13 hours Ago By Kristopher Knox
Thursday marked the final day of the WNBA regular season, and the field for the 2024 playoffs is now set. Most of the postseason field was already known heading into Thursday, as seven of the eight spots had already been claimed. The New York Liberty had already secured the No.
1 seed, while the Minnesota Lynx, Seattle Storm, Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury were also locked into playoff spots. The Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics were all vying for the eighth and final playoff spot. Atlanta held a one-game lead over Washington and Mystics and secured its playoff berth with a 78-67 win over the Liberty.
The Connecticut Sun clinched the No. 3 seed on Tuesday with an 87-54 win over the Sky. The Las Vegas Aces had a chance to move into the No.
3 spot, but they needed a win and a loss by Connecticut. Now that the final seeding has been determined, we know what the opening-round matchups will be. 2024 WNBA Opening Series Game 1 Schedule (Sun.
September 22) 8. Atlanta Dream at 1. New York Liberty When: 1 p.
m. ET Line: NYL -11.5 6.
Indiana Fever at 3. Connecticut Sun When: 3 p.m.
ET Line: CON -4.5 7. Phoenix Mercury at 2.
Minnesota Lynx When: 5 p.m. ET Line: MIN -10 5.
Seattle Storm at 4. Las Vegas Aces When: 10 p.m.
ET Line: LV -6.5 The first round of the WNBA playoffs will feature best-of-three series and a big advantage for the higher seeds. The Liberty, Lynx, Sun and Aces will all hold home-court advantage for the first two games of each series.
If a Game 3 is necessary, the lower-seeded team will get a chance to host. Under the current playoff format, which was adopted in 2022, no team has pulled off a first-round upset. The prediction here is that the trend will hold in 2024.
The Fever, led by rookie Caitlin Clark, probably has the best chance of pulling out an upset. Indiana has been rolling since its disastrous 1-8 start to the season. However, it has not fared well against DeWanna Bonner, Marina Mabrey and the defensively-driven Sun.
Connecticut took three of four regular-season meetings against Indiana, though the Fever did win the last one in late August. The Storm, who narrowly missed out on the No. 4 seed, is a talented team but will have a tough go against the defending-champion Aces.
Las Vegas won three of its four games against Seattle during the regular season, including an 85-72 win on Tuesday. After the opening round, the playoffs will transition to best-of-five series with a traditional 2-2-1 home-and-away format. Those matchups will still be difficult for the lower-seeded teams, but they won't face the possibility of going home without hosting at least one game.
The Liberty will hold home-court advantage for as long as New York remains in the postseason. Unsurprisingly, the Liberty are also the early favorites, according to DraftKings Sportsbook . WNBA Championship Odds New York Liberty +145 (bet $100 to win $145) Las Vegas Aces +250 Minnesota Lynx +350 Connecticut Sun +700 Indiana Fever +2800 Seattle Storm +3000 Phoenix Mercury +8000 Atlanta Dream +20000 New York is the favorite for a reason.
Led by stars like Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, the Liberty have as much chemistry as any team in the league. Not only did the New York notch a league-best 32-8 record, but it also recorded the league's No. 1 offensive rating and No.
3 defensive rating, per Basketball Reference . The Liberty didn't hold starters out of Thursday's matchup with Atlanta, but it's hard to see the Dream hanging with New York in a playoff environment. The second-seeded Lynx should make short work of the Mercury, while A'ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum and the Aces should win both home games against the Storm.
Fans can probably expect a thrilling series between the Fever and the Sun, however. Indiana has been one of the league's hottest teams as of late, and they've had their focus on the postseason long before they learned who their opening-round opponent would be. "I think wherever we go, we go, you'd prep the same exact ways you would prep for anybody else, the same way we've prepped all season long," Clark said, per Chloe Peterson of the Indianapolis Star.
Our bold prediction is that the Fever take the Sun to three games before ultimately bowing out in their first playoff appearance since 2016. We could also see a long series if/when the Aces and Liberty face off in the second round. New York lost in four games in last year's finals but has a stronger team this season.
Las Vegas is accustomed to ramping up the playoff intensity but may see its hopes of a three-peat fall short a round early. The prediction here is that the Liberty outlast Las Vegas in five games before facing Napheesa Collier and the Lynx in the finals. Gambling problem? Call (877-8-HOPENY) or text HOPENY (467369).
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