Indiana is in the playoffs for a third straight season and has been since August. What is not settled is where the Fever land. After beating Toronto 103-85 on Friday they are 27-14, still tied with Atlanta, a game behind Las Vegas and two clear of the group at 25-16, with the regular season ending Thursday, September 24.
| Seed | Team | Record | Pct | First round opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota Lynx | 31-10 | .756 | No. 8 seed |
| 2 | Golden State Valkyries | 29-11 | .725 | No. 7 seed |
| 3 | Las Vegas Aces | 28-13 | .683 | No. 6 seed |
| 4 or 5 | Atlanta Dream | 27-14 | .659 | Each other, if the tie holds |
| 4 or 5 | Indiana Fever | 27-14 | .659 | Each other, if the tie holds |
| 6 to 8 | New York Liberty | 25-16 | .610 | Depends on the tiebreakers |
| 6 to 8 | Washington Mystics | 25-16 | .610 | Depends on the tiebreakers |
| 6 to 8 | Dallas Wings | 25-16 | .610 | Depends on the tiebreakers |
The eight team field is set. Portland, Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Toronto, Connecticut and Seattle have been eliminated. No team has locked a seed.
| Indiana’s remaining schedule | Opponent record | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, Sept 18, at Toronto Tempo | Won 103-85 | Done. The expected win, banked |
| Sunday, Sept 20, vs Washington Mystics | 24-16 | A playoff team chasing from two back. A loss pulls them level |
| Tuesday, Sept 22, vs Minnesota Lynx | 31-9 | The best team in the league, at home. The hardest game left |
Why the 4 and 5 Line Is the Whole Story
The WNBA seeds its playoffs by overall record regardless of conference, and there are no byes. The bracket is 1 vs 8, 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6 and 4 vs 5, with the first round a best-of-three and no reseeding afterward. That makes Indiana’s exact position unusually consequential.
If the Fever and Atlanta finish level, as they are now at 27-14, and end up as the 4 and 5 seeds, they play each other, which would be a rematch of last year’s first round series that Indiana won while badly shorthanded. If Indiana climbs to third, it draws the sixth seed instead and avoids the Dream until the semifinals. If it slips to fifth and Atlanta holds fourth, the Dream get home court in a series where the higher seed hosts Game 1 and, if needed, Game 3.
The harder truth is that every path leads somewhere difficult. Finishing fourth or fifth means a first round series against a team with a nearly identical record, and surviving it likely means Minnesota or Golden State in the semifinals. Indiana’s own remaining schedule does it no favors either, closing with the best team in the league. The full league picture is on the WNBA standings page, and the league publishes its own postseason details at WNBA.com.
The Bottom Line
Indiana is 27-14 and tied with Atlanta with two games left, Washington on Sunday and Minnesota on Tuesday, before the regular season ends September 24. Fourth or fifth is the likeliest landing spot, which would most likely mean a first round meeting with the Dream. The playoffs begin Sunday, September 27.