The 2021 WNBA playoffs are in full swing, and we’ve now reached the semifinals. In the second round on Sunday, the Phoenix Mercury won a thrilling overtime game against the Seattle Storm, while the Chicago Sky pulled away from the Minnesota Lynx. Now, the Mercury will take on the No. 2 seed Las Vegas Aces, and the Sky will face the No. 1 seed Connecticut Sun. Both of those series are best-of-five and will begin on Tuesday night.
As a quick refresher of the revamped playoff format that began in 2016, the top eight teams make the playoffs regardless of conference affiliation. The top-two seeds get a bye all the way to the semifinals, while the Nos. 3 and 4 seeds get a bye to the second round. Teams seeded 5-8 begin play in the first round. The first and second rounds are single elimination, while the semifinals and Finals are both best-of-five series. After each round, the teams are re-seeded.
This season, the Connecticut Sun finished with the best record in the league at 26-6. In addition to a bye to the semis, they have also earned home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. The Las Vegas Aces, by virtue of finishing second, have also punched their ticket to the semis.
With the playoff bracket now set, here’s a look at the first-round matchups and the full schedule for the 2021 WNBA Playoffs:
First round (single elimination)
Thursday, Sept. 23
No. 6 Chicago Sky 81, No. 7 Dallas Wings 64
No. 5 Phoenix Mercury 83, No. 10 New York Liberty 82
Second round (single elimination)
Sunday, Sept. 26
No. 5 Phoenix Mercury 85, No. 4 Seattle Storm 80 (OT)
No. 6 Chicago Sky 89, No. 3 Minnesota Lynx 76
Semifinals
(All times U.S./Eastern)
Tuesday, Sept. 28 (Game 1)
- No. 6 Chicago Sky at No. 1 Connecticut Sun, 8 p.m., ESPN 2 — stream via fuboTV (Try for free)
- No. 5 Phoenix Mercury at No. 2 Las Vegas Aces, 10 p.m., ESPN 2 — stream via fuboTV (Try for free)
Thursday, Sept. 30 (Game 2)
- No. 6 Chicago Sky at No. 1 Connecticut Sun, 8 p.m., ESPN 2 — stream via fuboTV (Try for free)
- No. 5 Phoenix Mercury at No. 2 Las Vegas Aces, 10 p.m., ESPN 2 — stream via fuboTV (Try for free)
Sunday, Oct. 3 (Game 3)
- No. 1 Connecticut Sun at No. 6 Chicago Sky, 1 p.m., ESPN — stream via fuboTV (Try for free)
- No. 2 Las Vegas Aces at No. 5 Phoenix Mercury, 3 p.m., ABC — stream via fuboTV (Try for free)
Wednesday, Oct. 6 (Game 4)*
- No. 1 Connecticut Sun at No. 6 Chicago Sky, TBD
- No. 2 Las Vegas Aces at No. 5 Phoenix Mercury, TBD
Friday, Oct. 8 (Game 5)*
- No. 6 Chicago Sky at No. 1 Connecticut Sun, TBD
- No. 5 Phoenix Mercury at No. 2 Las Vegas Aces, TBD
*If necessary
WNBA Finals
(All times U.S./Eastern)
Sunday, Oct. 10 (Game 1)
TBD vs. TBD
Wednesday, Oct. 13 (Game 2)
TBD vs. TBD
Friday, Oct. 15 (Game 3)
TBD vs. TBD
Sunday, Oct. 17 (Game 4)*
TBD vs. TBD
Tuesday, Oct. 19 (Game 5)*
TBD vs. TBD
*If necessary
