The Minnesota Lynx clinched the No. 1 seed and home-court advantage throughout the 2026 WNBA playoffs in an unlikely fashion thanks to a major assist from the Portland Fire on Tuesday night. The Lynx would currently face the New York Liberty in the first round of the playoffs, but the bottom half of the playoff picture is extremely congested, so that could change by the end of the night on Thursday. Early on Tuesday evening, the Lynx, playing without MVP candidate Olivia Miles (calf), fell behind by double digits almost immediately against the Indiana Fever, and trailed by as many as 29 in the first half before Cheryl Reeve waved the white flag at halftime and benched her starters.
Despite a valiant effort from the reserves, who briefly cut the deficit down to single digits, the Lynx lost, 96-79. When the Golden State Valkyries jumped out to a 17-0 lead on the lottery-bound Portland Fire shortly after the final buzzer in Indianapolis, it seemed as though the Lynx and the Valkyries would go into the final day of the season with identical records, and the dramatic race for the No. 1 seed would continue. Instead, the Valkyries collapsed and lost in overtime in Portland, ending their six-game winning streak and their hopes of catching the Lynx.
Thursday's finale, a rematch with the Fever, is now meaningless for the Lynx -- at least from a seeding standpoint. But amid a 1-4 skid on either side of the World Cup break, Reeve may want to use the game as a tune-up for the playoffs, especially after her starters got plenty of rest during Tuesday's no-show in Indianapolis. But whether that's possible given Miles' nagging calf injury remains to be seen.
It would not make sense for her to play in that game. As frustrating as the last five games have been for the Lynx, earning the No. 1 seed for the second season in a row is a massive accomplishment. This is the first time that they've had that honor since 2016-17.
The Lynx's last title came in 2017, and the team will hope to get back to the mountaintop this season after a disappointing early exit in 2025. Despite going 34-10 and leading the league in offensive, defensive and net rating last season, the Lynx were eliminated in the semifinals after blowing multiple double-digit leads to the Phoenix Mercury and losing star forward Napheesa Collier to a season-ending injury. Collier ended up requiring surgery on both ankles during an eventful offseason for the Lynx, who lost six rotation players between the double expansion draft for the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo and free agency.
Even with the addition of Miles, the No. 2 overall pick, and veteran free agents Natasha Howard and Nia Brodie, expectations were fairly low in Minneapolis heading into the summer -- at least outside of the organization. But the Lynx got off to a 10-2 start and never looked back. They've held sole possession of first place since July 12, and by the time Collier returned on July 22, they were 21-6.
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