Washington Mystics clinch No. 1 seed in WNBA playoffs
Mechelle VoepelespnW.com
CloseMechelle Voepel covers the WNBA, girls’s faculty basketball, and different faculty sports activities for espnW. Voepel started masking girls’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.
They’ve appeared like the favourite most of this season, and now the Washington Mystics formally have the No. 1 seed within the WNBA playoffs.
The Mystics — who simply appear to maintain taking part in higher — beat the Dallas Wings 86-73 on Friday in Washington, lifting their document to 25-Eight. That mixed with the Connecticut Solar’s 109-104 extra time loss to the Chicago Sky nailed down the highest seed for Washington. The Solar dropped to 23-10.
So going into the ultimate day of the common season on Sunday, 4 playoff seeds are already set: No. 1 Washington, No. 2 Connecticut, No. three Los Angeles and No. Eight Phoenix. The opposite 4 are nonetheless to be determined.
Washington is 13-2 because the All-Star break. All-Star guard Kristi Toliver hasn’t performed since Aug. Eight due to a knee harm, however the Mystics’ offense has been simply as potent. They’re led by MVP front-runner Elena Delle Donne, however she has had strong assist, together with 25 factors, 10 rebounds and 4 assists Friday from Emma Meesseman in her finest recreation of the season.
Connecticut, which finishes Sunday at Indiana, joins Washington with a double-bye into the semifinals. Los Angeles, which faces Minnesota on Sunday (Four p.m. ET, ESPN2), will host a second-round single-elimination recreation.
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The Nos. Four-5 seeds are nonetheless in play, and the Mystics could have one thing to do with deciding that. With the highest seed and home-court benefit all through the playoffs secured and nothing to actually play for Sunday of their regular-season finale in opposition to Chicago, the Mystics would possibly choose to relaxation their starters.
That would profit the Sky, who’re nonetheless battling to get the No. Four seed and a first-round bye. That hope was saved alive by the victory in opposition to the Solar, which was simply the second loss at residence this season for Connecticut. Chicago, which missed the playoffs the previous two years, is now 20-13, as is Las Vegas.
If the Sky win and the Aces lose Sunday, Chicago will nab the No. Four seed, and Las Vegas will drop to No. 5 and need to play within the first spherical. If Chicago and Las Vegas completed tied, although, the Aces have the tiebreaker and can be No. Four. The Aces end Sunday at Phoenix.
The No. 6-7 slots are additionally nonetheless undecided, and that is between Minnesota and Seattle. The Lynx gained 83-69 at Phoenix on Friday and are 18-15. In the meantime, the Storm are 17-16, and face Dallas on Sunday.
If the Lynx win at Los Angeles on Sunday, they are going to safe the No. 6 seed and get to host a first-round recreation. But when Minnesota loses and Seattle wins, which means each groups end 18-16, the Storm have the tiebreaker and would be the No. 6 seed.