The WNBA playoffs have finally arrived after a season in which each team played 40 games for the first time.
This season saw the defending-champion Las Vegas Aces set a record for most wins on their path to a No. 1 seed, and ended with a bunch of teams getting off the season-long roller-coaster ride to claim last-minute spots.
Although the league got rid of the knockout eliminations in the first and second rounds of the playoffs last year, teams still play a best-of-three series to determine who will be moving on to the semifinals.
Here’s a preview of the four quarterfinal matchups in the WNBA playoffs.
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No. 1 Las Vegas vs. No. 8 Chicago
This series is a tale of two seasons, frankly. The Aces have been title favourites (-150 at DraftKings Sportsbook) essentially since winning the championship last season and added Candace Parker to a star core that features A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young.
The Sky (+25000 to win the title, via DraftKings Sportsbook), however, had a big shakeup in their roster, losing many of the players who were part of their 2021 championship team, including Parker, Azura Stevens, Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley, who is sitting out the 2023 season.
Although Parker had foot surgery in July and remains unavailable, the Aces set an WNBA record with 34 wins after defeating the Phoenix Mercury in the season finale. Wilson was a consistent force all season, setting a franchise record with six 30-point games and scoring at least 20 points in 29 games to set an WNBA record.
The Sky have advanced to the playoffs for a franchise-record fifth consecutive year, clinching the final playoff spot by beating the Minnesota Lynx 92-87 on Friday. The year certainly hasn’t been easy for the Sky, who lost head coach James Wade mid-way through the season to the Toronto Raptors, as well as Isabelle Harrison and Rebekah Gardner to season-ending injuries earlier in the summer.
Head-to-head: The Aces have won all three meetings against the Sky this season, with their largest margin of victory a 107-95 win in July. In their most recent meeting, on Aug. 24, Las Vegas won by just seven points, 94-87.
The X-factor: For the Aces, it’s pretty apparent the difference A’ja Wilson makes. She closed the season with her 16th career Western Conference Player of the Week honour by averaging 33 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 3.0 blocks for the week while making 74.3 per cent of her field-goal attempts.
For the Sky, Kahleah Copper not only averaged 18.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, but she closed out the season with four consecutive games of 22 points or more. On top of that, she just signed a two-year deal worth $490,000. If anyone is looking to have a big series, it’s Chicago’s All-Star.
One player to watch: Jackie Young has continually grown in her time in Las Vegas, averaging 17.6 points, four rebounds and 3.8 assists per game this season while shooting a career-high 52.3 per cent from the field and 44.9 per cent from behind the three-point arc.
Dana Evans recorded 18 points in Chicago’s overtime win over the Connecticut Sun to close out the season, and has been a disruptive defender while improving her midrange game.
Prediction: Aces in 2. They swept the season series against the Sky and are just simply one of the most talented rosters in the league. Chicago scraped by to get the last playoff spot, but it would take a lot for them to get even one game off Las Vegas.
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No. 2 New York vs. No. 7 Washington
Another matchup of two teams who took completely different paths to get to the playoffs, the New York Liberty (+150 at DraftKings Sportsbook) have been living up to the “super team” expectations, winning the Commissioner’s Cup and going 2-2 in their season series against the Aces.
The Mystics (+4500 to win the title, via DraftKings Sportsbook) have dealt with injuries to key players Elena Delle Donne, Shakira Austin and Ariel Atkins, just to name a few, as they ran on a depleted roster much of the season led by veterans Natasha Cloud and Brittney Sykes.
New York finished its season with a 32-8 record, good for first in the Eastern Conference, with five players averaging at least 10 points per game. New additions Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot all averaged a near double-double this season, while Sabrina Ionescu shot 44 per cent from the three point arc and Betnijah Laney shot a career-high 49.9 per cent from the field.
Sykes led the Mystics with 15.9 points, five rebounds and 3.8 assists per game and Cloud added 12.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.1 assists per game as the team navigated an up-and-down season. Washington fell into a slump post-All-Star break and fought to earn its playoff berth before finishing its season with a win over, none other than, New York.
Head-to-head: New York and Washington split their season series 2-2, but two games were decided by less than a basket.
The X-factor: For New York, Breanna Stewart has her name in the MVP race for a very good reason. She lead the Liberty in all major categories except assists (cue Vandersloot), and averaged 23 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.6 blocks per game.
When healthy, Delle Donne is one of the best players in basketball and her team-leading 16.7 points per game average shows that. She played in only 23 games this season, but has played in eight games since Aug. 18, including a 24-point performance against Phoenix.
One player to watch: Marine Johannes has no fear shooting from long for the Liberty, and her three-point shot is merely one of the many elements of her game that make her such a dynamic player off the bench.
Austin has dealt with injuries a lot of the season but can be a fantastic two-way player for Washington, especially on the defensive boards, and is likely to be trouble down low for the Liberty.
Prediction: Liberty in 3. The Mystics know how to beat the Liberty, but the pure talent from New York’s starting five will give them the edge to take the series, especially after losing their season finale to Washington.
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No. 3 Connecticut vs. No. 6 Minnesota
The Connecticut Sun (+1900 at DraftKings Sportsbook) have been on the cusp of a WNBA title for a while, making the WNBA Finals twice and reaching the semifinals in each of the past four years. But they have never found a way to clinch. Alyssa Thomas has been having an MVP-calibre season, averaging a near triple-double of 15.5 points, 9.9 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game.
Minnesota (+25000 to win the title, via DraftKings Sportsbook), on the other hand, started its season losing six straight games before finding its way thanks to the efforts of veteran Napheesa Collier — who has emerged as a leader for the Lynx in the post-Sylvia Fowles era — alongside Kayla McBridge and rookie Diamond Miller.
Head-to-head: Connecticut took the season series 3-1, but the teams have not met in over a month, with their last meeting coming on Aug. 1.
The X-factor: Thomas has been having a quiet MVP run, overshadowed by Wilson and Stewart, but six triple-doubles aren’t even the most impressive part. She could be in the Defensive Player of the Year race, too, as the Sun held opponents to 43.5 per cent shooting from the field, finishing with the second-best defensive rating (98.8) in the league.
Collier has been nothing short of stellar for the Lynx, averaging 21.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, as well as 1.6 steals. It is the first full-length season the forward has played in two years since having a baby, making her performance even more impressive.
One player to watch: Bec Allen made a splash in her first season in Connecticut after playing her entire career in New York, shooting 40 per cent from the field and averaging 21.5 minutes off the bench.
Miller missed time with an ankle injury, playing in only 32 games this season, but has averaged 12.1 points per game in that time and has dropped 24 or more points twice in Minnesota’s last five games.
Prediction: Sun in 3. They will be looking to break whatever Finals curse they have, but Minnesota has found its rhythm in the second half of the season and won’t make it easy.
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No. 4 Dallas vs. No. 5 Atlanta
The final matchup of the playoffs features two of the most evenly matched teams in the Dallas Wings (+2200 at DraftKings Sportsbook) and the Atlanta Dream (+12000 to win the title, via DraftKings Sportsbook).
Dallas has clinched a playoff berth for a third-straight season, led by the duo of Arike Ogunbowale and Satou Sabally, along with veterans Teaira McCowan and Natasha Howard. Ogunbowale averaged 21.2 points per game this season, fifth in the WNBA, and made 117 three-pointers, trailing only Ionescu. Sabally averaged 18.6 points per game and as a team, Dallas ranked third in the WNBA in scoring.
Atlanta, on the other hand, is breaking a four-year post-season drought, with much of the production coming from sophomore Rhyne Howard. The reigning Rookie of the Year led the team in scoring (17.5 points per game), assists (3.5) and steals (1.3). Allisha Gray and Cheyenne Parker have been tremendous support, both averaging over 15 points per game this season.
Head-to-head: Dallas swept the season series against Atlanta, including a 17-point win on Sept. 10 to close out the regular season.
The X-factor: Howard does it all for the Dream, from scoring to playmaking to crashing the glass and grabbing rebounds. It will be Howard’s first time in the post-season in the WNBA, but the two-time All-Star has already made history in her short time in the league (by becoming the fastest player to make 150 three-pointers) and looks ready to continue to make more.
Ogunbowale has been one of the league’s best scorers since entering the league in 2019, winning the scoring title in 2020 and being crowned All-Star MVP in 2021. She has averaged at least 18.7 points per game every season of her career, and this season averaged career highs in rebounds (3.4) and assists (4.5).
One player to watch: Parker averaged 15 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game for the Dream this season, and will be part of a trio that helped break Atlanta’s post-season drought with their two-way skills.
McCowan is in her second season with the Wings, set career highs with 11.9 points and 1.5 assists per game alongside 9.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. She will be a physical presence in the paint and has no problem getting inside on the defensive boards.
Prediction: Wings in 2. The Wings have had the edge all season and made a statement with a win over the Dream in the final game of the season. They will have to shut down Howard, but have more than enough scoring power themselves.
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