Two teams are left battling it out for the final playoffs spot: the Seattle Storm and the Los Angeles Sparks. And as fate — or the WNBA's oft-confusing and seemingly haphazard scheduling — would have it, both play crucial matches tonight.
The Storm and Sparks aren't playing one another. Instead, Seattle will host the Golden State Valkyries, and the Sparks will head to Phoenix. Despite the fact that the Sparks have nothing to do with the Storm and Valkyries game, they absolutely need Golden State to win if they want to claim the 8th and final spot — and the Sparks will need to dig deep and best the No. 4 ranked Mercury.
The Sparks have to lock in completely to defeat the Mercury
The game is also an important one for Phoenix, who have yet to lock in their seeding ahead of the playoffs, which will begin on September 14. It's likely Los Angeles will be firing on all cylinders given the stakes for the team, and they may make the match a tough one — but Phoenix is entering into tonight's game having won every challenge from LA so far, which means the Sparks have even more work to do.
To beat Phoenix, the Sparks will need to focus on the ways they have most successfully challenged the team so far this season. Los Angeles has tested Phoenix inside this year, and Dearica Hamby and Azura Stevens have effectively crowded the paint each time the teams have met. The pair will want to pour that energy onto their opponents, and Cameron Brink will especially need to excel in the paint tonight. The Mercury will also need to be on top of Kelsey Plum, who is a lethal 3-point shooter when she's not heavily guarded.
If Los Angeles and Seattle manage to end the season with the same record, the Sparks hold the tiebreaker between the teams.
The Storm can stop the Sparks in their tracks
Here's the catch: if the Storm beat Golden State tonight, nothing the Sparks do against the Mercury will matter in terms of landing a playoffs spot. This would result in the fifth straight season in a row that the Sparks have missed the playoffs.
But there is a bright spot for Los Angeles: the Valkyries have bested the Storm twice in three match-ups, and the Storm don't have the strongest at-home record this season (they're sitting at 9-12 when playing on their own court).
Tuesday night might be one that unites all of California's WNBA fans — whether they like it or not.