Tonight is the final game of the 2025 WNBA regular season. When the four games tonight are completed, we’ll know exactly what the standings will look like heading into the first round of the playoffs, which begins on Sunday.
It’s a huge day for the Golden State Valkyries, who will cap off a phenomenal, expectations-exceeding debut regular season, and will become the first expansion team to make the playoffs (though sadly, their inaugural postseason game won’t be at Ballhalla).
The Valkyries visit the
Minnesota Lynx tonight at 5:00 p.m. PT, in a game you can watch on local TV or nationally on NBA TV. Golden State currently holds the seventh seed, but they can’t end up there. Should they beat the Lynx, they’ll slide up into the sixth seed, while a loss would tumble them down to the eighth and final postseason slot.
So needless to say, breaking their two-game losing streak is pretty important. With a loss and the subsequent eighth seed, the Valkyries would be set up for a brutal first-round series against the same Lynx team they face tonight. A Lynx team that, in that scenario, would have gone 4-0 against Golden State, including two wins in the final week of the season.
The Lynx have the top speed wrapped up, so there’s a chance they’ll rest some of their stars, as they did on Tuesday when Napheesa Collier sat. On the other hand, they may be motivated to win and control their destiny: while a victory would get them a matchup with a Valkyries team they’ve easily taken care of this year, a loss would result in a first-round matchup with the Seattle Storm, a team they went 2-2 against this year.
If the Valkyries win, the game that follows on NBA TV is also vital, as the Las Vegas Aces visit the Los Angeles Sparks. With a loss, the Aces would stay in their current spot as the third seed — and have a first-round matchup with the Valkyries, should Golden State win. But if the Aces win, they’ll move up to the second seed, setting up the Valkyries for a series against the Atlanta Dream.
With all respect to the Dream, a talented team that has had a fantastic season, the Valkyries would prefer that matchup. The Aces have a championship core, having won the title in both 2022 and 2023. They have arguably the best player in the league in three-time (and defending) MVP A’ja Wilson. And they’re absolutely rolling, as they’ve overcome a slow start to end the season on a 15-game winning streak … which the Valkyries hope becomes 16 games.
In summation: if the Valkyries lose, they’re the eighth seed and play the Lynx; if they win and the Aces also win, they’re the sixth seed and play the Dream; and if they win but the eliminated Sparks beat the Aces, then they’re the sixth seed and play Vegas.
Isn’t it fun when the season comes down to the final day?
