September 9, 2025 — Seattle Storm fans exhaled in relief after a nail-biting finish at Climate Pledge Arena, where Seattle edged out the Golden State Valkyries 74–73 in their final regular season home game — and secured the last playoff spot of the 2025 WNBA season. Seattle will head to Vegas and face the Aces for round one of the playoffs.
With 20 seconds left on the clock, Storm guard Erica Wheeler sank a clutch bucket to put Seattle ahead by one. The Valkyries had two final chances, but Janelle Salaun missed both a layup and a potential game-winning three. Wheeler grabbed the rebound, dashed down the court, and dished to Nneka Ogwumike to help run down the clock. The final layup did not count, but the Storm had one reason to celebrate.
The win not only kept Seattle’s season alive — it knocked the Los Angeles Sparks out of playoff contention, dropping them to ninth in the standings.
It was a back-and-forth battle all night. Golden State led for most of the first three quarters, stretching their lead to as much as 10 points. But the Storm roared back in the fourth, outscoring the Valkyries 22–12 behind stifling defense and momentum-shifting energy. Seattle forced 13 turnovers to Golden State’s 9.
Wheeler finished with 17 points. Ogwumike added 16. Salaun led the Valkyries with 22.
Despite the loss, Golden State made history as the first expansion team to reach the playoffs in their inaugural season.
**Updated** With the conclusion of the regular season, which ended on Thursday, Sept. 14, the Storm will prepare to face the Las Vegas Aces and Western Conference Player of the Month, A’ja Wilson, in the first round of the WNBA playoffs, which begin Sunday, Sept. 14 at the Michelob ULTRA Arena, also known as “The House” @ 7PM.
Game 2 of Round 1 will be held on Seattle’s home court at Climate Pledge Arena on Tuesday, September 16th at 6:30 PST. Fans can purchase tickets now
The postseason follows a standard eight-team bracket, with the first round as a best-of-three, semifinals as best-of-five, and — for the first time — the WNBA Finals expanding to a best-of-seven format. The latest possible Finals date is Oct. 17.
Here are the current standings of the top 8 overall that have clinched a playoff berth as of Tuesday night.
1. Minnesota Lynx (33-10)
2. Las Vegas Aces (29-14)
3. Atlanta Dream (29-14)
4. Phoenix Mercury (27-16)
5. New York Liberty (26-17)
6. Golden State Valkyries (23-20)
7. Indiana Fever (24-20)
8. Seattle Storm (23-21)
The remaining teams who did not qualify for the post season.
9. Los Angeles Sparks (21-22)
10. Washington Mystics (16-28)
11. Connecticut Sun (11-32)
12. Chicago Sky (10-33)
13. Dallas Wings (9-34)
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*Cover Photo by Caroline Anne
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