Minnesota Lynx become first team in WNBA to punch their ticket in 2025

Rodney Knuppel

Minnesota Lynx become first team in WNBA to punch their ticket in 2025 image

The defending WNBA runner-up Minnesota Lynx didn’t even step on the court Tuesday and still were the first to reach the postseason.

Thanks to the Dallas Wings pulling off an 81-80 win over theIndiana Fever, the Lynx became the first team this season to punch their ticket to the playoffs.

Lynx locked it up

Minnesota has been the league’s best team all year. Sitting at 27-5, they’ve opened a huge lead on the competition and are riding a five-game win streak. The last time the Lynx lost was on July 27 at home against the Atlanta Dream, 90-86. During their five-game winning streak, the Lynx have won by an average of 15.2 points per game.

Even without MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier, who’s been sidelined since August 2 with an ankle injury, the Lynx have kept rolling, nine wins in their last ten says it all.

Up next is a big-time rematch. Minnesota faces the New York Liberty, its 2024 WNBA Finals opponent, in back-to-back games on August 16 and 19. Those matchups could be a preview of another high-stakes postseason showdown.

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For the Lynx, this playoff berth is nothing new. Since joining the league in 1999, they’ve reached the postseason 16 times, with 14 of those coming in the last 15 years. Four championships later, they know exactly how to finish a season.

The WNBA regular season finishes up September 11, with the top eight teams advancing. The first round will be best-of-three, the semifinals will be best-of-five, and for the first time ever, the Finals will be a best-of-seven series.

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Rodney Knuppel

Rodney Knuppel is a freelance writer for The Sporting News. When not watching, listening or writing about sports, Rodney enjoys following the travels of his three kids, who are all active in their own sports and activities. A huge St. Louis Cardinals fan, Rodney also enjoys St. Louis Blues hockey and is a big Kansas Jayhawks basketball fan.