The Indiana Fever moved to the brink of a playoff berth after Friday’s 97-77 win over the Chicago Sky, needing just one more victory or a loss by Los Angeles or Seattle to clinch their spot.
Los Angeles dropped to 19-22 after another defeat to Atlanta, 104-85, trimming Indiana’s magic number to one against both the Sparks and the Storm. New York’s 84-76 win over Seattle ensured that the highest seed Indiana can still claim is sixth.
WNBA Standings (playoff contenders):
5. New York (25-17): Tuesday vs. Washington (16-26), Sept. 11 at Chicago (9-31)
6. Golden State (23-18): Saturday vs. Minnesota (32-9), Tuesday at Seattle, Sept. 11 at Minnesota
7. Indiana (22-20): Sunday at Washington, Tuesday vs. Minnesota
8. Seattle (22-21): Tuesday vs. Golden State
9. Los Angeles (19-22): Sunday vs. Dallas, Tuesday at Phoenix (27-14), Sept. 11 vs. Las Vegas (27-14)
Fever Playoff Scenarios
Sixth Seed:
Finish with more wins than Seattle, Golden State, and Los Angeles.
Tie with only Seattle while finishing ahead of Golden State and Los Angeles.
Cannot win tiebreakers involving Golden State and Los Angeles.
Seventh Seed:
If Indiana wins Sunday, they can do no worse than seventh (ahead of Los Angeles and tied with Seattle, winning the tiebreaker).
They finish seventh if two conditions are met: more wins than Los Angeles, more wins than Golden State, or at least tying Seattle.
Eighth Seed:
Indiana drops to eighth if only one of the following occurs: more wins than Los Angeles, more wins than Golden State, or tying Seattle.
Missing the Playoffs:
If the Fever finish with the same or worse record as Los Angeles and a worse record than Seattle.
Playoff Odds
Before Friday’s results, ESPN’s WNBA Basketball Power Index gave Indiana a 92.2% chance to make the postseason, compared to Los Angeles at just 11.1%.
In short, despite injuries and setbacks, the Fever are on the verge of ending their playoff drought, with seeding still in play but their path clearer than ever.
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