As the WNBA regular season has more games behind it than ahead of it, the postseason inches closer by the day. The seeding leading up to the playoffs has been quite the daily trend to watch unfold. The Minnesota Lynx will most likely close out its 2025 campaign as the first overall seed with a five-game lead, but only six games separate the Las Vegas Aces at two down to the Indiana Fever at in the eighth spot.
8th – Indiana Fever (21-20)
Somehow, it feels like the Fever just cannot catch a welcomed reprieve from the injury bug. Franchise star Caitlin Clark has missed 28 of 41 games played so far and was ruled out for the remainder of the season. The team has also suffered four season-ending injuries to valued role players in Sydney Colson, Sophie Cunningham, Aari McDonald, and most recently, Chloe Bibby.
Caitlin Clark has announced that she will not return this season due to injury.
— TSN (@tsnofficial.bsky.social) September 5, 2025 at 2:39 AM
However, with three games remaining in the regular season and a one-and-a-half game lead over the Los Angeles Sparks for the eighth and final seed, Indiana’s odds of making the playoffs for the second consecutive year for the first time in a decade are in its favor. If the season ended today, the Fever would be locked into a first-round playoff series with the first-seeded Minnesota Lynx, who is scheduled for the 44th and final game of the season.
According to the Indy Star’s Chloe Peterson, Fever head coach Stephanie White said the team used the recent West Coast road trip to evaluate Clark’s availability for the rest of the season. The staff held a post-practice meeting to discuss it further and within a few hours, the team officially announced that Clark will miss the rest of the 2025 season. The show must go on, but without Clark and a possible eighth seed, a first-round matchup with the Minnesota Lynx is not ideal, to say the least.
7th – Seattle Storm (22-20)
After dropping eight of the first 11 games out of the gate after the All-Star break, the Storm rebounded by winning six of the next nine outings. Inconsistency in the clutch has proved to be a consistent issue. Since the break, no team has played in more clutch scenarios than Seattle, which has 11 to date. In those games, the team is 3-8, owning the fifth-worst win percentage (.273).
One of the team’s main crowning achievements in the first half of the season was its record against the top championship contenders, like the Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury, and Atlanta Dream. Seattle boasted a top-three record against those teams, going 8-5 and winning six consecutive games when facing them. Since the All-Star break, that record has fallen dramatically to 2-4 in six games. The two victories were in Minneapolis against the Lynx and in Atlanta versus the Dream.
For a lengthy playoff run that extends past the first round, Seattle’s best route is Atlanta reclaiming the second seed from the Aces. Riding a franchise-record 13-game win streak with four games left in the regular season, Las Vegas has been the hottest team in the league at the right time, but not for a potential first-round rematch for the Storm after being eliminated by the Aces last season. Seattle has held its own against every team in the league for the most part, but Atlanta is clearly the most favorable scenario.
6th – Golden State Valkyries (23-18)
̶E̶x̶p̶a̶n̶s̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶T̶e̶a̶m̶ ̶ Playoff Team.
In our very first season, the Valkyries have clinched a playoff berth — the first expansion team in WNBA history to do it.
2025 Playoffs | @aboutKP pic.twitter.com/swCY2hGEqB
— Golden State Valkyries (@valkyries) September 5, 2025
After losing All-Star forward Kayla Thornton to a season-ending right knee injury, a path to the playoffs seemed unlikely for the upstart Valkyries. Instead, rookie head coach Natalie Nakase and her staff piloted Golden State to a 13-6 record since losing Thorton. After defeating the Dallas Wings last night, the Valkyries became the first expansion franchise in WNBA history to clinch a playoff berth in its inaugural season.
It has not been easy, but it has been a complete team effort. Starting point guard Veronica Burton, who is a lead candidate for the Most Improved Player award, has stepped up across the board. Since July 17, the former three-time Big 10 DPOY winner is averaging 13 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 3.4 stocks. She is shooting 42.5 percent from the field and 38.7 from deep on 4.2 attempts per game. wRookie wing Janelle Salaün has been one of many bright spots. In Thorton’s absence, the French native is averaging 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds, while shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 37.9 percent on threes.
5th – New York Liberty (24-17)
In the last few editions of Temperature Check, I have stated that the Liberty give me reason to believe that all will be right come playoff time given this group’s experience, chemistry, and veteran leadership. The old days are the old days for a reason, and now is the time to start worrying about New York’s ability to defend its championship title.
The Liberty have officially clinched a playoff spot, but it was not through the team’s own efforts. New York lost to the Golden State Valkyries, but still earned a playoff berth due to the Indiana Fever losing to the Mercury on Tuesday.
“We just lost the game. Yeah, we’re in the playoffs, but we still lost the game,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said to reporters afterwards.
Facing ongoing absences from key role players and a lack of synergy within ever-changing rotations, New York has lost four of the past six games. At No. 5 with a 1.5-game lead over the Golden State Valkyries, that breathing room could get a bit restricted if Golden State beats the Dallas Wings, while claiming a playoff berth and becoming the first expansion franchise to do do in WNBA history.
4th – Phoenix Mercury (27-14)
Alyssa Thomas is currently averaging a triple-double during the Phoenix Mercury’s six-game winning streak:
14.8 PTS | 10.3 RBS | 10.7 AST
🙂↔️✨ pic.twitter.com/LKFojYMe0p
— I talk hoops 🏀 (@trendyhoopstars) September 5, 2025
For some reason, the Phoenix Mercury have gone unnoticed on the grand stage, despite being one of the most consistent teams throughout the season. Powered by MVP candidate Alyssa Thomas and All-Stars Kahleah Copper and Satou Sabally, the Mercury have won six straight games, which is the second-longest streak in the league. Players like rookies Monique Akoa Makani and Kathryn Westbeld have been vital in their roles and will continue to be come playoff time.
If the season ended today, Phoenix would have a first-round matchup with the defending champion Liberty. This is not your grandma’s New York team, so it is unclear what direction the series would lean. However, if there was any time for the Mercury to prove that its regular season sucess will translate in the playoffs, the Liberty is the best option.
3rd – Atlanta Dream (27-14)
Atlanta has been playing a game of hot potato with the Las Vegas Aces for the second seed, and it appears this will continue until the end of the regular season. Currently, there are three teams (Aces, Dream, Mercury) with 27-14 records.
Rookie head coach Karl Smesko’s group has a slew of impressive wins on the season, but none of them impressed me more than the Dream’s 86-75 win over the Los Angeles Sparks, who have been fighting for playoff livelihood. WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month and MVP candidate Allisha Gray missed her first game of the season with knee soreness. Luckily for Atlanta, several All-Stars are still on the roster, like current Eastern Conference Player of the Week Rhyne Howard rose to the occasion with 19 points, five rebounds, and four assists, while Brionna Jones added a 16-point and 13-rebound double-double.
It is the little things that matter, and this performance may have flown under the radar. But as the playoffs get closer, wins like these tell the true identity of a championship contender.
2nd – Las Vegas Aces (27-14)
It seemed like just a handful of weeks ago that the Aces had one foot out of the door that led the playoffs. Since then, Las Vegas went from the basement of the league to nearly the top of the championship contender. MVP candidate A’ja Wilson has played like one, and the team’s record is proof of it.
A dominant August earns A’ja Wilson her 13th Player of the Month Honor! The most in @wnba.com History 😤✨
25.5 PPG
11.8 RPG
1.4 SPG
1.8 BPG
49.8% FG— Las Vegas Aces (@lvaces.bsky.social) September 3, 2025 at 6:31 PM
In a statement win over the Minnesota Lynx last night, Wilson finished with 31 points on 80 percent shooting, eight rebounds, and three stocks.
As the No. 2 seed, Las Vegas owns the tiebreaker for the spot over the Atlanta Drem. After going 3-1 against the Phoenix Mercury, it is worth noting that the Aces also own that tiebreaker, if required. To close out the regular season, Las Vegas has the second-easiest schedule in the league, featuring a two-game set with the Chicago Sky and one against the Los Angeles Sparks.
1st – Minnesota Lynx (32-9)
With three games remaining on the schedule, Minnesota has more than enough opportunities to right the ship after a demoralizing loss to the red-hot Aces last night. I do not think there is a cause for concern, per se. The Lynx are one of few teams that bounce back and in the loudest possible fashion. But matchups like these matter and will certainly be rewatced for film purposes. After reaching the WNBA Finals last season, the mission has been to return to that point in 2025. Before the season started, Minnesota was heavily favored to win it all this time around. This is not to say that this will not happen, but there have been timely lapses on the court that give the appearance of tunnel vision. The games in front have to be played before a trophy is raised.
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Born and raised in Chicago, Christan Braswell is a women’s sports journalist with a focus on the WNBA and women’s college basketball. He’s an avid fan of elevator screens and stuffed crust pizza. Outside of sports, he’s an avid cook and lover of the great outdoors.
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