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WNBA playoff push: Aces look to continue making history, fever peaks at the right time

The WNBA playoffs officially begin on Sunday, but the field is still to be decided. Atlanta Dream, Washington Mystics and Chicago Sky are all battling for the final spot, while New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx, Connecticut Sun, Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm are all trying to secure their respective spots.

The Indiana Fever have secured 6th place, the Phoenix Mercury will take 7th place. This is how the standings look:

A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces shoots during the second half of a WNBA basketball game against the Indiana Fever, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

MVP favorite and Aces star A'ja Wilson made history twice in a week: She set both the league's single-season points record and became the first player in history to score 1,000 points in a season. The previous season record belonged to Seattle's Jewell Loyd, who scored 939 points in 2023. She did it in 38 games, while Wilson needed just 35 games.

She scored her 1,000th point of the season on Sunday in an 84-71 win over Connecticut as part of a 29-point performance. Wilson is averaging 27 points (first in the WNBA), 12 rebounds (second in the WNBA) and 2.6 blocks (first in the WNBA). Her record-setting season has put Wilson on track to win her third MVP award, and she has also kept Las Vegas afloat during an inconsistent season. After finishing first in 2022 and 2023, the Aces will enter the playoffs as either the 4th or 5th seed. They currently have a one-win lead over the Storm.

After two seasons of pure dominance, the Aces have been put to the test this season, and head coach Becky Hammon has tinkered with the starting lineup and rotation throughout the year. But throughout the process, Wilson has been a constant. In her team's 38 games, Wilson has led Las Vegas in either points or rebounds in all but two games. She has led in both categories 25 times.

If the Aces want to achieve the elusive third straight win, which has only happened once in league history, Wilson's dominance will be crucial.

With each team having two games left on the schedule, the Chicago Sky, Washington Mystics and Atlanta Dream are battling for the final playoff spot. They are all currently 13-25, with Washington winning the tiebreaker. Washington plays top-ranked New York tonight, and either Chicago or Atlanta will add another loss to their record as the teams face off. Each team will finish the regular season with tough opponents on Thursday. Chicago plays at Connecticut, Atlanta travels to New York and Washington hosts a strong Indiana team.

Since August 18, Chicago has lost 10 of its last 12 games, with an injury to Angel Reese also hurting the team's playoff hopes. Atlanta has had similar problems this season, including an eight-game losing streak before the Olympic break. Since then, the Dream have lost eight of their last 14 games. Atlanta won back-to-back games against the Mystics on September 13 and 15 to keep its playoff hopes alive.

If the Mystics were to make the playoffs, they would do so after starting the season 0-12. They are currently on an upswing, winning 7 of their last 10 games.

The Liberty are 31-7 and two games ahead of the Lynx. With games remaining against Washington and Atlanta, New York looks like the surefire candidate for first place. New York could only fall to second place if they lose both games and the Lynx beat both Connecticut and Los Angeles. Minnesota is 3-1 against New York this season, so the Lynx have the tiebreaker.

The Liberty are also favorites to win the WNBA title, which would be their first in franchise history. New York came close last season, making it to the finals before losing the series to Las Vegas 3-1. If the seeding doesn't change, New York will play Washington in the first round. So far this season, the Liberty are 3-0 against Washington. New York is also 3-0 against Atlanta and 3-1 against Chicago.

The Fever have won 7 of their last 10 games, with three losses coming to Minnesota and Las Vegas. Indiana has secured 6th place against the Mercury. The Fever have 20 wins, the Mercury have 18. Even if Indiana loses its last game and Phoenix wins its last two, Indiana still has the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Indiana is playing its best basketball heading into playoff season, and Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark have emerged as one of the best, if not the best, backcourt duo in the league. Clark set the rookie record for most points in a season on Sunday, surpassing Seimone Augustus' previous record of 744 points set in 2006. Clark reached the milestone with a career-high 35 points. Mitchell, who scored 30 points in the game, leads Indiana with an average of 19.6 points per game. That's a career high for the guard, who has played for Indiana since being selected second overall in 2018. This will be her first playoff appearance, as Indiana hasn't been in the playoff season since 2016.

As it stands, New York will play Washington, Chicago or Atlanta in the first round of the postseason. The Lynx would secure the 2nd seed and face the 7th seed Phoenix, while the 3rd seed Sun would face the 6th seed Fever. The Aces and Storm would also play in the first round, with Las Vegas taking the 4th seed and Seattle taking the 5th seed.

The Aces hold a one-game lead over the Storm, but that could change when they meet in Seattle on Tuesday. The two will likely meet in the first round, with seeding determining who gets two home games.

Technically, Vegas could win and secure third place, but Connecticut would have to lose to both Minnesota and Chicago.

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