The league will break for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup next week, and the playoff teams are all but set. The No. 8 spot is the only one up for grabs, with the Wings in the driver’s seat to claim the final postseason slot, and the Fire with considerable ground to cover. The Lynx look poised to clinch the No. 1 seed, with the Valkyries four games back. However, only four games separate the No. 2 seed and the No. 7 seed, with home-court advantage still up for grabs. 1. Minnesota Lynx Previous ranking: 1The Lynx picked up two big road wins against the Valkyries and Mystics before returning home and falling to Golden State. Olivia Miles was shut down by the Valkyries’ top-rated defense on Monday night, with the rookie limited to just eight points. It was a steep drop-off after Miles scored 20 points or more in Minnesota’s previous three games. 2. Golden State Valkyries Previous ranking: 2The Valkyries responded to back-to-back losses (and troubling shooting performances) with an impressive win over the Lynx on Monday night. Golden State’s defense stifled the Courtney Williams–less Lynx, forcing 18 turnovers (and scoring 21 points off said turnovers). Natalie Nakase’s side limited Minnesota to 20 paint points and 66 total points. 3. Atlanta DreamPrevious ranking: 6Angel Reese is on fire. She set a WNBA single-game record, pulling down 26 rebounds in the Dream’s Monday-night win over the Sparks. Two days earlier against the Mercury, Reese logged a 31-point, 14-rebound double-double, and that was before nearly notching a triple-double against Los Angeles on Thursday. Atlanta has won four games in a row and is getting hot at exactly the right time. 4. Las Vegas AcesPrevious ranking: 4The Aces had a lighter schedule last week, downing the Sun and Tempo after falling to the Dream on Tuesday. Unfortunately for Las Vegas, NaLyssa Smith went down with a non-contact injury against Toronto. If Smith is out for extended time, Becky Hammon will lose a critical piece of her starting lineup, and depth has already been a problem for the Aces this season. 5. New York Liberty Previous ranking: 7Leonie Fiebich showed how crucial she is to the Liberty in her return after being sidelined for seven weeks with a left foot injury. Putting up 20 points, five rebounds and five assists, Fiebich helped lead New York to a 109–102 win over the Fever on Saturday. Chris DeMarco’s team has struggled to post consistent results this season, but getting Fiebich back down the stretch is a significant boon for the Liberty. 6. Indiana FeverPrevious ranking: 3There has been a lot of off-court noise following the Fever after Sophie Cunningham’s comments about transgender athletes. Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom (who has been outspoken about his opposition to transgender participation in women’s sports) was ejected from Indiana’s game against the Sky on Sunday following an altercation with Chicago guard Natasha Cloud. On the court, Indiana had an up-and-down week on the road, falling to the Wings and Liberty before bouncing back against the Sky. The Fever have the hottest offense in the league, with Caitlin Clark draining a career-high eight threes in her 37-point outburst against Chicago, while Kelsey Mitchell averaged 30.6 points over the past three games.7. Dallas Wings Previous ranking: 8Jose Fernandez needed to make a change with Azzi Fudd out for the season with a knee injury, so he slotted Awak Kuier into the starting lineup. At 6' 6," she brings size and a commanding presence around the rim. Kuier logged seven blocks in the Wings’ win over the Fever, disrupting the rhythm of the league’s top-rated offense. Dallas has won two games in a row and has a favorable schedule to finish out the regular season. 8. Washington Mystics Previous ranking: 5The Mystics rebounded after falling to the Lynx on Friday, charging to a comeback over the Fire on Sunday. Shakira Austin notched a 31-point, 10-rebound double-double, continuing her career year. She is averaging 21.3 points and 10 rebounds per game since the start of the month. 9. Chicago Sky Previous ranking: 10The Sky are out of playoff contention, and the Mystics will get their 2027 lottery pick as part of the Ariel Atikins trade. This season has not gone to plan in Chicago, with Rickea Jackson sidelined with an ACL injury and Skylar Diggins publicly calling out the team and not playing since July 3. On the bright side? The Sky showed a unified front after Kanter Freedom was ejected from Chicago’s Sunday game against the Fever after getting in a verbal altercation with Cloud. “I told her that we all embrace her as someone that protects our team and protects people that need to be protected,” Sky coach Tyler Marsh said of Cloud after the game. “So, Tash is always going to stand on that, and we stand for Tash.”10. Portland Fire Previous ranking: 9The Fire are still in playoff contention but are 6.5 games back from the Wings and the No. 8 spot in the league standings. Portland lost back-to-back games last week, but Carla Leite continued her impressive campaign, putting up 27 points and dishing out 11 assists against the Mystics.11. Phoenix Mercury Previous ranking: 11The Mercury are out of playoff contention after making the Finals last year. With little left to play for, Phoenix announced that it had reached a buyout with star DeWanna Bonner, giving the veteran a chance to compete for a title with a contender in what could be her last WNBA season. 12. Los Angeles Sparks Previous ranking: 12The Sparks have not made the playoffs since 2020, and Los Angeles is once again out of contention this season. Franchise star and league veteran Nneka Ogwumike announced that she will retire at the end of the season, even though she is still putting up impressive numbers, averaging 16.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. The Sparks need a hard reboot and to start an intentional rebuild as soon as possible. 13. Connecticut SunPrevious ranking: 13The Sun split results with the Sparks and fell to the Aces last week. While the Sun may be out of playoff contention, the team is heading into its final games in Connecticut ahead of its move to Texas and likely wants to go out on some sort of high note. However, with all eyes on the 2027 No. 1 pick, the Sun might not have the strongest incentive to finish at top speed. 14. Toronto Tempo Previous ranking: 15The Tempo moved out of the basement after blunting their 12-game losing streak, defeating the Fire on Friday. Isabelle Harrison had a season-high 25 points and 10 rebounds, leading Toronto to a much-needed win. The bad news: Brittney Sykes (foot) and Aneesah Morrow (knee) have been ruled out for the rest of the campaign with season-ending injuries. The expansion side has dealt with injuries all season long, disrupting any momentum coach Sandy Brondello attempted to build. 15. Seattle Storm Previous ranking: 14The Storm fell to the Wings 92–70 on Sunday. Dominique Malonga, Ezi Magbegor and Awa Fam all started against Dallas, with Seattle still working to develop its young frontcourt lineup. It wasn’t the most productive outing from the trio, combining for 14 points, with 12 of those coming from Malonga. 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