Liberty Secure Final Playoff Spot As Sparks Lose to Wings

Losses by both the Mystics and Sparks on Sunday allowed the Liberty to secure the final spot in the WNBA playoffs.

The final spot in the WNBA playoffs came down to the last day of the regular season on Sunday, with the Mystics, Liberty and Sparks vying for the No. 8 seed in the postseason. And while none of the three teams are anywhere close to the championship favorite, Sunday still brought some serious drama. 

The Liberty finished the regular season at 12–20, with a 22-point, nine-assist performance from Sabrina Ionescu securing a 91-80 victory for New York on Friday night. Yet despite the victory, the Liberty entered Sunday needing some help to reach the postseason. 

Both the Mystics and Liberty obliged. Washington lost to the Lynx 83-77 on Sunday afternoon, while the Sparks fell to the Wings 87-84 in Dallas. Center Arike Ogunbowale was largely responsible for knocking Los Angeles out of the playoffs, finishing Sunday afternoon with 20 points.

The Sun enter the 2021 postseason as the No. 1 seed after finishing the regular season at 25–6. Las Vegas enters the playoffs at 23–8, and it should receive center Liz Cambage back for the postseason after she was sidelined by the COVID-19 protocol.

The #WNBAPlayoffs bracket is set ✅

Single elimination games start this THURSDAY at 8pm/ET on ESPN2 😈 @Google pic.twitter.com/r73XQ99Sx4

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 19, 2021

The 2021 WNBA Finals are slated to begin on Sunday, Oct. 10. The Storm enter the postseason seeking their third championship in the last four seasons. 

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