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WNBA Playoff Picture: Lynx, Valkyries Battle for Top Seeds

ESPN General •
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The WNBA season resumes Thursday after the FIBA Women's World Cup break, with all 15 teams having four games left before the regular season ends Sept. 24. The eight playoff teams are set, but seeding is undecided. The playoffs open Sept. 27.

The top-four seeds earn home-court advantage in the best-of-three first round. The Minnesota Lynx (31-9) are guaranteed a top-two seed and lead Golden State by two games. The Lynx hold the tiebreaker over the Valkyries, so Golden State must finish ahead of Minnesota for the No. 1 seed. If the Lynx win at least two of their last four, they clinch the top seed.

The Golden State Valkyries (29-11) can finish anywhere from No. 1 to No. 5. They need the Lynx to lose three of four to have a shot at No. 1. Two wins guarantee no worse than the No. 2 seed. Their remaining games are against non-playoff teams, though the last two are on the road.

The defending champion Las Vegas Aces, Atlanta Dream, and Indiana Fever are longshots for the No. 2 seed, according to ESPN Analytics. The New York Liberty, Washington Mystics, and Dallas Wings remain in the running for a top-four seed but face long odds.