WNBA Playoffs: What to know about watching Caitlin Clark, A'ja Wilson and more

The individual exploits of rookie Caitlin Clark and A'ja Wilson were the high-water marks for one of the most exciting WNBA seasons in recent memory. Together they broke a slew of records and reset the standard for excellence, but they weren't the only high-points in a regular season that needed all 40 games to set the postseason field.

The seeds are locked in, we have as many as six legitimately strong championship contenders and a playoff bracket that sets up dozens of fascinating individual and team matchups. You may be focused on A'ja Wilson or Caitlin Clark but there are plenty more reasons to follow along with every minute of this WNBA postseason.

Here is everything you need to know to watch.

WNBA first-round playoff matchups

It came down to the final night of the regular season but a big win by the Connecticut Sun over the Chicago Sky gave them the No. 3 seed and a first-round matchup with Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever. The Atlanta Dream took the No. 8 seed with a win over the New York Liberty, knocking out the Washington Mystics.

The entire WNBA playoffs will be televised on ESPN and their family of channels, including ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. That gives you a variety of options for watching along both with and without cable. If you are a WNBA League Pass subscriber, unfortunately, that service won't allow you to watch any postseason games live.

How to watch the WNBA playoffs with cable

Using your cable provider's online platform

Most cable providers — DirectTV, Comcast, Verizon Fios, etc. — now provide an online platform to log in and stream content from any of the channels that come with your subscription. If you're a cable subscriber but want to watch from a laptop or computer, just fire up the appropriate app or open your web browser and log in with your subscriber information. Then find the right channel and you're good to go.

Watching on network TV channels

If you're a cable subscriber who prefers to watch on your actual television, you just need to check the full WNBA playoff schedule below to find out which channel each game is on and then check the channel listings for your service.

How to watch the WNBA playoffs without cable

If you don't have cable, you'll need a subscription with ESPN+ that allows you to watch on the ESPN app through your device, or you'll need an over-the-top subscription-based streaming service that includes ESPN access.

Subscription-based streaming services with ESPN

Free trials and discounts

All three of the services above come with free trials. However, be warned that you probably won't be able to make it through a full series in any round with one of those free trials and you'll almost certainly have to pony up if you really want to follow along.

How to watch the WNBA playoffs on mobile devices

All of the options listed above have mobile apps available on Apple or Android, providing more options for cutting the cord and streaming on the go.

WNBA first-round playoff schedule