WNBA Power Rankings: Lynx Seize No. 1 Position in Final Week

ESPN’s 2024 WNBA rankings have come to an end. Next up: the playoffs, which begin Sunday. But before that, there’s still a few things to figure out in the final few days of the regular season.

That includes the eighth and final playoff spot (the Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream and Chicago Sky are still in the hunt) and the overall No. 1 spot (that would be either the New York Liberty or Minnesota Lynx). But in our power rankings, the final No. 1 spot has been decided: Minnesota, which has gone 12-1 since the Olympic break and is now preparing for a win on Sunday over former No. 1 New York.

The Lynx underwent some significant roster building in the offseason, but that meant they entered 2024 with some question marks — at least on the outside. They answered those questions quickly, however, moving from ninth in the preseason to fourth in the first regular-season power rankings.

Minnesota dropped out of the top four in the power rankings only once during the rest of the season: No. 6 before the Olympic break. That came after a losing streak in the first two weeks of July when the Lynx lost four of six games. Lynx star Nafeesa Collier missed the last two of those games with plantar fasciitis.

She’s back in a big way for the Olympics and the second half of the WNBA season. If it weren’t for a stellar season from Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson, who already clinched the MVP award, Collier would have won the title. As it stands, she puts the Lynx in a good position for a long stretch of the playoffs.

Minnesota still has a chance to snatch the first playoff spot from New York; the Liberty must lose their final two games, and the Lynx need to win both. If that happens, the Lynx will have a chance to break the tie by winning the season series against the Liberty.

The sixth-seeded Indiana Fever and seventh-seeded Phoenix Mercury have already secured their playoff spots. The Fever haven’t made the playoffs since 2016, while the Mercury missed the playoffs last year but had made the playoffs for 10 straight years before that.

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Previous arrangement: 2

this week: @ CONN (September 17), vs. LA (September 19)

The Lynx have won three straight in the past week, the most impressive of which was Sunday in Brooklyn, an 88-79 win over New York. Collier has been impressive all season, but she will also be praised for the effectiveness of her supporting cast. The win over Liberty was a good example, with Bridget Carlton scoring 19 points and Courtney Williams adding 15, while Collier had 18 points and 13 rebounds. The addition of Misha Hines-Allen in an Aug. 20 trade with Washington was also big, as she has contributed valuable minutes in her 11 games for the Lynx.

Technically, Minnesota is still in the first, second or third seed in the WNBA playoffs, but second seems more likely. If so, the Lynx will face the Mercury in the first round of the playoffs, having won three games and lost one to Phoenix this season.

Previous arrangement: 1

this week: @ WAS (September 17), vs ATL (September 19)

The Liberty are closing in on first place, but they will likely have some concerns about losing at home to Minnesota on Sunday despite a stellar performance from Brianna Stewart (38 points, 18 rebounds). New York is 10-3 since play resumed after the Olympics. Against everyone except Minnesota, the Liberty still look like the favorite. But a potential WNBA Finals matchup with the Lynx would be tough. New York isn’t looking forward to that; it just wants to win at least one of its final two games to secure first place.

former: 3

this week: @SEA (September 17), vs DAL (September 19)

The Aces are still in contention for their third straight title. They won 3-0 last week, beating Indiana twice and Connecticut, and A’ja Wilson scored her 1,000th point of the season in a win over the Suns. A win over Seattle on Tuesday would secure the Aces a top-four finish, which would mean they would host the first round. Although the Aces have been concerned about their defense for much of the season, they have been effective in their past eight games: Las Vegas has held opponents to 73.0 points per game and has gone 7-1.

He plays

Bridget Carlton scores and gets the foul.

Bridget Carlton registers and gets the error, 09/15/2024

Previous arrangement: 4

this week: vs. Minnesota (September 17), vs. Chicago (September 19)

The Suns had two wins and one loss last week, beating Los Angeles and Phoenix before losing to Las Vegas on Sunday. Now Connecticut returns home for its final two games. The Sun still has a chance to finish second, but could also drop to fourth. If they stay third, they will face the Fever in the first round of the playoffs. Connecticut has gone 3-1 against Indiana this season.

Previous arrangement: 6

this week: vs LV (September 17), @ PHO (September 19)

The Storm remain in contention for fourth place and a chance to host the first round after going 3-0 last week, with two wins over Los Angeles and one over Dallas. Granted, these teams aren’t playoff contenders, but the Storm have still managed to avoid upsets, winning five of their last six games overall. Seattle is in fifth place with a 1-2 record this season against fourth-place Las Vegas heading into their matchup on Tuesday.

Previous arrangement: 5

this week: @WAS (September 19)

The Fever haven’t been able to crack the code against the Aces this season. They’ve lost all four of their games against the defending champions, including two last week in Indianapolis. But the Fever finished their regular season on a high note at home, beating Dallas 110-109 on Sunday, tying for the most points scored in team history. Caitlin Clark scored a season-high 35 points against the Wings. She set the WNBA rookie scoring record, and Clark and Kelsey Mitchell continue to be one of the league’s most potent offensive defenses.

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Aja Wilson scores historic win over Aces in historic match

A’ja Wilson became the first WNBA player to score 1,000 points in a season and scored 20 points for the 33rd time in the season in the Aces’ win over the Suns.

Previous arrangement: 7

this week: @ Los Angeles (September 17), vs. Southeast Asia (September 19)

The Mercury had one win and one loss last week, losing to Connecticut and beating Chicago. This week, the team is competing for playoff momentum, not seeding, as it sits at No. 7. The post-Olympic period hasn’t been particularly impressive for the Phoenix, who have gone 5-8 since play resumed after the Paris Games. Still, the Phoenix are in the postseason, and it remains to be seen if 20-year veteran Diana Taurasi will announce whether this will be her final trip to the playoffs.

Previous arrangement: 9

this week: vs. New York (September 17), vs. Indiana (September 19)

The team that started the season 0-12 now heads into the race for a playoff spot. This week, the Mystics must face two teams already in the postseason. Meanwhile, Washington is tied with Atlanta and Chicago on record for the final spot. The Mystics beat both teams last week but also lost to the Dream in overtime. Washington is 7-3 over its last 10 games, which is why the Mystics are in this race for the eighth spot.

Previous arrangement: 10

this week: vs. Che (September 17), @ New York (September 19)

The Dream were on the verge of elimination from the playoffs on Sunday but rallied to beat Washington 76-73 in overtime, thanks to Tina Charles’ 20 points and 10 rebounds. It was Atlanta’s second overtime win in September. Charles, 35, hopes to return to play in the WNBA next year whether the Dream make the 2024 playoffs or not. She’s been a key factor for Atlanta all season.

Previous arrangement: 8

this week: @ Atlanta (September 17), @ Connecticut (September 19)

Of the three teams still fighting for the last playoff spot, the Sky have struggled the most. They lost Angel Reyes for the season on Sept. 7. Then on Sunday, in a loss to Phoenix, rookie Camila Cardoso was limited to nine minutes with a sore shoulder. Chicago has three wins and 11 losses since the WNBA resumed after the Olympic hiatus. If the Sky do secure a playoff spot, they’ll have to do it the hard way: with two wins on the road this week.

Previous arrangement: 11

this week: @LV (September 19)

After reaching the WNBA semifinals in 2023, this wasn’t the Wings’ year. It looked like they might be in playoff contention with three wins through the end of August. But Dallas lost all eight of its games in September. Sunday was the end of an 0-4 week and the perfect example of how frustrating the season has been for the Wings: They scored 109 points against Indiana and still lost.

Previous arrangement: 12

this week: vs PHO (September 17), @ MIN (September 19)

The good news for the Sparks is that rookie point guard Rekia Jackson continues to play well, and the team will be a draft pick next year. But this season has been a struggle. Los Angeles lost three games last week and has won just once since the Olympics.