Wings clinch final WNBA playoff spot with win over Fire as seeding battle continues

The Dallas Wings picked up a 96-78 win over the Portland Fire on Tuesday night at the Moda Center, a victory that officially locked up the eighth and final postseason spot this summer. The Wings are in the playoffs for the first time since 2023.

The loss eliminated the Fire from playoff contention. The expansion team entered Tuesday night more than six games back from the Wings in the standings, so the outcome was very likely expected.

While the playoff field is now solidified, no seed has been locked up yet. The Minnesota Lynx hold the best record in the league and are on pace to grab the No. 1 seed. They could have clinched that seed on Monday night , but fell to the Golden State Valkyries , who are second in the league standings.

As seeding plays out over the last several weeks of the regular season, here are the eight teams who will have a shot at claiming the WNBA title later this fall:

Minnesota Lynx Golden State Valkyries Las Vegas Aces Atlanta Dream Indiana Fever New York Liberty Washington Mystics Dallas Wings

The WNBA playoffs will start on Sept. 27.

The Wings took a 50-37 lead at halftime after leading nearly the entire way in the first half against the Fire on Tuesday night. They then opened the third quarter on a 15-4 tear to break the game wide open and cruised to the 18-point win.

Paige Bueckers led the way with 22 points and 11 assists while shooting 8-of-15 from the field in the win. Jessica Shepard added 21 points and nine rebounds.

The Wings, with five games left in the regular season, now sit at 23-16 on the year. The 23 victories is the most the team has won in a single campaign since it relocated to Dallas in 2016.

While the Wings are the final team to land a playoff berth, they entered Tuesday less than three games out of fifth. It will take a big push, and a bit of help, but there is still room for Bueckers and the Wings to make a run and improve their postseason spot.