WNBA Power Rankings: Lynx Clinch Playoff Berth, Mystics Make Noise
Momentum is a funny thing in sports. Over the first two months of the 2026 WNBA season, the Washington Mystics hovered somewhere between under .500 and dead even. An eighth-place finish seemed well within range given the lack of competition below the playoff cutline, but anything more could've been a tall order.
Flash forward to August, and the Mystics find themselves participating in the traffic jam that makes up the heart of the WNBA playoff picture. Washington drew the spotlight last week with a seven-game winning streak, and though that heater came to an end Tuesday, the damage has been done -- and the playoff race is better off for it.
But Washington isn't the only team making noise as the home stretch of the regular season approaches. There's plenty to dig into in our latest edition of WNBA power rankings.
1. Minnesota Lynx (27-7, W2)
Previous Ranking: 1 (--)
The Minnesota Lynx became the first team to punch their ticket to the postseason in 2026 -- though that was merely a formality at this point. More than three-quarters of the way through the regular season, Minnesota owns a league-best 27-7 record and a three-game lead on first place in the WNBA standings.
PUNCHED OUR TICKET. 🎟️ pic.twitter.com/nKl4xPn19V
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) August 8, 2026
A surprising 89-92 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday put an end to their 10-game winning streak, but the Lynx snapped right back into form over the weekend. Minnesota evened the season series against the Las Vegas Aces on Saturday, defeating the reigning champs 98-87 behind 20-point gems from Olivia Miles and Napheesa Collier.
Sunday belonged to Kayla McBride. The 13-year WNBA veteran set a new league record with 10 three-pointers made in a single game as she racked up 30 of her career-high 43 points from beyond the arc. McBride shot a ridiculous 76 percent from the field, draining 16-of-21 shots, including 10-of-14 from distance.
The toughest remaining schedule in the WNBA awaits the Lynx in their final 10 games. Minnesota will face the Golden State Valkyries and Indiana Fever twice and has one more meeting left with the Mystics, Aces, and New York Liberty.
That should serve as a good ramp-up for the postseason, but as things stand right now, it's Minnesota's championship to lose.
2. Golden State Valkyries (22-9, W4)
Previous Ranking: 3 (+1)
More than a week into August, only two teams still have a single-digit number in the loss column: the Lynx and the Valkyries. Golden State has opened the month with four straight wins, including a 94-76 victory Friday over the Wings.
Since June 9, the Valkyries are 17-4, winning games at over an 80 percent clip. They've got the inside track to the No. 2 seed, holding a 1.5-game lead over the Aces with a game in hand.
The sample size is large enough now to stamp Golden State as a true title contender, and one of the more imposing ones at that.
3. Indiana Fever (21-12, W2)
Previous Ranking: 2 (-1)
The never-ending barrage of outside noise that follows the Fever -- seemingly daily -- can make it easy to forget that Indiana is putting on an absolute show on the basketball court.
Coach Stephanie White was met by boos from her own fans during Tuesday night's pregame introductions at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Roughly two hours later, the Fever finished off a dominant 106-92 win over the Liberty, jumping back into fourth place in the process.
"There's was no way we were losing this game for her," star point guard Caitlin Clark asserted afterward. "I hated that our fans booed her before the game. That made me a little sick, to be honest."
“There was no way we were losing this game for [Stephanie White]. … I hated that our fans booed her before the game. That made me a little sick, to be honest.”
— espnW (@espnW) August 12, 2026
Caitlin Clark on the Indiana Fever’s motivation heading into tonight’s game against the Liberty. pic.twitter.com/NlIR1Umxkz
To their credit, Indiana's on-court product does not depict a team in turmoil. Kelsey Mitchell has scored at least 20 points in 17 straight games -- a new WNBA record -- and is averaging a league-best 30.0 points in August. Clark boasts a league-best 9.8 assists per game since the start of the month and has recorded a 20-point double-double in back-to-back games. The Fever are an explosive machine powered by the best backcourt in the WNBA.
But this past week was not without hiccups. Indiana couldn't hold onto a 20-point lead against the Aces last Thursday, allowing Las Vegas to force overtime in a final minute that featured multiple missed free throws and a costly turnover from Clark. The Aces capitalized, taking the game 86-84. Saturday's matchup against the Chicago Sky once again featured late-game struggles from Indiana, though they'd pull out the win 90-86 this time around.
Still, it's enough to knock the Fever down to No. 3 in our power rankings for now. Injecting Makayla Timpson into the starting lineup has yielded promising early returns so perhaps they'll be back up to No. 2 sooner rather than later.
4. Las Vegas Aces (23-11, W1)
Previous Ranking: 4 (--)
The schedule-makers certainly didn't do Las Vegas any favors. The Aces played three games in four days from Thursday to Sunday against the Fever, Lynx, and Liberty, ultimately going 1-2. A'ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young all sat Sunday for rest as New York thoroughly trounced Las Vegas 111-71.
After an off day Monday, the Aces looked like themselves Tuesday, snapping Washington's seven-game winning streak with an 86-76 victory, led by 26 points and 13 rebounds.
I'm not going to dock them for a rather arduous portion of their schedule. Las Vegas has been a steady contender all season, so they've earned a little leeway. Saturday night's rematch with the Lynx should be appointment viewing.
5. Washington Mystics (19-13, L1)
Previous Ranking: 7 (+2)
Had Washington kept its heater alive against Las Vegas on Tuesday, a case could have been made for this club jumping into the top four of our rankings. Instead, they'll land at No. 5, which feels like an accurate reflection of their current standing in the playoff race.
The Mystics are tied for the third-best record in the WNBA since the start of July. Shakira Austin was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Tuesday -- a well-deserved award for the center who's anchored this impressive stretch. With Austin and Kiki Iriafen down low, Washington is a true force to be reckoned with physically, and now they add a former WNBA champion in Betnijah Laney-Hamilton to the mix.
Kira's been hooping and the league's taken notice!
— Washington Mystics (@WashMystics) August 11, 2026
Shakira Austin is your WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week! pic.twitter.com/IaY4xqJSpC
So far, the Mystics have held their own as the battle for playoff seeding begins to intensify. There's not much room for error, either. Even after the winning streak, Washington is just a half-game up on the eighth-place Wings. Then again, perhaps it's the other teams around them that should be feeling the pressure, especially after the way they've played the last month.
6. Atlanta Dream (20-12, W1)
Previous Ranking: 5 (-1)
The Dream have done well to put their late June slide behind them. Atlanta is 7-2 since July 13, now tied with the Fever for fourth place in the standings. Those two losses have come in August, though, and hold this Dream squad from returning to the top four in our power rankings.
Atlanta fell by 22 to the Aces on August 3 and got outplayed by the Mystics on Friday, trailing for 94 percent of the 79-74 loss. I'm not eager to bet against the Dream in the long run, but they'll have to show a bit more against the league's top contenders over this final stretch.
That said, it's hard not to be excited about this Atlanta roster. Rhyne Howard became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 100 three-pointers made in a single season and was one of three Dream players to record at least 20 points in Friday's 107-95 win over the Toronto Tempo. Plus, Brionna Jones has more than a month to get ramped up for the WNBA Playoffs after making her season debut in mid-July.
If Jones is her All-Star-caliber self come postseason, Atlanta will have one of the best six-player rotations in the league.
7. New York Liberty (20-14, L1)
Previous Ranking: 8 (+1)
It remains difficult to get a good read on the Liberty. New York has won seven of its last nine games, yet it still feels like a stretch to say they've rediscovered their groove. A bulk of those wins came against non-playoff teams, with the exceptions being a scuffling Dallas squad and a Las Vegas team resting its top three scorers, including the reigning MVP.
The Fever led for 96 percent of Tuesday's affair, extending that advantage to as many as 21 points in the first half. Satou Sabally and Leonie Fiebich did not make the trip to Indiana and remain major question marks for a Liberty club that needs reinforcements.
Waiving Betnijah Laney-Hamilton seemed like the logical progression of events after her limited usage this season, but New York's depth isn't exactly impressive at the moment.
8. Dallas Wings (19-14, L3)
Previous Ranking: 6 (-2)
The Wings aren't trending in the right direction, dropping five of six games since the All-Star break. All of those losses have come against top-six teams in the standings. The matchups shift in their favor moving forward -- Dallas has the easiest remaining schedule in the WNBA (.403 opponent win percentage) -- but that might not be a fix-all.
The Dallas Wings have hit a rough stretch, losing six of their last eight games, including three straight. All six losses have come against teams currently in the top eight, a group Dallas is now just (6-13) against this season.
— I talk hoops 🏀 (@trendyhoopstars) August 10, 2026
The good news? The schedule gets much more… pic.twitter.com/24HoiXgklC
With Azzi Fudd sidelined for the club's last two games due to right knee soreness, the Wings lost by 18 to the Valkyries on Friday before falling 103-90 to Minnesota on Sunday. Now they'll lose Jessica Shepard to an ankle injury. Coach Jose Fernandez did not offer a timeline on her return, though the All-Star forward has already been ruled out for Wednesday's matchup against Toronto.
Needless to say, they've got a lot to sort out on the court. I would take a disastrous collapse for the Wings to fall out of a playoff spot, but Dallas entered the season with loftier goals than simply making the playoffs for the first time in the Paige Bueckers era.
9. Portland Fire (13-19, W2)
Previous Ranking: 12 (+3)
There's a healthy drop-off after the top eight teams in the WNBA. For now, it appears the Portland Fire are the best of the rest.
The Fire snapped a five-game losing streak last week, defeating the Tempo on Thursday and the Seattle Storm on Saturday. It's not exactly a resounding turnaround for Portland, but it places them closest to the playoff cutline. The Fire trail the Wings by 5.5 games, and they've got a game in hand for what it's worth.
That's quite the deficit to erase, even with Bridget Carleton recording 20 points or more in three of her last four games.
10. Phoenix Mercury (13-22, W1)
Previous Ranking: 9 (-1)
After defeating Chicago in Kelsey Plum's debut with Phoenix, the Mercury dropped three straight, including a 20-point loss Sunday at the hands of Washington.
The stage was set for Plum to face her former team, the Los Angeles Sparks, on Tuesday. Instead, a left leg injury kept the recently acquired star out of the lineup. Phoenix prevailed anyway, defeating Los Angeles 94-87 behind a career-high 24 points from rookie forward Noemie Brochant.
After a tough stretch with seven games in 14 days, the Mercury will play just twice over the next 11 days. That should work in Plum's favor as Phoenix looks to play things safe with the five-time All-Star.
11. Chicago Sky (12-21, L2)
Previous Ranking: 10 (-1)
A 97-88 loss to the last-place Storm interrupted an otherwise impressive stretch of basketball for Chicago, even if it wasn't reflected in the record. After defeating the Sparks on Wednesday, the Sky showed life in the second half against the Fever, turning a once-lopsided game into a four-point loss.
DiJonai Carrington exploded for 26 points Monday, just two days after her flagrant foul of Indiana's Sophie Cunningham resulted in an early ejection, but it wasn't enough for a Chicago team that missed Sydney Taylor to injury for a third straight game. If you're looking for a particularly brutal case of injury misfortune, look no further than the Sky's 2026 season.
12. Los Angeles Sparks (12-20, L2)
Previous Ranking: 11 (-1)
It's a 2-9 stretch for the Sparks dating back to July 13 -- but one of those wins is against the first-place Lynx. Los Angeles defeated Minnesota 89-82 last Thursday in one of the more shocking upsets of the 2026 season, snapping the Lynx's 10-game winning streak. The Sparks shot 50 percent from the field and outscored the Lynx 23-11 in the fourth quarter to seal an impressive comeback victory.
The Sparks put an END to the Lynx streak ‼️
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) August 7, 2026
This marks Minnesota's first loss since July 6 🤯 pic.twitter.com/io6Z18M4pt
If they're looking for momentum from that thrilling win, it hasn't manifested yet. Los Angeles never led in its next game against Golden State and fell to Phoenix on Tuesday. Basketball is a funny game.
13. Connecticut Sun (8-23, W1)
Previous Ranking: 13 (--)
The Connecticut Sun snapped their five-game skid last Friday with a 75-72 win over the Mercury. Kennedy Burke (15 points) and Aaliyah Edwards (14 points) led the scoring off the bench to get the Sun in the win column for the first time since July 17. A tough road ahead looms, with upcoming matchups against Atlanta, New York, and Las Vegas over the next two weeks.
14. Seattle Storm (7-28, W1)
Previous Ranking: 15 (+1)
The Storm are the first WNBA team to be eliminated from playoff contention this season, but thanks to their first win in over a month, they'll evade the cellar of our power rankings this week. Dominique Malonga recorded 26 points and 10 rebounds against the Sky on Monday, snapping an 11-game skid that dated back to July 9.
Seattle no longer owns the longest active losing streak in the WNBA, and that alone is reason to bump them up. It's also worth noting that eight of their 11 losses amid that skid came by single digits, with four coming by five points or less. It's been said before, but they've played better than the record indicates.
15. Toronto Tempo (10-22, L9)
Previous Ranking: 14 (-1)
The longest active losing streak in the WNBA now belongs to the Tempo. Toronto dropped its ninth straight game with Monday's 107-65 loss to Atlanta. Marina Mabrey put up 36 points in the losing effort, shooting 12-of-19 from the field, including 7-of-13 from distance. Mabrey's first season in Toronto has been a success. The same cannot be said about the team as a whole, though that's typically how these inaugural expansion seasons go.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Lou Orlando is a Fordham University alum, graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. At Rose Hill, he covered women's basketball for the university newspaper, the Fordham Ram. In addition to calling games on 90.7 FM. The Brooklyn native enjoys bagels and thinking about random early-2010s athletes, that is when he isn't penning stories for Women's Fastbreak and Indiana Fever On SI.
Follow SweetLouuuuu