WNBA playoffs 2020 scenarios: Seeds, byes and what's at stake

Angel McCoughtry and Las Vegas could still clinch the No. 1 seed in the WNBA playoffs if they win their three remaining games, including back-to-back games with Los Angeles and Seattle. 

With four days left in the WNBA regular season, we know seven of the eight playoff teams. Exactly what seeding each team will end up with is still uncertain.

The No. 1 seed might not be decided until Sunday. The regular season was originally scheduled to end Saturday, but the six games that were postponed as players sat out on Aug. 26-27 in protest of the Jacob Blake shooting in Wisconsin had to be rescheduled. Three of them were moved to Sunday, including a game that could be a preview of the WNBA Finals: the Seattle Storm vs. the Las Vegas Aces (ABC, 3 p.m. ET).

Other teams could have plenty to say about that, including the Los Angeles Sparks, who have their own showdown with the Aces on Saturday (3 p.m. ET).

Here’s a look at what’s on the line the next few days (teams listed in current order of standings through Wednesday’s games):

The Storm clinched a bye into the semifinals with their 107-95 victory over the Wings on Wednesday. Las Vegas is the only team that could take the No. 1 seed from Seattle — if the Aces win their last three games, they would have the tiebreaker against the Storm.

But Seattle is in the driver’s seat: If the Storm win their last two games, against Phoenix and Las Vegas, they will be the No. 1 seed. Even if they lost both games, they can’t fall out of the top two because they have a tiebreaker against Los Angeles, should the Sparks tie them.

Seattle’s concern is point guard Sue Bird, who has been dealing with knee trouble all season that has limited her to 11 of the Storm’s 20 games. She and Dallas rookie forward Satou Sabally collided on Wednesday and Bird appeared to injure her knee again. Storm coach Gary Kloppenburg said after the game that he didn’t know how serious it was. The Storm could rest her the last two games, and then Seattle wouldn’t play again until the semifinals begin Sept. 20.

The Aces are also in the driver’s seat. If they win their last three games — vs. the Lynx, the Sparks and the Storm — they are the No. 1 seed. With a win over Seattle on Sunday, they would hold the tiebreaker against the Storm.

Coach Bill Laimbeer said Tuesday he figured the Aces would be more in the middle of the pack this season, so contending for a top seed has exceeded his expectations. Perhaps he’s sandbagging a bit, as he knew he had an MVP candidate in A’ja Wilson (20.4 PPG, 8.8 RPG). But he said he didn’t realize just how good veteran Angel McCoughtry (14.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG) would be in her first year with the Aces.

Las Vegas has also had two starter-level players coming off the bench in Dearica Hamby (13.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG) and Jackie Young (11.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.1 APG).

The Sparks could still climb into the double bye and advance to the semifinals, but they would have to take the spot away from Las Vegas. And as fate would have it, the Sparks and Aces meet Saturday afternoon in one of the weekend’s biggest games.

First, though, Los Angeles takes on Washington, and that could be a tough game, too.

The Lynx are trying to hold on to their first-round bye; Phoenix is the only team that could take it away. If Minnesota wins its last two games, the bye is secure. The Lynx face Las Vegas on Thursday (ESPN2, 8 p.m. ET) and finish with Indiana on Saturday. Minnesota and Phoenix split their regular-season meetings.

The Lynx have played well despite losing veteran center Sylvia Fowles to a calf injury after only seven games. Two former UConn Huskies have taken over: Crystal Dangerfield, a Rookie of the Year candidate, leads the Lynx in scoring (15.9 PPG), with last year’s rookie award winner, Napheesa Collier, next at 15.8 PPG.

Skylar Diggins-Smith’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer Wednesday sent the Mercury’s game into overtime, where they prevailed 100-95 over Connecticut. That dramatic victory helped keep Phoenix in the running for a first-round bye. The Mercury have one game left: Friday against old rival Seattle.

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Trailing by three points with 3.4 seconds on the clock, Skylar Diggins-Smith’s half-court prayer connects at the horn to send the Mercury and Sun into overtime.

Phoenix lost both center Brittney Griner (personal reasons) and guard Bria Hartley (knee injury) in August, yet has won seven of its past eight games. The Mercury are led by the dynamic guard duo of Diggins-Smith, in her first season in Phoenix, and Diana Taurasi, who is in her 16th season with the Mercury. Diggins-Smith had 33 points and Taurasi 28 in Wednesday’s win.

The Sky and the Sun will be in the No. 6 vs. No. 7 first-round game. Since there is no home-court advantage this postseason in the bubble, it makes little difference which seed they earn. But Chicago, which finishes against Dallas on Friday, hopes to salvage something positive to take into the playoffs after a difficult end to the regular season. The Sky have lost four in a row and six of their past seven. They have not beaten a team that’s going to be in the playoffs since Aug. 18 when they edged the Aces 84-82. The loss of Diamond DeShields and Azurá Stevens has hurt Chicago, which split its two regular-season games with the Sun.

The Sun came oh-so-close to beating the Mercury on Wednesday but lost in overtime. So they will face the Sky in the first round as either the No. 6 or No. 7 seed. Unlike Chicago, which has really struggled in the past two weeks, the Sun have played well of late. They had won five of seven before Wednesday’s heartbreaking loss to Phoenix. And while she won’t win MVP, DeWanna Bonner in her first season with the Sun at least made herself part of that conversation. Connecticut, which has gone 10-6 after an 0-5 start, finishes Friday against Atlanta.

Technically, three teams remain in the race for the last playoff spot: Dallas, Atlanta (6-14) and Washington (6-13). But despite their loss Wednesday, the Wings still have the upper hand. They finish against a Sky team that has been struggling, and then last-place New York.