Fever scored only 30 points in the first half and headed into halftime down 21 points.
The Mystics controlled much of the game, shooting 56.9% from the field and scoring 50 points from inside the paint. The Fever also appeared to experience a disconnect between players and coaching staff, as star guard Caitlin Clark was seen audibly yelling at head coach Stephanie White. While it looked like the Fever may have lost their offensive touch during the WNBA break, they quickly bounced back with a 96-77 win over the top-seeded Lynx.
The playoff seeding further shifted around following Liberty’s 95-84 loss to the Dream on Monday, Sept. 21. The defeat eliminated Liberty from securing home-court advantage for the first round of the WNBA playoffs and caused them to shift from the No. 6 seed to No. 8. Guard Jordin Canada led the Dream with 19 points and nine assists.
Angel Reese also had a dominant game, finishing with 18 points and 10 rebounds to record her 32nd double-double of the season, extending her own WNBA record for the most double-doubles in a single season. Breanna Steward led the Liberty with 27 points. Stewart also made history in her own regard, receiving her first technical in nine years and only the third of her career after protesting a missed foul call, where she said Reese slapped her hand while attempting to steal the ball.
Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell also shattered records. The guard dropped 33 points against Toronto to surpass A’ja Wilson’s single-season scoring record with 1,034 points this season. Mitchell also extended her streak to 25 consecutive games with 20-plus points. Mitchell kept her humble attitude even while breaking records, unaware she had broken record until a postgame confetti celebration.
The WNBA’s return did not disappoint, with upsets, record-breaking performances and major shifts in the playoff seeding. With the playoff seeds officially locked in today, the stage is set for what should be an exciting postseason.