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Michael Voebel, ESPN Senior Writer
The Dallas Wings and Los Angeles Sparks have been eliminated from the NHL playoffs. Who will join them in the postseason, and who will earn the eighth seed?
The seven teams that already have playoff spots continue to compete for position and home-court advantage — including the top-ranked New York Liberty, who are once again No. 1 in this week’s ESPN WNBA Power Rankings — but we’re focusing on the other end, where the Chicago Sky, Atlanta Dream and Washington Mystics are all trying to reach the postseason.
With two weeks left in the regular season, the Mystics will face Team Sky and Team Dream (twice) this week; Atlanta and Chicago still have a game left against each other the following week. All three have faced injury challenges this season.
Let’s start with the Sky, who are eighth in the standings but received some shocking news on Saturday: Forward Angel Reyes will miss the rest of the season with a wrist injury. As a rookie, she’s established herself as a consistent dual-threat and one of the league’s best rebounders. It’s a shame we won’t get to see her finish this season.
“It’s been a historic year, and she’s done some amazing things,” fellow rookie Kaitlyn Clark of the Indiana Fever said of Reese. “She came into the league and did what she’s done so well her entire career, since I’ve known her.”
Coach Teresa Witherspoon did not provide any details about Reese’s injury, saying Reese could disclose it if she chose to.
Even without Reese, the Sky ended Dallas’ playoff hopes with a 92-77 win on Sunday. Chicago guard Chennedy Carter scored 28 points, and veteran forward Isabel Harrison made the most of her first start of 2024 with 21 points and nine rebounds.
“It’s unfortunate that we’re in this situation, but we’re excited about what we can do,” Witherspoon said.
The ninth-ranked Dream were on the verge of a big win Sunday. They led Indiana by as many as 16 points — which turned into a 104-100 overtime loss. Atlanta lost forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (ankle) for the rest of the season, and there’s no timetable for the return of goalie Aerial Powers (leg).
Add to that the games Ryan Howard (11) and Jordyn Canada (21) missed earlier this season due to injury, and that’s what the Dream were up against, despite the strong performances of Alisha Gray and Tina Charles all summer.
“The team’s resilience and determination to keep fighting, even when we lose games, we win every single one of them,” said Dream coach Tanisha Wright. “But we have to be able to win some of these tough games.”
Washington, also struggling with injuries, started the season with a 12-game losing streak. No one would have guessed at the time that we would be talking about the Mystics competing for a playoff spot in September. But they kept working hard, and the return of point guard Brittney Sykes from injury was a real boon.
The team that finishes last will certainly be the underdog in the first round of the playoffs. But Sky, Dream and Mystics won’t mind; they just want a chance.
Previous categories: Pre-Season | May 20 | May 27 | June 3 | June 10 | June 17 | June 24 | July 1 | July 8 | July 15 | August 19 | August 26 | September 2
Previous arrangement: 1
this week: @ DAL (September 10), @ DAL (September 12), vs MIN (September 15)
The Liberty continued their run to their best ever record, going 32-8 in the regular season last year. Last week, New York defeated the Seattle Storm and the Las Vegas Aces — winning both series — but the Liberty can’t be happy with the Aces’ 20-11 fourth-period lead on Sunday. There are also concerns about Petnega’s Lani Hamilton, who left the game with a knee injury.
1:11
Sabrina Ionescu shines, saves Liberty from Aces defeat
Liberty got a crucial basket from Sabrina Ionescu to thwart an Aces comeback and complete the season sweep of Las Vegas.
Previous arrangement: 3
this week: @ ATL (September 10), vs. Chicago (September 13), @ NY (September 15)
The Lynx have the league’s best record (9-1) since the restart following the Olympics. The team’s consistency was evident in their 99-88 win over Indiana on Friday. The Lynx trailed by eight points after the first quarter and by five at halftime but took control in the third. Napheesa Collier had 26 points and 10 rebounds against Indiana, then 19 and 12 rebounds in a 78-71 win over Washington on Sunday. The Lynx’s upcoming matchup with Liberty this week could be a preview of the WNBA Finals.
1:05
Nafisa Collier scores 19 points, 12 rebounds against Mystics
Nafisa Collier had a standout performance with 19 points and 12 rebounds against the Mystics.
former: 5
this week: @IND (September 11), @IND (September 13), vs. CON (September 15)
The Aces are 2-1, beating Chicago and the Connecticut Sun before losing to New York. Coach Becky Hammon said A’ja Wilson’s (ankle) absence from Sunday’s game against Liberty was mostly precautionary, so we’ll see how the MVP candidate plays this week. The Aces are 6-5 since resuming play after the Olympics break. However, they have won four of their last five games. They clearly need Wilson back as soon as possible, but Hammon is more concerned about making sure her star player is ready for the playoffs.
Previous arrangement: 2
this week: @LA (September 10), @PHO (September 13), @LV (September 15)
After losing to Seattle and Las Vegas last week, the Suns really needed to get things back on track in Los Angeles on Sunday. They did just that with a 79-67 win that included Alyssa Thomas’ third triple-double of the season — and 11th regular-season career — from the Suns (12 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds). The Suns slipped a few spots in the power rankings, but remain third in the WNBA standings.
0:57
Alyssa Thomas extends WNBA record with 11th triple-double
Check out the best of Alyssa Thomas’ night as she recorded a triple-double to help the Suns defeat the Sparks.
Previous arrangement: 4
this week: vs LV (September 11), vs LV (September 13), vs DAL (September 15)
Indiana is 8-2 since the Olympic hiatus, with both losses coming to Minnesota, including Friday. Last week was a great week overall, with Indiana going 2-1 and clinching its first playoff berth since 2016. Clarke notched her second triple-double of the season in a win over Los Angeles on Wednesday, then she and fellow former No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston combined for 56 points in an overtime win over Atlanta on Sunday. The only team Indiana has not beaten this season is Las Vegas — they meet twice this week.
Previous arrangement: 6
this week: @ Los Angeles (September 11), @ DAL (September 13), vs. Los Angeles (September 15)
The Storm bounced back from their loss, winning 2-1 over Connecticut and the Phoenix Mercury and losing to New York. It was a big boost after going 1-3 the week before. Skylar Diggins-Smith recorded her second double-double of the season (12 points, 11 assists) in the blowout win over the Mercury. Joel Lloyd or Diggins-Smith have led the Storm in scoring in nine of Seattle’s 10 games since the Olympics restart.
Previous arrangement: 7
this week: This week: vs CON (September 13), @ CHI (September 15)
Phoenix beat Atlanta but lost to Washington and Seattle. The Mercury are in the playoffs but there haven’t been many other positives in the past two weeks: They’ve won five games since Aug. 26, all by 10 points, four of them at home. The team has four games left to try to build some momentum before the postseason begins.
Previous arrangement: 11
this week: vs WAS (September 11), @ MIN (September 13), vs PHO (September 15)
With Reyes out, it may be time for Sky third-choice center Camila Cardoso to step up even more. She’s averaged 12.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks as Chicago has 2-1, losing to Las Vegas and beating Los Angeles and Dallas. Carter, who returned to the Sky lineup Friday after missing four games due to health and safety protocols, will also be key if the Sky are to make the playoffs.
1:58
Chicago Sky vs Dallas Wings – Match Highlights
Watch highlights of the Chicago Sky vs Dallas Wings match, 09/08/2024
Previous arrangement: 10
this week: @CHI (September 11), @ATL (September 13), vs. ATL (September 15)
The Mystics beat Dallas and Phoenix last week before losing to Minnesota but have now won five of their past seven games. During that span, Washington has had five different players lead the way in scoring. Coming back from a winless season for nearly a month into the season to at least having a shot at the playoffs says something about the resilience of this team.
Previous arrangement: 9
this week: vs. Maine (September 10), vs. Washington (September 13), vs. Washington (September 15)
Atlanta had one win and two losses last week, beating Dallas but losing to Phoenix and Indiana. Ryan Howard was a solid individual performer, scoring a combined 100 points. Tina Charles is also doing her part, averaging 16.3 points and 12.3 rebounds. But the Dream should be disappointed that Sunday’s game against the Fever was on the road. Atlanta has lost six of its last eight games.
Previous arrangement: 8
this week: vs NY (September 10), vs NY (September 12), vs SE Asia (September 13), @ IND (September 15)
It looked like the Wings might make the playoffs when Sato Sabally returned from his time with Germany at the Paris Olympics. Indeed, on Aug. 27 and 30, Dallas beat Las Vegas and Minnesota. Then they lost four straight games, and their playoff hopes were gone. The Wings, who reached the WNBA semifinals last year, now have to figure out what they want to do for 2025, the final season star point guard Eric Ogunbowale is under contract.
Previous arrangement: 12
this week: vs CON (September 10), vs SEA (September 11), @ SEA (September 15)
The Sparks are winless in three games and have failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fourth straight season. We don’t know how Los Angeles would have fared had No. 2 overall pick Cameron Brink not been lost to a knee injury in June. The bright side is that another top pick is on his way next season to join Brink and No. 4 overall pick Rekia Jackson as a young player on the Sparks roster. That pick could be Connecticut guard Paige Bueckers.
