
Caitlin Clark, Fever Clinch 2026 WNBA Playoff Berth, Updated Bracket Picture and Standings
Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are going to the playoffs for a third straight year.
Indiana clinched a postseason spot with the Portland Fire's 82-79 loss to the Toronto Tempo on Friday night.
Following the clinching, Indiana is in fourth place in the WNBA standings and playoff picture:
| Seed | Team/Record |
| 1 | Lynx, 31-7 |
| 2 | Valkyries, 25-11 |
| 3 | Aces, 25-13 |
| 4 | Fever, 24-13 |
| 5 | Dream, 23-13 |
| 6 | Liberty, 22-15 |
| 7 | Mystics, 21-15 |
| 8 | Wings, 21-16 |
The fourth seed will play the fifth seed in the first round of the WNBA playoff bracket, which means the Fever are currently slotted into a matchup against the Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream.
There are only two games separating the Golden State Valkyries as the No. 2 seed and Dream in the fifth spot, so plenty of things can change over the final month of the regular season.
The WNBA is preparing to take a three week hiatus after Aug. 28 for the FIBA World Cup before play resumes on Sept. 18.
While a championship is the end goal for the Fever, they are surely focused on remaining healthy in the playoffs as well. After all, they reached the WNBA semifinals last season despite Clark, Sophie Cunningham, Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald all being sidelined with injuries.
Indiana defeated the Atlanta Dream in the first round and pushed the Las Vegas Aces to overtime in the decisive fifth game of the second round. Considering Las Vegas went on to win the championship, it was quite the effort from the shorthanded Fever.
Ideally for Clark and Co., they will be much healthier as they pursue the title this time around.
Everything in Indiana starts with the Big Three of Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston, which gives the team enough offensive firepower and versatility to play with and defeat even the best opponents in the league come playoff time.
All three of them made the All-Star Game this season and are averaging a combined 63.3 points per game. While role players such as Cunningham, Monique Billings and Lexie Hull provide some depth, the entire offense runs through the trio.
Clark is one of the faces of the league and a dominant scorer and facilitator who opens up looks for everyone else because of the defensive attention she draws. Mitchell has taken advantage of that more than anybody and is the team's leading scorer with an arsenal that includes three-point shooting and the ability to finish through contact as she drives the lane.
As for Boston, she is a double-double threat every time she steps on the floor and someone who provides important interior defense to take some of the pressure off Clark and Mitchell.
That lets Clark and Mitchell provide even more scoring, and they did so in record-setting fashion this season:
If the guard duo that represents one of the best one-two punches in the league continues to pour in the points and Boston continues to dominate on the inside, the ceiling for a healthy Fever team that is now heading to the postseason is the WNBA title.




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