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WNBA playoff picture: Chaos reigns, but Lynx sit in driver’s seat

All eyes are on the WNBA playoffs. (Kate Frese/NBAE via Getty Images)

The WNBA playoffs are just around the corner, but chaos continues to reign over the standings.

Four of the five teams vying for the two remaining postseason berths are tied at 14-20 heading into the final stretch. Every team in the league has two games remaining in the regular season.

The Minnesota Lynx, Atlanta Dream, New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury all have the same record, and the Los Angeles Sparks sit a game behind at 13-21. Each team still has a chance at one of the last two playoff spots.

The Lynx have a leg up on the competition. Minnesota has gone 4-1 through its last five games and holds tiebreakers over the other four teams.

The Lynx are in line for the No. 7 seed right now, and if they win out, they will make the playoffs. That would be the simplest path. But their final two games come against two of the league’s top teams in the Seattle Storm and Connecticut Sun.

If the Lynx go 1-1, they still would make the playoffs – unless the Mercury win out, and the Liberty or Dream win out, in which case the Mercury and the Liberty or Dream would squeak into the postseason. (The Liberty and Dream play their final two games against each other.)

If the Lynx lose their final two games, they could still make the playoffs, but they would need Phoenix to lose out, Los Angeles to lose one of its final two games, and either New York or Atlanta to win out.

So, not so simple.

The Mercury close the season with the Dallas Wings on Friday and the Chicago Sky on Sunday, but they have been without team leader Skylar Diggins-Smith for the past two games.

Diggins-Smith was listed as out for personal reasons in Wednesday’s 86-77 loss to the Lynx, and her status remains uncertain for the last two games of the regular season.

Phoenix held the lead heading into the fourth quarter against Minnesota before Sylvia Fowles and Aerial Powers dropped 17 points combined to take the win and to take control in the playoff chase.

“I understand that’s what the standings say,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said of her team’s playoff position. “But this changes by the day. We’re not too locked in on that. We wanted to come down and win this game, because that’s what we had to do.”

Phoenix holds the tiebreaker over New York, but Atlanta holds the tiebreaker over Phoenix. Phoenix, Atlanta and New York all hold tiebreakers over Los Angeles.

The Sparks need to win their final two games and need every team but Atlanta or New York to lose out to sneak into the playoffs.

New York Hunts 1st Regular-Season Win Over 2024 WNBA Finals Rivals Minnesota

New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu drives to the basket as Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith tries to block her shot during a 2025 WNBA game.
The New York Liberty are 0-3 against the Minnesota Lynx so far this season. (David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

No. 3 New York will have one last shot at redemption against the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday, as the reigning champion Liberty look to upend the team they defeated in the 2024 WNBA Finals when the pair meet for the fourth and final time in 2025 regular-season play.

Even without injured leading scorer Napheesa Collier, Minnesota sits 3-0 against their rivals this season, following a truncated scheduling quirk that saw the Lynx and Liberty battle four times in less than three weeks.

"I'm super proud of us," Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said before Tuesday's matchup. "I'm super proud of those that have Phee's back. That makes Phee feel better."

Collier is currently listed as doubtful for Tuesday's powerhouse matchup, with Minnesota vying for top postseason seeding as New York looks to defeat the Lynx in Round 4 — and inch back toward their recently relinquished No. 2 spot on the WNBA table in the process.

New York will hope a few more whistles go their way as they hunt their season's first victory over Minnesota, unlike their Saturday clash in which the Lynx drew 33 free throws en route to an 86-80 win while officials only awarded the Liberty eight.

"It's tough to win a game in this league with eight free throws…. There are so many things out of our control," New York guard Sabrina Ionescu said afterwards, pointing to injured team leader Breanna Stewart. "Like the players we don't have and the free throws we didn't get."

How to watch the Minnesota Lynx vs. New York Liberty on Tuesday

The No. 3 Liberty will host No. 1 Minnesota at 7 PM ET on Tuesday, with live coverage of the game airing on NBA TV.

UConn Basketball Star Azzi Fudd Swings by Curry Camp

UConn standout Azzi Fudd and NBA star Steph Curry chat on the court during the China edition of Curry Camp in 2025.
UConn star Azzi Fudd joined NBA icon Stephen Curry at this year's Currey World Tour stop in China. (You Fang/VCG via Getty Images)

UConn basketball star and reigning NCAA champion Azzi Fudd added another stop to her whirlwind offseason this week, landing in Chongqing, China, to team up with NBA icon Steph Curry on his Curry Brand World Tour.

Fudd said just last week that she considered Curry her favorite NBA player, with the 22-year-old UConn grad student going on to beat the 16-year league veteran in a three-point contest while in China.

Kicking off its ninth US edition in San Francisco earlier this month, this year's Curry World Tour brings Curry Camp — a high school basketball clinic where the Golden State Warriors star provides "one-on-one coaching, advice, and exposure to his habits, routines, and mindset" — overseas for the first time.

Fudd's history with Curry runs deeper than her assist at this week's Curry Camp, with the 2025 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player attending one of the two-time NBA MVP's first elite girls basketball camps as a rising high school sophomore in 2018.

She then became the first-ever college player to sign an NIL deal with Under Armour's Curry Brand back in 2021 — just 17 days after Fudd made her collegiate basketball debut.

"Steph has been such an amazing resource," Fudd said back in March. "It kind of just goes to show the kind of person he is."

2025/26 Concacaf W Champions Cup Kicks Off with 3 NWSL Clubs

Gotham defender Mandy Freeman lifts the 2024/25 Concacaf Champions Cup and celebrates with her teammates as purple confetti falls.
Gotham returns to the North American confederation's club tournament as reigning champions. (Azael Rodriguez/NWSL via Getty Images)

It's a busy week for some top NWSL teams, as the second edition of the Concacaf W Champions Cup kicks off its 2025/26 group-stage matches on Tuesday night.

Designed to mirror Europe's UEFA Champions League, the Concacaf Champions Cup pits the top clubs from North American leagues in a tournament to determine the continental champion.

This year, a trio of NWSL standouts made the 10-club cut, with last season's top three teams — the Orlando Pride, Washington Spirit, and Gotham FC — in the running for the 2025/26 Concacaf trophy.

Each team will play four group-stage matches over the next two months to determine the four semifinalists who will battle for the trophy in May 2026.

The Champions Cup winners will automatically qualify for the 2026/27 edition of the tournament as well as earn a spot in both the 2027 FIFA Women's Champions Cup and the inaugural FIFA Women's Club World Cup in 2028.

How to watch the NWSL in the Concacaf W Champions Cup

Kicking off this season's Concacaf competition are the 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup champs and 2024 league runners-up Washington Spirit, who will travel south to take on El Salvador's Alianza at 8 PM ET on Tuesday night.

Then on Wednesday, 2024/25 Champions Cup winners Gotham FC will open their title defense by hosting Liga MX Femenil side CF Monterrey at 7 PM ET.

As for reigning NWSL champion Orlando, the Pride will begin their Champions Cup campaign at home next month, facing Costa Rican side Alajuelense at 7 PM ET on September 2nd.

All 2025/26 Concacaf Champions Cup matches will air live on Paramount+.

Chicago Stars Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher Saves the Day with 1st Career NWSL Goal

Chicago Stars veteran goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher celebrates her first-ever NWSL goal during an August 2025 match against the Seattle Reign.
Chicago Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher scored the equalizer against the Seattle Reign on Monday. (Stephen Brashear/Imagn Images)

The No. 13 Chicago Stars earned a dramatic NWSL draw on Monday night, battling back from a three-goal deficit against the No. 6 Seattle Reign — with superstar goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher scoring the stoppage-time equalizer to secure the 3-3 result.

After the entire Seattle frontline of Jess Fishlock, Jordyn Huitema, and Emeri Adames netted early goals, the Stars began chipping away at the Reign's lead, with Chicago forward Ludmila and defender Camryn Biegalski putting their squad within one strike entering second-half stoppage time.

USWNT retiree and Stars captain Naeher then sealed the Chicago comeback with her first-ever NWSL goal, tapping in the ball amid the melee of a last-gasp 99th-minute set piece.

"Chaos kind of sums up our season at this point, the way it finished like that," Naeher said after the match. "You just see the heart in that play."

Multiple staffing changes and on-pitch inconsistencies have seen the Stars struggle this season, with Chicago tallying just one 2025 win so far.

That said, interim head coach Ella Masar has arguably turned the tide, leading the Stars to five draws in their last six games. Masar will soon resume her assistant coach role once new head coaching hire Martin Sjögren's longtime right hand Anders Jacobson arrives to assume interim manager duties.

"That's the belief in this group, that's the mentality," Naeher continued. "We stuck together all season long."

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