WNBA Playoff Picture 2024: Updated Bracket Scenarios and Standings Before Final Games

The final games of the 2024 WNBA season will be played on Thursday. While the postseason picture is largely set, many of Thursday's games will be meaningful.

With only one game remaining for each team, only the Dallas Wings and Los Angeles Sparks have been eliminated from playoff contention.

Tuesday's set of games settled much of the seeding for the opening round. Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart and the New York Liberty locked up the No. 1 seed with an 87-71 win over the Washington Mystics. The win ensures that New York will hold home-court advantage through the postseason.

The Liberty's victory also helped lock the Minnesota Lynx into the No. 2 seed. Minnesota's 78-76 win over the Connecticut Sun ensures that Connecticut can't catch the Lynx on the final day.

While the defending champion Las Vegas Aces can't move into one of the top two spots, their 85-72 win over the Seattle Storm guaranteed that the Aces will host at least one series.

During the game, Aces star A'ja Wilson set another record as part of her historic 2024 run. Wilson grabbed seven rebounds on Tuesday night, which broke Angel Reese's record for rebounds in a season—which she set with 451 boards earlier this year.

Wilson had already captured a new record for points in a single season.

"This league is tough, so if my name can be in the record books in some sort of way, it's a blessing," Wilson said, per ESPN's Kevin Pelton.

Las Vegas currently sits in the No. 4 spot, but due to Connecticut's loss on Tuesday, the Aces can still secure the No. 3 seed. They'll need a win and a loss by the Sun on Thursday, but it could happen.

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are locked into the No. 6 seed, so if Las Vegas moves up, it could create a thrilling matchup for the opening round. If the Aces stay in the No. 4 spot, they'll have another battle with the Storm.

Perhaps the biggest storyline to follow on Thursday, though, will be the race between the Chicago Sky, Washington Mystics and Atlanta Dream.

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2024 WNBA Standings

1. New York Liberty: 32-7 (clinched, locked)

2. Minnesota Lynx: 30-9 (clinched, locked)

3. Connecticut Sun: 27-12 (clinched)

4. Las Vegas Aces: 26-13 (clinched)

5. Seattle Storm: 24-15 (clinched, locked)

6. Indiana Fever: 20-19 (clinched, locked)

7. Phoenix Mercury: 19-20 (clinched, locked)

8. Atlanta Dream: 14-25

9. Washington Mystics: 13-26

10. Chicago Sky: 13-26

11. Dallas Wings: 9-30 (eliminated)

12. Los Angeles Sparks: 7-32 (eliminated)

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With one game to go, Atlanta has the inside track to securing the eighth and final seed. With a one-game lead over both the Mystics and the Sky, it's win-and-in for the Dream. Atlanta will face New York in its finale, but with nothing the play for, the Liberty may opt to rest their stars.

The Dream will also get in with losses by the Sky and Mystics because of tiebreakers. Head-to-head records serve as the first tiebreaker, while conference winning percentage will be considered next.

The Sky, which lost Reese to a season-ending wrist injury, probably has the toughest path to the postseason. Washington won its regular-season series versus Chicago, 3-1, so a Mystics victory and a Dream loss will clinch the No. 8 seed.

The Sky need a victory and losses by Washington and Atlanta to secure the final spot. It feels like a long shot, especially considering the team's health. Reese is out, and both Chennedy Carter and Kamilla Cardoso missed Tuesday's 86-70 loss to Atlanta.

"Everybody's availability will be critical [on Thursday]," Atlanta coach Teresa Weatherspoon said of the looming finale, per Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times. "A lot of our team is sitting on the sideline."

Chicago will close out its season against the Sun, while the Mystics will end their schedule against the Fever. The reward for winning the final playoff spot will be a best-of-three series against the Liberty.

Thursday's schedule is as follows:

Dream at Liberty, 7 p.m. ET

Fever at Mystics, 7 p.m. ET

Sky at Sun, 7 p.m. ET

Sparks at Lynx, 8 p.m. ET

Storm at Mercury, 10 p.m. ET

Wings at Aces, 10 p.m. ET