In what has been a season of growth for the WNBA, spurred by the mania for rookie guard Caitlin Clark and the realization that A’ja Wilson is a player unlike any this league has seen before, we have hit the home stretch. The WNBA regular season ends on September 19, and the playoffs tip-off on Sunday the 22nd.
Seven Teams Have Clinched
Getting into the playoffs is only half the battle. Each team wants to finish in the top half of the eight-team field to get home court advantage for the first round.
Already in are the New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx, Connecticut Sun, Las Vegas Aces, Seattle Storm, Phoenix Mercury, and Indiana Fever, the last making their first trip to the playoffs since 2016.
The Liberty have the best record in the league and are hoping to nail down the top seed before the end of the regular season. They are the only original franchise to have never won the championship, but they are the current betting favorite to win the title this year, paying +135. Breanna Stewart leads the way for the Liberty, and the two-time Finals MVP from her time with the Seattle Storm is the betting favorite to win another Finals MVP this year, paying +330.
The Aces are the two-time defending champs, and they are likely to finish in the top four. But even with all-everything world star A’ja Wilson leading the way, they have been more vulnerable this year. Wilson leads the league in points scored by a wide margin, she is second in the league in rebounds, first in blocked shots, and third in steals.
Wilson has clinched the regular season MVP award, and it is now off the board. For the Finals MVP, she is paying +500.
Clark has wrapped up the Rookie of the Year award, and it is also off the board. She is paying +2500 to emerge as the Finals MVP.
Battle for the Final Spot
Seven teams are in, and one more spot remains. That will come down to one of two teams – the Chicago Sky or Atlanta Dream.
Chicago took a hit when rookie All-Star Angel Reese was lost for the rest of the season with a wrist injury. Picking up the slack on the boards is fellow rookie Kamilla Cardoso, and the team is now leaning more heavily on leading scorer Chennedy Carter.
Left on the schedule for Chicago is a very winnable game against Washington, then tough games with Minnesota, Phoenix, and Connecticut. Before that final game against the Sun, the Sky will play at Atlanta in what could be the playoff-clinching game.
The Dream need to make up a game on the Sky, and they get two games with Washington down the stretch to help make that happen. However, Tuesday they play Minnesota, they have the Sky on the 17th, and their final game is at the Liberty,
After the Liberty and the Aces, the betting favorites to win the WNBA title are the Lynx at +450, the Sun at +600, and the Storm at +1400.
With over 25 years of experience as a distinguished sports writer for renowned platforms such as Fox Sports and ESPN, Kyle Garlett is a sports betting specialist who has been at the forefront of documenting the global surge in sports betting and online gaming. Based in Denver, Colorado, Kyle hosts an NFL betting YouTube show and podcast. Kyle also has two sports books published by HarperCollins.
Kyle graduated the Azusa Pacific University in 1996 with a B.A. Degree in Communication and Journalism.
