2024 WNBA playoff picture: bracket, early odds and bold predictions | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors

Thursday was the last day of the WNBA regular season and the field for the 2024 playoffs has now been determined.

Most of the postseason participants were already decided on Thursday, as seven of the eight spots were already filled. The New York Liberty had already secured the top spot, while the Minnesota Lynx, Seattle Storm, Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury also secured a playoff spot.

The Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics all vied for the eighth and final playoff spot. Atlanta held a one-game lead over Washington and Mystics and secured its playoff spot with a 78-67 win over the Liberty.

The Connecticut Sun secured the No. 3 seed with an 87-54 win over the Sky on Tuesday. The Las Vegas Aces had a chance to move up to No. 3, but they needed a win and a Connecticut loss.

Now that the final seeding has been decided, we also know what the pairings in the first round will look like.

Schedule for the first game of the 2024 WNBA opening series (Sun., September 22)

8. Atlanta Dream at 1. New York Liberty

6. Indiana Fever at 3. Connecticut Sun

7. Phoenix Mercury at 2. Minnesota Lynx

5. Seattle Storm at 4. Las Vegas Aces

The first round of the WNBA playoffs will be best-of-three series, with the higher seeds having a huge advantage. Liberty, Lynx, Sun and Aces will have home-court advantage in the first two games of each series.

If a third game is required, the lower-seeded team will have the chance to host.

In the current playoff format, introduced in 2022, no team has yet managed to pull off a first-round upset, and the prediction here is that this trend will continue in 2024.

The Fever, led by rookie Caitlin Clark, probably have the best chance to pull off an upset. Indiana has been on a roll since its disastrous 1-8 start to the season. However, it has not fared well against DeWanna Bonner, Marina Mabrey and the defensively strong Sun.

Connecticut won three of four regular season games against Indiana, but the Fever won the last game in late August.

The Storm, who narrowly missed fourth place, are a talented team but will have a tough time against the defending champion Aces. Las Vegas won three of its four games against Seattle during the regular season, including an 85-72 victory on Tuesday.

After the opening round, the playoffs will be converted to best-of-five series with a traditional 2-2-1 (home and away) format. These matchups will still be difficult for the lower-seeded teams, but they won't have to face the possibility of going home without playing at least one game.

The Liberty have home-court advantage as long as New York is in the postseason. Not surprisingly, the Liberty are also the early favorites, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

New York Liberty +145 (bet $100 to win $145)

New York is the favorite for good reason. Led by stars like Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, the Liberty have more chemistry than any other team in the league. Not only does New York have a league record of 32-8, but they also have the best offensive rating and the third-best defensive rating in the league, according to Basketball Reference.

The Liberty did not hold back any starters for Thursday's game against Atlanta, but it's hard to imagine the Dream being able to keep up with New York in the playoffs.

The second-seeded Lynx should make short work of the Mercury, while A'ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum and the Aces should win both home games against the Storm.

However, fans can probably look forward to a thrilling series between the Fever and the Sun. Indiana has been one of the league's strongest teams of late and had their focus set on the postseason long before they knew who their first-round opponent would be.

“I think no matter where we go, we're preparing just like we would prepare for anyone else, just like we've been preparing all season long,” Clark said, according to Chloe Peterson of the Indianapolis Star.

Our bold prediction is that the Fever will play three games against the Sun before ultimately being eliminated in their first playoff appearance since 2016.

We could also see a long series when the Aces and Liberty face off in the second round. New York lost in four games in the finals last year, but has a stronger team this year. Las Vegas is used to turning up the playoff intensity, but its hopes of a third straight win could be dashed a round early.

Here, the Liberty are predicted to outlast Las Vegas in five games before facing Napheesa Collier and the Lynx in the finals.

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