WNBA Closing Day Highlights: Three Teams Compete for the Last Playoff Spot, Li Yueru’s Season Finale

Tomorrow, the WNBA will welcome the final day of competition, with all 12 teams set to play.

Currently, the rankings from 1st to 7th as well as the 11th and 12th placed teams have been locked in, leaving the only suspense being the fight for the eighth playoff spot.

Highlight 1: Sun vs Sky, Liberty vs Dream, Mystics vs Fever

The reason these three games are mentioned together is that currently, the 8th placed Dream, 9th placed Mystics, and 10th placed Sky are all vying for the last playoff spot.

The Dream currently has a record of 14 wins and 25 losses, leading the Mystics and Sky by one game, but does not have the tiebreaker advantage over the Mystics and Sky (both have two wins and two losses, but the Dream’s win rate against teams above .500 is lower than the Sky and Mystics; the Mystics have a 3-1 record against the Sky), so we need to discuss them separately.

1. If the Dream wins, they secure the spot directly.

If the Dream loses, the following scenarios could occur:

1. If the Mystics win, they secure the spot.

2. If the Sky wins and the Mystics lose, the Sky clinch the playoff spot.

3. If both the Sky and Mystics lose, the Dream clinches the playoff spot.

Highlight 2: Lynx vs Sparks

The game itself doesn’t have much suspense, as the Lynx secured second place in the league with a buzzer-beater three-pointer by Carlton against the Sun in their last game, while the Sparks have long held the bottom position. However, Chinese national team player Li Yueru scored a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds in her last game against the Mercury, and with the Lynx resting key players such as Collier and McBride, it remains to be seen how Li Yueru will perform.

Highlight 3: Mercury vs Storm, Aces vs Wings

As part of the WNBA’s closing day, these two matches feature numerous stars (the Aces’ Big Four have a low probability of playing, along with Taurasi, Griner, Ogwumike, Ogunbowale, Sabally, etc.) competing against each other. Although these games do not affect the final standings, it is believed that all four teams will give their all to provide exciting matches for the fans.