In less than three weeks, the WNBA regular season will end and we’ll be looking at the playoffs. Some teams have secured their spots while others are fighting for a spot in the postseason.

Here’s what’s happening in the league on the home stretch:

Five teams secure playoff spots

Three WNBA playoff spots are still up for grabs as the top eight teams qualify for the postseason. The New York Liberty (27-6) were the first team to qualify, followed by the Connecticut Sun (24-8), Minnesota Lynx (24-9), Las Vegas Aces (20-12) and Seattle Storm (19-13).

The Indiana Fever (17-16) are in sixth place, followed by the Phoenix Mercury (16-17) and Chicago Sky (11-22). Indiana and Phoenix have a solid lead over the remaining WNBA teams, so their spots in the postseason are all but assured. This will be Indiana’s first playoff appearance since 2016. The Mercury, meanwhile, will be back in the postseason after missing out last season and finishing last in the league.

Chicago currently holds the last spot, but only by a tiebreaker. The Sky and Atlanta Dream are both 11-21, but since the Sky hold a 2-1 lead in their head-to-head matches, they would get the nod if the season ended now. Chicago has eight games left on its schedule to hold onto a playoff spot, but it won’t be easy. The Sky are currently on a six-game losing streak, which has given Atlanta, Dallas and Washington a chance to sneak into the postseason. The Wings and Mystics are two games behind the Sky and Dream with 9-23 records, while the Sparks are in last place at 7-25.

For the five teams that have already secured postseason spots, the rest of their schedule will be about seeding. The Liberty have a 2.5-game lead over the Sun for the No. 1 seed, with the Lynx close behind at No. 3. The Aces have a one-game lead over the Storm for the No. 4 seed and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Indiana has a one-game lead over Phoenix for the No. 6 seed.

Aces star A’ja Wilson has been putting up eye-popping numbers all season, and on Sunday she added another monster stat line. The two-time MVP finished with 41 points and 17 rebounds as Las Vegas defeated Phoenix 97-79. Wilson leads the WNBA in points per game with 27.5, which is nearly five points more than Arike Ogunbowale, who is in second place. Wilson is second in rebounds per game and fourth in field goal percentage, converting 52.6% of her 623 attempts. That’s more than double the number of attempts of Brittney Griner, who is first in field goal percentage.

Wilson’s performance on Sunday drew praise from several basketball greats, including Diana Taurasi and LeBron James. Taurasi said Wilson was “indefensible,” and James posted about Wilson on social media, calling her, “Too damn good.”

Angel Reese has spent the 2024 WNBA season proving her rebounding prowess. She leads the league in offensive rebounds per game (5.2) and total rebounds per game (13.1), and on Sunday the rookie set the record for most rebounds in a single season.

Reese grabbed 19 rebounds in a 79-74 loss to Minnesota, surpassing LSU teammate Sylvia Fowles, who held the previous record of 404 rebounds. Fowles is also the WNBA’s all-time leading rebounder with 4,006 rebounds, a mark she achieved in 408 games.

Reese had previously set records for most rebounds and double-doubles by a rookie, as well as most consecutive double-doubles by any player.

Technical fouls affect Phoenix

Natasha Cloud picked up her seventh technical foul in a loss to the Aces on Sunday, which results in a one-game suspension because she reached the WNBA’s technical foul limit. She will serve the suspension on Tuesday when the Mercury face the Dream.

Diana Taurasi also received her seventh foul against Las Vegas, but the league office reviewed the foul and later overturned it. Her next foul will result in a suspension. Her teammate Kahleah Copper is also just one foul away from the limit.

The Mercury are currently battling the Fever for the sixth spot in the WNBA playoffs, and technical fouls could hurt Phoenix. Cloud, Copper and Taurasi are all starters and key players in the Mercury’s offense, and going into a game without them would be a disadvantage for the Mercury.

Tina Charles moves up to second place on the all-time goalscorer list

The Dream are fighting for a playoff spot and are led by an all-time great. Tina Charles, who joined Atlanta as a free agent this season, passed Tina Thompson on Aug. 22 to move into second place on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list, behind Taurasi. This is just one more accolade for Charles, who was selected No. 1 in 2010. Since then, she has been named Rookie of the Year, voted WNBA MVP in 2010, selected to the All-WNBA First and Second Teams nine times and made eight All-Star appearances.

Charles averaged 14.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game this season, and as the Dream moved closer to a possible playoff spot, her numbers increased. In Atlanta’s final seven games, Charles averaged 19.1 points and 12.4 rebounds per game.