The final day of the 2024 WNBA regular season is here, and one playoff spot is still up for grabs as all 12 teams head to the final round on Thursday. The No. 1-seeded New York Liberty were the first to clinch a playoff spot on Aug. 17, but they had to wait a month to find out who they’ll face in the best-of-three first round, which begins Sunday on the home courts of the top four seeds.

The Atlanta Dream (14-25), Chicago Sky (13-26) and Washington Mystics (13-26) are all battling for the final playoff spot. The Dream travel to the Liberty on Thursday (7 p.m. ET, NBA TV), while the Sky play on the road at the Connecticut Sun (7 p.m. ET). Atlanta is 0-3 against New York this season and Chicago is 0-3 against the Sun. Washington hosts the Indiana Fever (7 p.m. ET, Prime Video); the Mystics are 1-2 against the Fever.

Although the Liberty and No. 6 Fever have their playoff spots locked in, the Sun’s placement is not yet determined. They begin the day ranked third, but a loss on Thursday combined with a Las Vegas Aces win over the Dallas Wings (10 p.m. ET) would put the Aces in third place and drop the Sun to fourth.

The No. 5 Seattle Storm are on a high note heading into Thursday’s road game at the No. 7 Phoenix Mercury (10 p.m. ET). So while there’s nothing at stake in the Storm-Mercury game, it will still draw a lot of attention as it could be the final home game for Phoenix legend Diana Taurasi. At 42, she is playing in her 20th WNBA season and hasn’t said if it will be her last.

The matchup between the Minnesota Lynx, who are seeded No. 2 in the playoffs, and the last-place Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday (8 p.m. ET) will also have no impact on the postseason. The Sparks will miss the playoffs for the fourth year in a row.

So while some teams are focused on resting their stars for whatever comes next, others have a lot at stake on Thursday. Here’s a look at what to watch for as the regular season closes out.

Which team will get the last playoff spot?

For a while, it felt like the eighth and final playoff spot would only be decided on the last day of the regular season. And that’s exactly what happened, even though Atlanta has the reins: If the Dream win, they’re in.

Of course, facing the top-ranked team from New York is no easy task, but even if the Dream lose, they could still secure the last spot in two other scenarios: if Washington and Chicago also lose, or if Washington wins and Chicago loses.

And what about the Mystics and Sky? Washington will only make the postseason if it wins, as will Chicago, but Atlanta will lose.

For the Sky, who are struggling with numerous injuries, to secure the last place, they must win and Atlanta and Washington must lose. – Philippou

How will the result for places 3 and 4 develop?

Although No. 5 Seattle and No. 6 Indiana have nothing on the line Thursday, they will be eager to see how the Chicago-Connecticut game plays out. The outcome could make Las Vegas-Dallas must-see TV for Storm and Fever fans.

If the Sun win, they will be the No. 3 seed and will face Indiana. The Sky have been in freefall since the end of the Olympic break, sitting at 3-12, and it’s hard to imagine the Sun losing this game. But…

If the sun goes down and Las Vegas beats a Wings team that’s second to last, we’ll have a first-round series between the Aces and Fever, featuring the heavy favorites for MVP (A’ja Wilson of the Aces) and Rookie of the Year (Caitlin Clark of the Fever).

The Fever are 0-4 against the Aces and 1-3 against the Sun this season. Both will be extremely tough opponents for an Indiana team that is making the playoffs for the first time since 2016. But Indiana has at least had some success against the Sun.

The Storm are 1-3 against the Aces and 2-1 against the Sun. Seattle suffered an 85-72 loss at home to Las Vegas on Tuesday that ended a four-game winning streak. — Voepel

What impact will Thursday’s results have on the lottery?

Which teams will enter the lottery besides Los Angeles and Dallas, who were eliminated from the playoffs in early September? The Dream previously traded its 2025 first-round draft pick for Allisha Gray, so Atlanta will not enter the lottery even if it misses the playoffs. That draft pick ultimately ended up in the hands of the Mystics, who likely wouldn’t mind receiving two lottery picks (their own and Atlanta’s) or entering the lottery themselves even if they make the playoffs.

Dallas is also hoping Chicago misses the postseason. If that happens, the Wings will have a better chance of grabbing the No. 1 pick by combining their own opportunities with Chicago’s, thanks to the pick swap that was part of the 2023 Marina Mabrey trade. — Philippou

How do the teams plan to play their final game?

With relatively little at stake for teams already in the playoffs, they must weigh the importance of building positive momentum for the postseason while also giving their key players a rest.

The injury reports from Wednesday night before Thursday suggest that some teams are leaning toward the latter. The Lynx have already ruled out Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride for rest. In Vegas’ quartet, Wilson, Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray are all listed as questionable for the same reason; the Aces will know whether they’re locked in at No. 4, especially at their 10 p.m. ET tipoff, since Connecticut’s game starts three hours earlier.

The Storm may still be without Jewell Loyd (questionable, knee) while Ezi Magbegor is out after suffering a concussion (both players last played last Friday). Kahleah Copper, who has not played since Sept. 7, is listed as questionable for the Mercury due to a back injury.

The three teams fighting for the final playoff spot will also not be fielding their best lineups, but no team is as weakened as Chicago, which not only recently lost Angel Reese (wrist) for the year, but will also be without Diamond DeShields (ankle), and possibly Kamilla Cardoso (questionable, shoulder) and Chennedy Carter (questionable, foot). — Philippou

Your drive, your dreams and your dominance have brought joy to all of us.

Our last home game of the regular season is tomorrow. When it is… don’t miss the greatest of all time.
🎟 https://t.co/Rb3988XXlX pic.twitter.com/BvzMu8zLLL

— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) 18 September 2024

Is this a farewell to the GOAT in Phoenix?

Taurasi said after Tuesday’s win in Los Angeles that she would wait until this season was over to decide whether to retire. At 42, she has accomplished everything there is to do in basketball, and done it multiple times over. And yet she is still effective: Taurasi is averaging 15.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Those stats are not retirement numbers.

Now that Taurasi knows what it takes in the offseason to perform as desired in the WNBA, she must weigh whether she wants to continue.

Still, she’s still full of enthusiasm for this Mercury team, which will face Minnesota in the first round. On Tuesday, Taurasi praised new Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts for changing “the whole mindset of this franchise” and talked about how well the team is coping despite its ups and downs.

“We’re still trying to find a rhythm…find things that work for us,” Taurasi said. “There’s still an opportunity to get better every night. It’s still a big moment. Whenever you step on the court, the ultimate goal is to win.” – Voepel