The WNBA Playoffs begin on Sept. 13. Here’s a breakdown of all four first-round series and the predictions for each matchup. All first-round series are a best-of-3 contest.
The WNBA playoff 1st-round matchups are set:
— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) September 10, 2023
No. 1 Las Vegas Aces-No. 8 Chicago Sky (tips Wednesday)
No. 3 Connecticut Sun-No. 6 Minnesota Lynx (tips Wednesday)
No. 2 New York Liberty-No. 7 Washington Mystics (tips Friday)
No. 4 Dallas Wings-No. 5 Atlanta Dream (tips Friday)
1. Las Vegas Aces vs. 8. Chicago Sky
Regular season: Las Vegas won 3-0
The reigning champions secured the top overall seed once again. Potential MVP A’ja Wilson will be the defensive assignment for Elizabeth Williams. Meanwhile, Kahleah Copper will need to have herself a career series to pull this upset off. The backcourt trio for Las Vegas of Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young appears too much for Chicago to handle. Chicago’s bench depth of Dana Evans, Morgan Bertsch, and Robyn Parks is the lone advantage for the Sky.
Prediction: Aces in 2.
2. New York Liberty vs. 7. Washington Mystics
Regular season: Tied 2-2
The Mystics won the last matchup against the Liberty on a Brittney Sykes buzzer-beater to close the regular season. All four games have been tight, contested matches. However, the Liberty went 13-2 in August and September and are clicking on all cylinders. Potential MVP Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones will be the key for Liberty to pull off this series victory. For Washington, having a healthy Elene Delle Donne, Ariel Atkins, and [possibly] Shakira Austin might give the Mystics a slight edge in this series. Finally, the Mystics were able to hold the Liberty to career lows in 3-pointers in all four matchups as well.
Prediction: Liberty in 3.
3. Connecticut Sun vs. 6. Minnesota Lynx
Regular season: Sun won 3-1
It is potentially the biggest miss-match of the first round. The Sun’s small-ball approach against the Lynx’s bigger line-up will make for an interesting three-game series. Potential MVP Alyssa Thomas and the triple-double specialist will be the key for Connecticut. Meanwhile, MVP dark horse Napheesa Collier and rookie Dorka Juhász will be key inside for Minnesota. Finally, Minnesota needs to up the defense in this series, as they finished 10th overall in defensive rating rank.
Prediction: Lynx in 3.
4. Dallas Wings vs. 5. Atlanta Dream
Regular season: Dallas won 3-0
The Dream return to the playoffs for the first time since 2018. However, the Wings easily won all three games in the regular season. The offensive firepower that the Wings have with Satou Sabally, Arike Ogunbowale, Natasha Howard, and Teaira McCowan is simply too much for Atlanta to handle. A much improved Atlanta squad will need some solid defensive upgrades to slow down the Wings and cause the upset.
Prediction: Wings in 2.
The official bracket for the 2023 #WNBAPlayoffs presented by @Google ⬇️
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 10, 2023
First Round begins Wednesday September 13th at 8pm/ET on ESPN2 #MoreThanGame pic.twitter.com/Jc90UfZUKt
Todd Roman is on Twitter, too. Follow Todd @TBRBWAY.
