The 2024 WNBA Playoffs is the postseason tournament of the Women's National Basketball Association's 2024 season. The playoffs began on September 22, 2024, and will finish by October 20, 2024.[2]
| Dates | September 22 – October 20[1] |
|---|---|
Overview
Updates to postseason appearances
- The New York Liberty entered the postseason for the fourth consecutive season.
- The Minnesota Lynx entered the postseason for the second consecutive season.
- The Connecticut Sun entered the postseason for the eighth consecutive season, currently the longest streak in the WNBA.
- The Las Vegas Aces entered the postseason for the sixth consecutive season.
- The Seattle Storm returned to the postseason after missing the postseason in 2023.
- The Indiana Fever entered the postseason for the first time since 2016, breaking their seven-season playoff drought.
- The Phoenix Mercury returned to the postseason after missing the postseason in 2023.
- The Atlanta Dream entered the post season for the second consecutive season.
- The Washington Mystics missed the postseason for the first season, after making the postseason the previous two editions.
- The Chicago Sky missed the playoffs for the first season, ending a five-season playoff streak.
- The Dallas Wings missed the postseason for the first season, after making the postseason the previous three editions.
- The Los Angeles Sparks missed the postseason for the fourth consecutive season, the longest active postseason drought in the WNBA.
Notable occurrences
- The Indiana Fever broke their playoff drought, which was the longest in the WNBA, at seven seasons.
- An even number of Eastern Conference and Western Conference teams qualified for the playoffs.
Format
The 2024 Playoffs continued to use the format that the WNBA Board of Governors approved prior to the 2022 season. In November 2021, the WNBA Board of Governors formalized a new playoff system that will structure the 2022 playoffs onward. The new playoff format scraps the single-elimination games of the first two rounds in favor of a best-of-3 quarterfinal round. As a result, all eight playoff teams, seeded according to overall regular season record regardless of conference (1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, 3 vs. 6, 4 vs. 5), will begin postseason play in the first round. Since 2016, seeds 3 and 4 received a bye to the second round (single game) and seeds 1 and 2 received a bye to the semifinals (best-of-5). In the first round series, the higher seeded team will host games 1 and 2, and the lower seeded team will host game 3 if necessary. In the semifinal round, no reseeding will take place, which means the winners of the 1 vs. 8 series will be paired with the winner of the 4 vs. 5 series as will the winners of the 2 vs. 7 and 3 vs. 6 series. The semifinal and final rounds will remain best-of-5 series in which the higher seeded team hosts games 1, 2 and (if necessary) 5 while the lower seeded team hosts games 3 and (if necessary) 4.[3]
Broadcast
All games will be aired across the ESPN family of networks, which includes ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and ABC in the US and on TSN, Sportsnet, and NBA TV Canada in Canada.
Playoff qualifying
| Seed | Team | Record | Clinched | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playoff berth | Top Record | |||
| 1 | New York Liberty | 32–8 | August 17[4] | September 17[5] |
| 2 | Minnesota Lynx | 30–10 | August 24[6] | 
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| 3 | Connecticut Sun | 28–12 | August 24[7] |
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| 4 | Las Vegas Aces | 27–13 | August 30[8] |
|
| 5 | Seattle Storm | 25–15 | August 30[9] |
|
| 6 | Indiana Fever | 20–20 | September 3[10] |
|
| 7 | Phoenix Mercury | 19–21 | September 3[11] |
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| 8 | Atlanta Dream | 15–25 | September 19 |
|
Playoffs and Finals
Bracket
| Round One: Best-of-3 | Semifinals: Best-of-5 | Finals: Best-of-5 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | New York Liberty | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Atlanta Dream | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | New York Liberty | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Las Vegas Aces | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Las Vegas Aces | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Seattle Storm | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Minnesota Lynx | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Phoenix Mercury | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Minnesota Lynx | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Connecticut Sun | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Connecticut Sun | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Indiana Fever | 0 | ||||||||||||
Bold Series winner
Round One
(1) New York Liberty vs. (8) Atlanta Dream
The top-seeded New York Liberty will play the eighth-seeded Atlanta Dream in the first playoff series. The Liberty enter the post-season as the top overall seed after finishing two games ahead of the Minnesota Lynx during the regular season. The Liberty finished 7–3 in their final ten games of the season. The Dream secured a playoff spot after defeating the Liberty on the last day of the season. The Dream finished 5–5 in their final ten games of the season. During the regular season, the teams played 4 times, with the Liberty winning three times.
- Game 1
In game one of the series, the Liberty got off to a hot start at home, winning the first quarter 29–16. They did not let up in the second quarter, winning 19–14 and taking a fifteen-point lead into halftime. The Liberty continued their winning ways in the third quarter, taking the frame 21–19. The Dream mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter, winning 20–14 but they were too far behind and the Liberty won game one by fourteen points. The Liberty had four players score in double figures, and were lead by Leonie Fiebich with twenty one points. Breanna Stewart was not far behind with twenty, Sabrina Ionescu added seventeen, and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton scored ten. Stewart added eleven rebounds to finish with a double-double. The Dream only had two players in double figures, lead by Rhyne Howard with fourteen, and Tina Charles added twelve.
| New York Liberty 83, Atlanta Dream 69 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–16, 19–14, 21–19, 14–20 | ||
| Pts: Leonie Fiebich (21) Rebs: Breanna Stewart (11) Asts: Ionescu/Laney-Hamilton (5) |
Pts: Rhyne Howard (14) Rebs: Tina Charles (7) Asts: Canada/Howard (4) | |
- Game 2
Facing elimination, the Atlanta Dream started off Game Two well, winning the first quarter 28–19. However, the Liberty chipped away at the lead and won quarter two 24–20. The Dream took a five-point lead into halftime. The Liberty came out strong after the break and won the third quarter 22–16 to take a two-point lead into the final frame. Their they continued their strong play and finished the game with a 26–18 win in the fourth quarter. The Liberty won the game by nine-points and took the series two games to one. The Liberty had three players score in double figures, and were lead by Sabrina Ionescu with thirty-six points. Jonquel Jones added twenty points and Breanna Stewart rounded out the double-digit scorers with thirteen. Jones recorded thirteen rebounds to have a double-double. The Dream also had three players in double figures, and were lead by Allisha Gray with twenty-six points. Rhyne Howard added nineteen points and Tina Charles had fourteen points.
ESPN, TSN1
|
| New York Liberty 91, Atlanta Dream 82 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–28, 24–20, 22–16, 26–18 | ||
| Pts: Sabrina Ionescu (36) Rebs: Jonquel Jones (13) Asts: Sabrina Ionescu (9) |
Pts: Allisha Gray (26) Rebs: Naz Hillmon (10) Asts: Jordin Canada (11) | |
Barclays Center
Attendance: 11,003 Referees: Roy Gulbeyan Gina Cross Fatou Cissoko-Stephens Biniam Maru |
(2) Minnesota Lynx vs. (7) Phoenix Mercury
In the second playoff series, the second-seed Minnesota Lynx will play the seventh-seed Phoenix Mercury. Minnesota finished two games out of first place during the regular season, and defeated eventual first seed New York on September 15th. Minnesota enters the series after going 8–2 in their last ten games. Phoenix finished four games ahead of the eighth seed and only one game out of being the sixth seed. They struggled to end the season, finishing with a 3–7 record in their final ten games. The Western Conference teams played four times in the regular season with Minnesota winning three times.
- Game 1
The Minnesota Lynx started Game One at home in dominating fashion, winning the first quarter 32–19. The second quarter was much closer, but Minnesota again won, this time 24–23. Minnesota took a fourteen-point lead into halftime. The Mercury came out strong in the third quarter, winning 27–21. The Mercury won the fourth quarter 26–25, but their comeback was not enough to overcome the halftime defect and Minnesota won Game One by seven points. The Lynx had four players score in double figures and were lead by Napheesa Collier who scored thirty-eight points. Kayla McBride scored twenty points, Bridget Carleton added twelve, and Myisha Hines-Allen finished with ten from the bench. Phoenix also had four players score in double digits and were lead by Natasha Cloud with thirty-three points. Diana Taurasi scored twenty-one, Kahleah Copper added sixteen, and Brittney Griner had ten points. Cloud finished with ten assists to record a double-double.
| Minnesota Lynx 102, Phoenix Mercury 95 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–19, 24–23, 21–27, 25–26 | ||
| Pts: Napheesa Collier (38) Rebs: Carleton/Collier/Williams (6) Asts: Courtney Williams (8) |
Pts: Natasha Cloud (33) Rebs: Cloud/Griner (6) Asts: Natasha Cloud (10) | |
- Game 2
ESPN, NBA TV Canada
|
| Minnesota Lynx vs. Phoenix Mercury |
Target Center
|
- Game 3 (if necessary)
(3) Connecticut Sun vs. (6) Indiana Fever
The third-seed Connecticut Sun will play the sixth-seed Indiana Fever in the third playoff series. The Sun entered the postseason as the third seed for the third straight season. They finished the regular season one game ahead of the fourth-seeded Aces and two games behind the second-seed Lynx. They finished the season 6–4 in their final ten games. The Fever entered the postseason for the first time in seven years. They were five games behind the fifth-seed Storm and one game ahead of the seventh-seed Mercury. They also finished the season 6–4 in their final 10 games. The two Eastern Conference foes played four times during the regular season with the Sun winning three times to the Fever's one win.
- Game 1
Game One started off as a close affair, as Connecticut won the first quarter 23–20. Connecticut carried their momentum into the second quarter and won it 23–19, to take a seven-point lead into halftime. Connecticut proved the stronger team after halftime and won the third quarter 22–19. However, the most lopsided quarter was the fourth, which Connecticut won 25–12 to win Game One by a twenty-four point margin. Connecticut had four players score in double-digits and were lead by Marina Mabrey with twenty-seven points. DeWanna Bonner was not far behind with twenty-two points, DiJonai Carrington scored fourteen, and ended with twelve. The Fever also had four players score in double digits and were lead by Kelsey Mitchell with twenty-one points. Aliyah Boston scored seventeen points, Damiris Dantas added twelve points off the bench, and Caitlin Clark scored eleven. Thomas added ten rebound and thirteen assists to record her fourth playoff triple-double. Boston added eleven rebounds to record a double-double in her playoff debut.
| Connecticut Sun 93, Indiana Fever 69 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–20, 23–18, 22–19, 25–12 | ||
| Pts: Marina Mabrey (27) Rebs: Alyssa Thomas (10) Asts: Alyssa Thomas (13) |
Pts: Kelsey Mitchell (21) Rebs: Aliyah Boston (11) Asts: Caitlin Clark (8) | |
Mohegan Sun Arena
Attendance: 8,910 Referees: Roy Gulbeyan Fatou Cissoko-Stephens Jenna Reneau Marcy Williams |
- Game 2
- Game 3 (if necessary)
(4) Las Vegas Aces vs. (5) Seattle Storm
The final first round series will see the fourth-seed Las Vegas Aces play the fifth-seed Seattle Storm. The two time defending champions Aces finished fourth in the regular season, one game behind the third-seed Sun, and two games ahead of their playoff opponents. The Aces enter the series after going 9–1 in their last ten games, with their only loss coming at first-seed New York. The Storm enter the post season after finishing two games behind the Aces and five games ahead of the sixth-seed Fever. They finished 6–4 in their final 10 games, but did win five of their last six. The Western Conference foes played four times during the regular season, with the Aces winning three times and the Storm winning once.
- Game 1
Seattle started Game One strongly on the road, winning the quarter 18–9. Las Vegas came back in the second quarter to win 29–24, however it was not enough to overcome the defect from quarter one and Seattle took a four point lead into halftime. Vegas came out of the half and cut into that lead, winning the third quarter 26–23, to cut Seattle's lead to one point heading into the fourth quarter. The Aces dominated the fourth quarter, holding Seattle to just two points, and won the quarter 14–2. The Aces took game one 78–67. Las Vegas had four players score in double figures, led by A'ja Wilson with twenty-one points. Tiffany Hayes scored twenty points off the bench, Chelsea Gray scored sixteen points, and Jackie Young added twelve. Seattle also had four players score in double figures and were lead by Skylar Diggins-Smith with sixteen points. Gabby Williams scored fourteen points, Nneka Ogwumike added thirteen, and Jordan Horston scored ten off the bench. Ogwuimke recorded ten rebounds to have a double-double in the game.
| Las Vegas Aces 78, Seattle Storm 67 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 9–18, 29–24, 26–23, 14–2 | ||
| Pts: A'ja Wilson (21) Rebs: Stokes, Wilson (8) Asts: Chelsea Gray (7) |
Pts: Skylar Diggins-Smith (16) Rebs: Mercedes Russell (12) Asts: Skylar Diggins-Smith (8) | |
- Game 2
Seattle faced elimination in Game Two and started slowly, with the Aces winning the first quarter 30–20. The second quarter was much lower scoring and Seattle ate into the Aces' lead. Seattle won the quarter 18–15 and the Aces took a seven-point lead into halftime. The lower scoring continued after the half, with the Storm winning the third quarter 19–17 and cutting the overall lead to five points. However, the Aces finished strong and won the forth quarter 21–19. Therefore, they won the game by seven points and the series two games to zero. The Aces had three players score in double figures and were lead by Kelsey Plum who scored twenty-nine points. A'ja Wilson was not far behind with twenty-four points and Chelsea Gray scored twelve points. Wilson added thirteen rebounds to record a double-double. The Storm had four players in double figures, and were lead by Gabby Williams with twenty points. Nneka Ogwumike scored sixteen points, Ezi Magbegor added fourteen, and Skylar Diggins-Smith scored thirteen. Ogwumike added ten rebounds and Diggins-Smith had ten assists to each record a double-double.
ESPN, TSN1
|
| Las Vegas Aces 83, Seattle Storm 76 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–20, 15–18, 17–19, 21–19 | ||
| Pts: Kelsey Plum (29) Rebs: A'ja Wilson (13) Asts: Chelsea Gray (9) |
Pts: Gabby Williams (20) Rebs: Nneka Ogwumike (10) Asts: Skylar Diggins-Smith (10) | |
Michelob Ultra Arena
Attendance: 10,370 Referees: Maj Forsberg Tim Greene Randy Richardson Clare Aubry |
Semifinals
(1) New York Liberty vs. (4) Las Vegas Aces
The top seed New York Liberty and fourth seed Las Vegas Aces will face-off in the first semifinal series. Both teams come in having swept their first round matchups. The Liberty won their two games by a combined twenty-three points over the eighth-seed Atlanta Dream and the Aces won their two games by a combined twenty-one points over the fifth-seed Seattle Storm. The teams met three times during the regular season, and the Liberty won all three games and two of the games were hosted in Las Vegas.
- Game 1
- Game 2
- Game 3
- Game 4 (if necessary)
- Game 5 (if necessary)
TBD vs. TBD
- Game 1
- Game 2
- Game 3
- Game 4 (if necessary)
- Game 5 (if necessary)
Finals
TBD vs. TBD
- Game 1
- Game 2
- Game 3
- Game 4 (if necessary)
- Game 5 (if necessary)
References
- ^ "Key Dates: 2024 WNBA Season". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
- ^ "WNBA playoffs tracker: Who's in? Who's making the biggest impact and more". ESPN. September 5, 2024. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
- ^ "WNBA Approves New Playoff Format". WNBA. NBA Media Ventures. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- ^ Stumbaugh, Julia (August 17, 2024). "Sabrina Ionescu, Liberty Clinch Spot in 2024 WNBA Playoff Bracket; Updated Standings". Bleacher Report. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
- ^ Michael Voepel (September 17, 2024). "Liberty clinch top seed in WNBA playoffs with win vs. Mystics". ABC News. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ^ Wald, Jeff (August 24, 2024). "Lynx beat Caitlin Clark, Fever behind Napheesa Collier's 31 points, clinch playoff spot". KMSP-TV. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
- ^ Feinberg, Doug (August 24, 2024). "Mabrey helps Sun end Liberty's 8-game winning streak with 72–64 victory, clinch spot in Playoffs". Washington Post. Associated Press. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
- ^ Williams, Jack (August 30, 2024). "Aces defeat Dream to clinch WNBA Playoff berth". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
- ^ "Breanna Stewart scores 32 points, Sabrina Ionescu adds 25 as Liberty defeat Storm 98-85". ESPN. Associated Press. August 31, 2024. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
- ^ Mordoh, Hannah (September 4, 2024). "Indiana Fever clinch 2024 playoff spot". WISH-TV. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
- ^ "Kahleah Copper scores 28 points, Mercury clinch playoff berth with 74-66 win over Dream". Washington Post. Associated Press. September 4, 2024. Retrieved September 6, 2024.