The 2025 WNBA playoffs are set after each team played 44 regular season games.
Eight teams -- the Atlanta Dream, Golden State Valkyries, Indiana Fever, Las Vegas Aces, Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury, and Seattle Storm -- will start their postseason quests on Sunday.
The top-seeded Minnesota Lynx are widely accepted as the favorite to win the WNBA title this season, led by MVP favorite Napheesa Collier. The Lynx, who lost the championship last season to the New York Liberty, will not only have to face defending champions in their title quest, but are being chased by the Atlanta Dream, who have six games to end the season.
The Dream are a surprise team, but have been relatively good all year. The Las Vegas aces won a league-leading 15 games to end their season. Though there was a point where it didn’t even seem as if they would make the playoffs, the Aces did win the WNBA title in 2022 and 2023 and with MVP candidate A’ja Wilson captaining them, it is no surprise they are where they are right now.
So with those ideas widely agreed upon – who is the dark horse in the playoffs?
The Phoenix Mercury clinched the No. 4 seed in the playoffs after entering the 2025 season with moderate expectations. They will face the No. 5 seed, the New York Liberty, in the first round in a best-of-three series.
In what will be their second consecutive playoff appearance for the Mercury, it is important to note they won three of their four regular-season games against the Liberty this year.
The chase for the championship begins now - and it begins with you in the building! Game 1 against New York is in our arena this Sunday, September 14th.
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) September 10, 2025
BE HERE FOR THE PLAYOFFS!
🎟️: https://t.co/owqmcv4I4u pic.twitter.com/Qj4KuYblFG
Their consistent, well-oiled offenses give them a formidable edge. They average 83.2 points per game (seventh-best), 21.3 assists per game (fifth-best), and 8.8 offensive rebounds per game (fifth best) per game.
Defensively, they are good too — averaging 21.67 defensive rebounds per game and 7.8 steals per game — both fourth-best in the league.
The Mercury also have veteran leadership, which is always crucial to a postseason run — especially when your team also has homecourt advantage.
In her 11th season in the WNBA and first with the Mercury, forward Alyssa Thomas has a league record seven triple-doubles. The former University of Maryland star is averaging a career-best 9.3 assists and 15.8 points per game. In addition to her 9.0 rebounds per game, she’s shooting better than 50 percent from the field. Compared to the rest of the league, Thomas is third in rebounding, first in assists, and fourth in steals (1.6).
Thomas has not just catapulted the Mercury into the postseason as dark-horse favorites, but she’s certainly made a case for league MVP.
To help define AT's dominance:
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) September 10, 2025
Alyssa Thomas just set a 33 game WNBA record. Which breaks her OWN 32 game record that she set in 2023. pic.twitter.com/pQS6YZJYB3