The WNBA regular-season restart begins with four games left, 51 players returning from Berlin, and no margin for jet-lagged performance. Welcome to the wildest final week of the season.
All eight playoff berths have been claimed. The bracket remains wide open. Minnesota leads the league at 31-9, with Golden State two games behind and Las Vegas another two games back. Atlanta and Indiana trail the Aces by one game. New York, Washington, and Dallas each sit at 24-16.
One flat night could cost a team home-court advantage. Two losses could completely change its first-round opponent.
The physical challenge feels just as severe. The World Cup final ended September 13, only four days before league play resumes. Several stars flew home after playing six or seven tournament games. Others spent the break resting, rehabbing, and preparing for this sprint.
Coaches are walking a tightrope here: secure the best possible seed without breaking down their stars before the playoffs. That makes September 17 more than a restart. It becomes a test of depth, recovery, and late-game control.
A Playoff Race With No Warm-Up Period
Teams have no time to ease back into competition. According to the official league standings, every club has played 40 games in a 44-game season. The regular season ends September 24. The playoffs begin three days later.
Minnesota controls the top seed and owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over Golden State. That advantage forces the Valkyries to finish with a better record to jump the Lynx.
Las Vegas has its own fight. The Aces stand at 27-13, while Atlanta and Indiana sit at 26-14. New York, Washington, and Dallas remain tied three games behind Las Vegas.
With the playoff field set, Thursday is all about seeding, rhythm, and managing minutes. The teams outside the bracket still have something useful to chase. They can test young players, spoil a contender’s positioning, or establish a clearer identity for 2027.
Chicago, Connecticut, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland, and Seattle have all been eliminated. None can reach the postseason with only four games remaining. Their freedom could make them dangerous to opponents with much higher stakes.
Five Games Put Fatigue Under the Microscope
The September 17 schedule opens with Connecticut visiting Atlanta at 7:30 p.m. ET. Washington plays Chicago in the same window. Los Angeles meets Dallas at 8 p.m., followed by Phoenix at Portland and Las Vegas at Seattle at 10 p.m.
Thursday’s tip-offs overlap. Before long, fresh legs and heavy legs will become easy to identify.
Nearly a quarter of the league competed at the World Cup. Team USA and France reached the final, meaning players from those teams carried the largest workloads and faced the shortest recovery period.
Chicago presents the opposite case. The Sky sent no player to Berlin, and Basketball Reference lists them first in the league in pace. Their best chance against Washington involves pushing misses, running after makes, and forcing the Mystics into repeated transition sprints.
Crunch time will bring a different game. Half-court execution should favor teams with established creators, especially when tired legs take away transition opportunities. Expect coaches to lean on high pick-and-rolls, empty-side actions and familiar isolation matchups.
The entire night comes down to one basic question: which teams can recover quickly enough to run their normal offense?
Connecticut Sun at Atlanta Dream
Atlanta has spent the season building toward games like this. The Dream sit one victory behind Las Vegas and can still climb into the top three.
Angel Reese and Rhyne Howard return from Team USA with gold medals. Reese joined Atlanta through an April trade that sent the Dream’s 2027 and 2028 first-round picks to Chicago. That blockbuster move explains why the former Sky star now anchors Atlanta’s frontcourt.
Reese finished the World Cup with another reminder of her defensive value. She switched onto guards, crowded passing lanes, and attacked the glass without needing designed touches. Howard played fewer minutes for Team USA than she usually handles for Atlanta.
That lighter international workload could help. Atlanta can run Howard through staggered screens, then use Reese as a screener against a Connecticut defense forced to choose between containing the ball and protecting the rim.
The Sun will try to slow everything down. Their clearest path involves forcing Atlanta into long half-court possessions, crowding the paint, and turning every rebound into a wrestling match.
Atlanta has too many counters. If Connecticut traps Howard, Reese can catch on the short roll and attack a four-on-three advantage. Leave the coverage at the level, and Howard can pull up before the big recovers.
Prediction: Atlanta Dream 87 Connecticut Sun 75
Washington Mystics at Chicago Sky
Washington’s young core is dealing with a completely different kind of fatigue. Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen played through the World Cup final for Team USA. Chicago spent the break recovering.
Watch the first quarter. The Sky need to push the pace early and test Washington’s heavy legs before the Mystics can set their defense.
Chicago has already been eliminated at 15-25, but its league-leading pace gives this matchup an upset angle. Quick outlet passes and early drag screens could force Iriafen into repeated end-to-end runs. Washington cannot afford to jog back or lose shooters while matching up.
The Mystics still own the better roster and a stronger season. Citron can punish defenders who duck under screens, while Iriafen gives Washington a powerful interior target against single coverage.
Half-court possessions should decide the finish. Chicago wants a track meet. Washington wants to put Citron in high pick-and-rolls, force a switch, and let her read the second defender.
If the Mystics control the tempo after halftime, their size should win the rebounding battle. A slow start could still make this the most uncomfortable game of the night for a playoff team.
Prediction: Washington Mystics 82 Chicago Sky 78
Los Angeles Sparks at Dallas Wings
Dallas returns with a four-game winning streak and a chance to escape the bottom half of the bracket. The Wings also face one obvious concern: how much energy does Paige Bueckers have left?
Bueckers is no longer a rookie. The 2025 Rookie of the Year enters this stretch in her second WNBA season after helping Team USA win gold in Berlin.
Her game should travel well through fatigue. Bueckers does not rely solely on straight-line speed. She changes pace, snakes around screens, and reaches the elbows before the defense can reset.
Dallas can simplify the offense around her. An empty-corner pick-and-roll would force Los Angeles to either surrender Bueckers’ pull-up jumper or bring help from the weak side. Both choices create clean passing reads.
The Sparks have been eliminated at 15-25, but they can still make Dallas defend for the full clock. Los Angeles should attack the Wings’ guards with repeated screens and hunt mismatches before Dallas gets comfortable.
Home court gives the Wings an edge. So does their urgency. Expect Bueckers to control the final minutes by getting two defenders committed before finding the open shooter.
Prediction: Dallas Wings 85 Los Angeles Sparks 80
Phoenix Mercury at Portland Fire
The Portland Fire name is official. The expansion franchise revived the identity of the original team in July 2025 and began play this season at Moda Center.
Portland will miss the playoffs at 16-24, but its first year has produced a genuine building block. Carla Leite entered the break averaging 15.9 points and 6.3 assists, then helped France reach the World Cup final.
Leite wins possessions with pace changes. She can reject a screen, turn the corner, and force the low defender to step into the lane. That first rotation creates kickout threes and quick interior passes.
Phoenix will counter with Kahleah Copper, who scored 15 points in the World Cup final. Copper and the Mercury guards may need a quarter to restore their timing on dribble handoffs after shifting between national-team and club systems.
The Mercury also lost Kelsey Plum for the season because of a lower-left-leg injury. Her absence removes a high-volume creator who could have punished Portland when Leite rested.
Both teams should score. Portland holds the better record and the home-court edge, while Phoenix carries more uncertainty in its backcourt rotation. Leite’s ability to create a quality shot late in the clock should provide the difference.
Prediction: Portland Fire 89 Phoenix Mercury 84
Las Vegas Aces at Seattle Storm
It comes down to this: Seattle has the crowd, but Las Vegas has A’ja Wilson.
Wilson skipped the World Cup after USA Basketball cited health reasons. ESPN reported that she had recently appeared on the Aces’ injury report with a back issue, although neither the team nor USA Basketball announced a specific diagnosis.
The break gave Wilson time away from tournament games. It did not guarantee perfect health. Las Vegas must still monitor how freely she moves and how many minutes Becky Hammon wants to place on her back.
Seattle faces much worse injury news. Ezi Magbegor tore her ACL while playing for Australia at the World Cup and will miss the rest of the season. Katie Lou Samuelson also underwent a left-knee procedure. The Storm enter Thursday with a league-worst 8-32 record and a depleted rotation.
Without Magbegor, Seattle lacks its best answer for Wilson around the rim. The Aces can force that matchup through a simple Gray-Wilson pick-and-roll, then punish any double-team with Jackie Young cutting behind the defense.
Chelsea Gray and Young carried heavy World Cup minutes. Both guards drove Team USA’s comeback against France. Young scored 18 points in the final, while Gray added 12 and repeatedly settled the offense.
That rhythm matters. Las Vegas may start slowly, but Seattle does not have the healthy frontcourt depth to survive four quarters against Wilson.
Prediction: Las Vegas Aces 91 Seattle Storm 76
Jet Lag Will Show Up in the Details
The WNBA regular season restart may produce sloppy stretches, especially in transition defense and late-clock decision-making. Those mistakes will not always look dramatic.
A tired guard may die on a screen. One late rotation can open the corner. A center with heavy legs may retreat too far, giving an elite ball handler an uncontested pull-up.
Coaches will likely use deeper first-half rotations. Shorter shifts can protect returning stars without sacrificing entire stretches of the game. Bench players who stayed home during the break may receive meaningful minutes much earlier than usual.
The challenge grows in the fourth quarter. Most coaches shorten their rotations when games tighten, but several contenders will have starters who recently crossed the Atlantic after playing a seven-game international tournament.
Las Vegas has Wilson to stabilize a possession. Dallas has Bueckers. Atlanta can turn to Howard, while Washington can place the ball in Citron’s hands.
Those creators give their teams something valuable when legs fade: a dependable way to reach a preferred spot without running a complex action.
Four Games Will Decide the Road Ahead
The final seven-day sprint will force every contender to make decisions that reach far beyond one night.
Minnesota wants the No. 1 seed. Golden State still has a mathematical path to the top. Las Vegas can chase second place, while Atlanta and Indiana remain close enough to steal third.
New York, Washington, and Dallas face an even tighter squeeze. One winning streak could secure a more favorable matchup. A poor week could send any of them into a first-round series against Minnesota.
Thursday’s likely winners are Atlanta, Washington, Dallas, Portland and Las Vegas. The larger story will unfold inside the rotations.
Which stars look sharp? Who struggles to recover on defense? Which coach protects a player’s legs, and which one pushes for every available win?
By Thursday night, the standings may move only a little. The playoff picture could feel completely different.
READ MORE: WNBA Regular Season Restart on September 17: Best Playoff Bracket Angles for Fans to Follow
FAQs
When does the WNBA regular season restart?
The WNBA resumes on September 17 with five games. Every team has four regular-season games remaining.
Which teams have qualified for the 2026 WNBA playoffs?
Minnesota, Golden State, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Indiana, New York, Washington, and Dallas have secured playoff berths.
Why could World Cup fatigue affect the WNBA restart?
Many players competed in Berlin through September 13. They have only four days to travel, recover, and rejoin their WNBA teams.
Q4. What are the September 17 WNBA predictions?
The article predicts wins for Atlanta, Washington, Dallas, Portland, and Las Vegas.
Which WNBA matchup carries the biggest playoff stakes?
Las Vegas and Seattle matter most for seeding. The Aces remain within reach of second place but face pressure from Atlanta and Indiana.
