The Seattle Storm are in the playoffs, but they’re battling for seeding.
The Minnesota Lynx are lurking in position for a playoff spot.
The WNBA regular season is winding down, and both teams have a lot at stake when they meet Wednesday night in Seattle.
The Storm (19-12) currently hold the fourth seed but will lose home-court advantage in the best-of-three first round if they slip any lower.
They fell into a tie with the Washington Mystics after a 78-75 road loss on Sunday, though they hold the tiebreaker against the Mystics.
“A lot of good things happened on the court,” Seattle coach Noelle Quinn said. “(We) just have to lock in on key moments of the game and get over this hump.”
The contest against Minnesota is the first of two home games for the Storm before they finish the regular season with a three-game road trip.
“(We’ve got to) get some momentum behind us,” Seattle forward Breanna Stewart said. “(We’ve got to) get to a place where we’re all feeling really good and being our best when the playoffs happen.”
The Lynx (12-19) have strengthened their playoff positioning with victories at Atlanta and Los Angeles on a road trip that will end in Seattle.
“I’m thrilled,” Minnesota head coach and general manager Cheryl Reeve said after an 84-77 victory against the Sparks on Sunday. “I’m not going to downplay this at all. This is a team that’s hanging in there, trying to control our own destiny. We understand how hard it will be. But we’re not focused on that. We want to be the best we can.”
The victory pulled the 10th-place Lynx within one game of No. 8 Los Angeles with five games to play and gave them the tiebreaker against the Sparks.
Minnesota is in a six-team competition for the final three playoff spots as it tries to extend the career of star center Sylvia Fowles, who is retiring.
“We’re trying desperately to give her another shot at the playoffs,” Reeve said.
