A lot can happen in a single week at this point in the season.

When Week 13 began on Monday, Aug. 17, two teams had clinched playoff berths (Minnesota and Las Vegas) and two teams had been eliminated (Seattle and Connecticut).

Now, just seven days later, all but one playoff berth has been clinched, and that can be locked up as early as Tuesday. Of course, there is still the race for the home-court advantage, as well as matchups to be determined as teams jockey for playoff position over the closing weeks of the season.

But as the league gets set for a 16-day pause at the end of this week in order to allow players to compete in the 2026 FIBA World Cup, the playoff picture they will return to is becoming more clear by the day.

✅ Who’s In

• Minnesota (31-7)
• Golden State (25-11)
• Las Vegas (26-13)
• Atlanta (24-13)
• Indiana (25-14)
• New York (23-15)
• Washington (22-15)

🏀 Who’s In The Hunt

• Dallas (22-16)
• Portland (15-22)

❌ Who’s Out

• Chicago (15-23)
• Los Angeles (13-24)
• Phoenix (13-24)
• Toronto (11-26)
• Connecticut (9-27)
• Seattle (7-31)

Note: All stats and records through games played on Sunday, Aug. 23.

✅ 1.  Minnesota Lynx (31-7) ↔️

• Last Week: 1
• This Week: Mon. at GSV, Sun. at ATL

Olivia Miles #5 of the Minnesota Lynx

With wins over Golden State and Washington last week, the Lynx have won six straight and 16 of their last 17 games. They have a chance to wrap up the No. 1 overall seed for the second straight year with another win over the Valkyries on Monday. When they met on Wednesday, Olivia Miles exited in the fourth quarter after rolling her ankle. However, the rookie was back on the court two days later to lead the Lynx over the Mystics while Minnesota rested Napheesa Collier after she helped Minnesota go 9-1 in her first 10 games of the season. 

✅ 2. Golden State Valkyries (25-11) ↔️

• Last Week: 2
• This Week: Mon. at MIN, Wed. at CON, Thu. at NYL, Sun. at POR

Golden State is coming off consecutive losses, and has Las Vegas, Atlanta and Indiana on its heels for the No. 2 spot behind Minnesota. As they enter a new week, can the Valkyries repeat a pattern we’ve seen from them since early June where two straight losses are followed by a win streak?

• June 4-6: Two losses followed by four straight wins
• June 19-21: Two losses followed by nine straight wins
• July 20-29: Two losses followed by six straight wins

The Valkyries hit the road for four games this week, including stops in Minnesota and New York to face fellow playoff-bound teams.

✅ 3. Indiana Fever (25-14) ⬆️

• Last Week: 4
• This Week: Fri. vs. CON

Kelsey Mitchell (24.8 ppg, 2nd in WNBA) and Caitlin Clark (22.1 ppg, 3rd) continue to be the best scoring duo in the league. This past week, they set the mark for most games in a season in which teammates both score at least 20 points. The record is now at 18 games and counting after both dropped over 30 in Sunday’s win over Chicago. That was their third such performance as teammates — the most ever. 

✅ 4. Las Vegas Aces (26-13) ⬇️

• Last Week: 3
• This Week: Fri. vs. TOR

Despite a loss to Atlanta to open last week, the Aces still hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Dream by winning the season series 2-1. Las Vegas responded to that loss with consecutive wins over Connecticut and Toronto to pull within a half-game of Golden State for the No. 2 seed. One stat to keep in mind down the stretch: the Aces have the easiest strength of schedule, based on their remaining opponent’s win percentage.

✅ 5. Atlanta Dream (24-13) ⬆️

• Last Week: 7
• This Week: Mon. at LAS, Fri. vs. POR, Sun. vs. MIN

The Atlanta Dream

After a tough overtime loss to Indiana last Sunday, the Dream bounced back with three straight wins, including a pair of brilliant performances from Angel Reese. In Thursday’s win at Los Angeles, Reese had a perfect shooting night, going 9-for-9 from the field with two 3-pointers, finishing with 20 points, 10 boards, eight assists and three steals. Two nights later in Phoenix, Reese dropped a career-high 31 points on 14-for-21 shooting, while adding 14 rebounds and four steals.

✅ 6. New York Liberty (23-15) ⬇️

• Last Week: 5
• This Week: Thu. vs. GSV, Sat. vs. CHI

New York opened last week with a loss to Chicago as former Liberty guard Natasha Cloud scored a career-high 35 points. The Liberty responded with an important win over Indiana as it prevented the Fever from earning the head-to-head tiebreaker. With seeds 2-6 currently separated by just three games, tiebreakers may be needed at season’s end. New York holds the tiebreaker over Las Vegas (2-1), leads Atlanta (1-0, two games to play), is tied with Indy (2-2) and lost to Golden State (0-2, one game to play).

✅ 7. Washington Mystics (22-15) ⬇️

• Last Week: 6
• This Week: Tue. at PHX, Thu. at PHX, Fri. at LAS

On Sunday, Shakira Austin scored a career-best 31 points to go with 10 rebounds as Washington rallied from 14 points down to earn a 105-100 win over Portland. That victory coupled with Chicago’s loss to Indiana clinched Washington’s first playoff appearance since 2023. At No. 7, the Mystics are two games back of the coveted No. 4 seed, which brings home-court advantage in the first round. Washington will face only one playoff team the rest of the season as they try to climb the standings.

🏀 8. Dallas Wings (22-16) ↔️

• Last Week: 8
• This Week: Tue. vs. POR, Sun. vs. CON

Paige Bueckers dropped 32 points and splashed a career-high six 3-pointers (without a miss!) in Sunday’s win over Seattle. It was Dallas’ second straight win following a stretch of five losses in six games. The Wings can earn their first playoff berth since 2023 with a home win over Portland on Tuesday. Dallas enters the week up 5.5 games on the Fire with six games to play. A win on Tuesday would complete the eight teams headed to the postseason, with only the battle for positioning remaining.

🏀 9. Portland Fire (15-22) ↔️

• Last Week: 9
• This Week: Tue. at DAL, Fri. at ATL, Sun. vs. GSV

The Fire dropped a pair of close games this past week to put their playoff hopes on the brink when they visit Dallas on Tuesday. If Portland’s recent play is any indication, expect the Fire’s matchup with the Wings to come down to the wire. Each of Portland’s last five games have been decided by five points or less, with the Fire going 2-3 in those contests; they are 10-8 overall in clutch games this season.

❌ 10. Chicago Sky (15-23) ↔️

• Last Week: 10
• This Week: Tue. at CON, Sat. at NYL

Sydney Taylor #12 and Natasha Cloud #9 of the Chicago Sky

The Sky entered last week with slim playoff hopes and a gauntlet of tough opponents. They started strong with wins over New York and Golden State — the latter courtesy of a game-winning 3-pointer by Sydney Taylor with 0.6 seconds left — but were unable to sweep the week as they fell to Indiana on Sunday. That loss coupled with Washington’s win over Portland officially eliminated Chicago from the playoffs for a third straight year.

❌ 11. Phoenix Mercury (13-24) ↔️

• Last Week: 11
• This Week: Tue. vs. WAS, Thu. vs. WAS, Sat. vs. TOR

In their lone game of the week, the Mercury got a 38-point effort from Kahleah Copper and a triple-double from Alyssa Thomas (extending her WNBA record to 22 in the regular season), but it was not enough to fend off Angel Reese and the Dream. With the loss, the Mercury were officially eliminated from the playoffs following an appearance in the Finals last season, something not seen in the WNBA since the 2008 Mercury.

❌ 12. Los Angeles Sparks (13-24) ↔️

• Last Week: 12
• This Week: Mon. vs. ATL, Fri. vs. WAS, Sun. at SEA

The Sparks were also eliminated from playoff contention with a loss to the Dream this past week, marking L.A.’s sixth straight year without a postseason appearance. We must give a shout out to Nneka Ogwumike, who announced her plans to retire at season’s end since our last rankings were published. With the Sparks out of the playoff picture, enjoy the final seven WNBA games from Madame President.

❌ 13. Seattle Storm (7-31) ↔️

• Last Week: 13
• This Week: Wed. vs. TOR, Sun. vs. LAS

While the Storm have dropped three straight and 14 of their last 15 games, the focus continues to be on developing their young talent with eyes toward the future. Rookies Flau’jae Johnson and Awa Fam, as well as second-year player Dominique Malonga, rank in the top four in both minutes and points for the Storm this season. And all three players are 22 years old or younger.

❌ 14. Connecticut Sun (9-27) ↔️

• Last Week: 14
• This Week: Tue. vs. CHI, Wed. vs. GSV, Fri. at IND, Sun. at DAL

For the third straight year, the Sun played a home game at Boston’s TD Garden. And for the second time in those three games, the Sun defeated the Sparks. Connecticut was led by former Sparks draft pick Olivia Nelson-Ododa, who had 18 points and 11 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season, matching her career total from her first four seasons in the WNBA. This week, Connecticut has two of its four remaining home games at Mohegan Sun Arena before they relocate to Houston in the offseason.

❌ 15. Toronto Tempo (11-26) ↔️

• Last Week: 15
• This Week: Wed. at SEA, Fri. at LVA, Sat. at PHX

The Tempo snapped a 12-game skid on Friday with a win over Portland in a clash of expansion teams. While wins have been scarce for the Tempo since a 9-9 start to their inaugural season, the play of Marina Mabrey has been a highlight. She ranks in the top five in the WNBA in scoring (20.8 ppg) and 3-pointers made (105), posting career-best marks in both categories.