WNBA Preview | September 18, 2026

The playoff field is fully locked — Minnesota, Golden State, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Indiana, Washington, Dallas, and New York round out the eight — and the final week of the regular season is about seeding alone. Minnesota (31-9) can clinch the No. 1 overall seed as soon as tonight with help, Golden State (29-11) is chasing that same top spot two games back, and Washington and Dallas sit tied at 25-16 with New York a half-game behind at 24-16 for the final piece of the 6-7-8 logjam. Fever at Tempo and Liberty at Lynx both tip at 7:30, with Fire at Valkyries closing the night at 10:00.

A Motivated Fever Visit the League's Weakest Team

Indiana Fever @ Toronto Tempo | 7:30 PM ET | ION

Indiana returns from the FIBA break at 26-14 and fifth in the league, with Caitlin Clark listed probable for a back issue she has played through for most of the season. Damiris Dantas remains out for the season with a knee injury, but otherwise the Fever are at full strength and playing for playoff positioning with the league's middle tier bunched tightly together.

Toronto is 11-29 and long eliminated, sitting third-last in the league and enduring one of the roughest inaugural seasons in the WNBA's newest markets. The Tempo have been outscored badly in recent weeks and simply don't have the talent to hang with a motivated playoff team on a mission.

The line sits at Indiana -13.5, with the total at 188.5. That's a lot of points to lay, but this is close to the cleanest talent mismatch on the board, and Indiana's offense has been explosive enough to clear a total this size against a defense this thin. Lean Indiana -13.5, and lean the over.

Toronto wins if the Tempo's shooters get hot in transition and Indiana takes its foot off the gas with a comfortable lead.

Indiana wins if Clark and Kelsey Mitchell push the pace early and turn this into a laugher well before the fourth quarter.

PICK

IND -13.5

O/U 188.5

Over ↑

A rested, motivated playoff team against the league's weakest defense clears the number.

Minnesota Chases the No. 1 Seed at Home

New York Liberty @ Minnesota Lynx | 7:30 PM ET | ION

KEY STAT

2

Any combination of two Lynx wins and one Golden State loss over the final week clinches Minnesota the No. 1 overall seed.

Napheesa Collier returns from Berlin a gold medalist with Team USA, and Minnesota gets its first look at home since Aug. 30 after nearly three weeks off. The Lynx won 16 of their previous 17 games before the break and have a clinching scenario sitting right in front of them tonight, with rookie Olivia Miles emerging as a legitimate MVP-caliber engine for this offense all season.

New York is 24-16 and clinging to the No. 8 seed, and brings back six players from the FIBA World Cup, including gold medalist Breanna Stewart and silver medalists Pauline Astier and Marine Johannes of France. That's a heavier travel and adjustment burden than almost anyone else on tonight's slate, against a Minnesota team playing for a top seed at home.

The line sits at Minnesota -6.5, with the total at 176.5. Six and a half feels light for a fully rested contender hosting a short-handed-by-rust Liberty team with a real prize on the line. Lean Minnesota -6.5, and lean the under.

New York wins if the Worlds contingent shakes off the travel fast and Sabrina Ionescu's shot-making keeps this inside single digits.

Minnesota wins if Collier and Miles set the tone early and the Lynx's defense turns a rusty Liberty roster into a low-scoring night.

PICK

MIN -6.5

O/U 176.5

Under ↓

Rested and motivated beats rested and jet-lagged; take the home favorite and the low score.

Reunited French Stars Meet as the Valkyries Chase History

Portland Fire @ Golden State Valkyries | 10:00 PM ET | ION

Gabby Williams and Janelle Salaün suit back up for Golden State after playing alongside Portland's Carla Leite on a French national team that took silver at the World Cup, falling to Team USA in the final. The Valkyries resume play on a four-game winning streak, sit two games behind Minnesota for the No. 1 overall seed, and hold a two-game cushion over Las Vegas for the No. 2 spot.

Portland is 16-25 and eliminated, though Leite — the Fire's leader in both scoring and assists — arrives fresh off the best stretch of international basketball in the franchise's short history. The teams' last meeting on Aug. 30 was played without any of tonight's five World Cup travelers, a Valkyries 86-69 win that offers only limited signal for a game that now features every one of them.

The line sits at Golden State -12.5, with the total at 160.5, the lowest number on the board. A full-strength Valkyries defense that's been suffocating opponents all month against an eliminated team with a shorthanded story fits the profile of a low-scoring blowout. Lean Golden State -12.5, and lean the under.

Portland wins if Leite carries her World Cup form straight into tonight and the Fire's shooters keep this respectable into the second half.

Golden State wins if the Valkyries' defense picks up right where the streak left off and the size advantage wears Portland down inside.

PICK

GSV -12.5

O/U 160.5

Under ↓

The league's hottest defense against an eliminated team is a low-scoring cover.

What to Watch For Tonight.

The Minnesota-New York window is the one that matters most: a Lynx win tonight, paired with a Golden State loss later this week, locks up the No. 1 seed before the weekend even starts. Keep an eye on how the returning World Cup players — Collier, Stewart, Astier, Johannes, Williams, Salaün, and Leite — look on short turnaround, since several of them will be doing this again for the rest of the season. Three games, all on ION, in what's shaping up as the tightest final week the league has had in years.

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