WNBA Final Scores & Upcoming Games: Playoff Race Heats Up in Final Week
The 2026 WNBA regular season has entered its final stretch, and while the eight playoff teams have already been determined, the battle for postseason seeding is still providing plenty of drama.
Saturday, September 19 featured three games, including another Dallas victory, a dominant Atlanta performance and Golden State continuing one of the league's strongest seasons.
With the regular season scheduled to end Thursday, September 24, every remaining game involving a playoff team could have an impact on seeding and home-court advantage. The WNBA Playoffs begin Sunday, September 27.
Saturday's WNBA Final Scores
Dallas Wings 87, Phoenix Mercury 82
Dallas continues to surge at exactly the right time.
The Wings defeated Phoenix 87-82 for their sixth consecutive victory, improving to 26-16 and keeping pressure on the teams directly ahead of them in the playoff standings.
Paige Bueckers scored 26 points against Phoenix and continued adding to an impressive early-career scoring résumé.
Dallas now gets another shot at Phoenix on Monday night, giving the Wings another opportunity to strengthen their postseason position.
Final: Dallas 87, Phoenix 82
Atlanta Dream 106, Chicago Sky 81
Atlanta delivered one of Saturday's most convincing performances, routing Chicago 106-81.
The Dream improved to 28-14 and completed a 3-0 season sweep of the Sky.
Angel Reese produced another huge performance with 23 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks.
The double-double was Reese's 31st of the season, and she also became the first player in WNBA history to reach 500 rebounds in a single season. Atlanta also established a league single-season record for steals.
The victory is particularly important because Atlanta remains involved in a tight battle for home-court advantage in the opening round.
Final: Atlanta 106, Chicago 81
Golden State Valkyries 70, Seattle Storm 57
Golden State continued its remarkable season with a 70-57 victory over Seattle.
The Valkyries improved to 31-11 and completed a 3-0 season-series sweep of the Storm. Seattle fell to 8-34.
Golden State remains near the top of the WNBA standings as the regular season winds down.
Final: Golden State 70, Seattle 57
Friday's Notable Finals
Friday also produced several important results.
New York Liberty 93, Minnesota Lynx 81
New York earned a major road victory over the league-leading Lynx, improving to 25-16 while Minnesota fell to 31-10.
Indiana Fever 103, Toronto Tempo 85
Indiana improved to 27-14 behind a historic night from Kelsey Mitchell. Mitchell scored 33 points and set the WNBA single-season scoring record.
Golden State Valkyries 82, Portland Fire 66
Golden State began its weekend with a victory over Portland before returning the following night to defeat Seattle.
Those results helped push the Valkyries to 31 victories.
WNBA Games Today: Sunday, September 20
Five games are scheduled Sunday.
All times below are Central Time.
Minnesota Lynx at Connecticut Sun
12:00 PM CT
Minnesota enters the day at 31-10 and remains directly involved in the race for the No. 1 overall seed.
After losing to New York on Friday, the Lynx have an opportunity to respond against Connecticut.
New York Liberty at Toronto Tempo
2:00 PM CT
New York enters the game following its impressive victory over Minnesota.
The Liberty's final stretch is particularly important because New York entered the final week locked in a close seeding battle with Dallas and Washington.
Washington Mystics at Indiana Fever
3:00 PM CT
This could be one of Sunday's most consequential games.
Indiana enters the final week fighting for home-court positioning, while Washington is attempting to improve its own playoff seed.
Their previous two meetings were decided by a combined margin of only two points, making the season-series finale particularly interesting.
Portland Fire at Los Angeles Sparks
6:00 PM CT
Two teams outside the postseason field meet in Los Angeles.
Portland enters at 16-26 while Los Angeles is 15-26. Both teams can still influence the final standings by playing spoiler during the closing days of the season.
Seattle Storm at Las Vegas Aces
8:00 PM CT
Las Vegas gets Seattle after defeating the Storm 114-77 on Thursday.
The Aces entered the weekend among the league's top playoff teams, while Seattle has been eliminated from postseason contention.
Monday's WNBA Games
The playoff race continues Monday with two important matchups.
Atlanta Dream at New York Liberty
Monday, September 21 — 7:00 PM CT
This could have significant seeding implications.
Atlanta and New York are both playoff-bound, and the teams will actually meet twice during the final days of the regular season.
Atlanta enters the matchup at 28-14 following Saturday's dominant victory over Chicago.
Dallas Wings at Phoenix Mercury
Monday, September 21 — 9:00 PM CT
Dallas and Phoenix immediately run it back following Saturday's 87-82 Wings victory.
Dallas entered Sunday riding a six-game winning streak and continues to climb during the most important portion of the season.
The Playoff Picture
The postseason field is already set.
The eight playoff teams are:
- Minnesota Lynx
- Golden State Valkyries
- Las Vegas Aces
- Atlanta Dream
- Indiana Fever
- Dallas Wings
- New York Liberty
- Washington Mystics
The seven teams headed toward the draft lottery are Portland, Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Toronto, Connecticut and Seattle.
The remaining question is where everybody lands.
Minnesota and Golden State sit at the top of the standings, while Las Vegas, Atlanta and Indiana are tightly packed behind them. Dallas has entered the conversation with its late-season winning streak, while New York and Washington are trying to improve their positioning before the postseason begins.
Home court matters.
The WNBA's first round uses a best-of-three format, with the higher-seeded team hosting Games 1 and 3 if necessary. The semifinals are best-of-five, while the WNBA Finals are best-of-seven.
What to Watch
The final days of the regular season are essentially a playoff positioning sprint.
Minnesota vs. Golden State: The battle near the top remains one of the biggest stories.
Atlanta's closing stretch: The Dream have two remaining games against New York, creating the possibility of significant movement in the standings.
Dallas is scorching hot: Six consecutive victories have turned the Wings into one of the league's hottest teams entering the postseason.
Indiana keeps climbing: The Fever enter Sunday's game at 27-14, with Kelsey Mitchell coming off a historic 33-point performance.
New York has opportunity: After defeating Minnesota 93-81, the Liberty have a chance to keep building momentum before the playoffs.
The playoff teams are known.
The order is not.
And with the regular season ending September 24, every possession is beginning to feel a little heavier.
Sources and full clickable links
WNBA official scores, highlights and game recaps: WNBA.com Watch & Game Recaps
Official WNBA standings and league news: WNBA.com
WNBA final-week playoff and standings breakdown: 2026 WNBA Power Rankings and Playoff Race
Atlanta 106, Chicago 81 recap: Atlanta Dream Official Game Recap
Golden State 70, Seattle 57 recap: WNBA Golden State vs. Seattle Recap
Dallas 87, Phoenix 82 recap: WNBA Dallas vs. Phoenix Recap
Sunday: Minnesota at Connecticut: Official WNBA Game Page
Sunday: New York at Toronto: Official WNBA Game Page
Sunday: Washington at Indiana: Official WNBA Game Page
Sunday: Portland at Los Angeles: Official WNBA Game Page
Sunday: Seattle at Las Vegas: Official WNBA Game Page
Monday: Atlanta at New York: Official WNBA Game Page
Monday: Dallas at Phoenix: Official WNBA Game Page
ESPN playoff picture: ESPN 2026 WNBA Playoff Picture