The WNBA playoff contenders are decided, but teams are still fighting to secure a safe seed. While they are at it, the New York Liberty suffered a costly loss to the Golden State Valkyries on Thursday, placing them against the Minnesota Lynx in the first round, a team that every other team wants to avoid in the postseason. On the other hand, the Washington Mystics, in sixth place, defeated the Phoenix Mercury as they aim for a higher seed to challenge the Indiana Fever and the Atlanta Dream at fifth and fourth place, respectively.

The Thursday matchups’ storylines were highlighted by the Liberty’s season-low scoring loss on one hand and the heroics of the Mystics guard, Georgia Amoore, recording her best game along with a heroic fourth quarter. Let’s take a closer look at how things are shaping up as the regular season nears its end.

Liberty slide to 8th place in worst offensive night of the 2026 season

The Golden State Valkyries were supposed to be the ultimate test for the Liberty on Thursday. The Eastern Conference team has scored 80 or more points in its last 16 consecutive games, the longest stretch in the franchise’s history. However, in their final matchup of the season, the Valkyries held them to a season-low 60 points in a 79-60 win. With that, the Bay Area team has now held the Liberty to 70, 67, and 60 points in all three matchups.

Given how the Valkyries had dominated them throughout the season, Sabrina Ionescu had acknowledged that the game would be a big stress test for her team. The Liberty crumbled under the pressure. Thursday’s loss completed the three-game season sweep, and it happened in front of the New York Liberty’s home crowd at Barclays Center.

“I feel disappointed with this one and a little bit embarrassed as well. I just don’t think that we should ever lose like that on home court. It was definitely a disappointing one because I feel like today was a bit of a step backwards,” Liberty guard Rebecca Allen said after the loss.

The Valkyries controlled the game from the first quarter. They took a 12-point lead in the first half. While the Liberty tried to fight back in the third quarter, the Valkyries were still able to maintain their 12-point lead. On a night when Golden State played 14 of their players, their physical brand of basketball was elite.

Forward Cecilia Zandalasini led the Valkyries with 20 points, shooting 8-of-17 from the field, including 4-of-10 from the 3-point line. Gabby Williams added 16 points, shooting 6-of-15 from the field, including 4-of-8 from three. Veronica Burton played the perfect playmaker, recording 8 points along with 13 assists in the win.

Tiffany Hayes added 12 points off the bench. On a night when only three of the Valkyries’ players scored in double digits, the Liberty still lost the game.

With just five games remaining in the season, any playoff team is expected to take a step forward. However, the Liberty’s loss highlights a deeper problem: they can’t handle a physical team like the Valkyries.

They are in a precarious position at this point in the season. As the No. 8 seed, they would have to go against the Minnesota Lynx in the first round. Even if they manage to take the 7th seed, they might have to play against the Valkyries. It’s hard to see the Liberty’s ceiling beyond the first round if they don’t address the shortcomings before the regular season ends.

Sabrina Ionescu’s worrisome shooting slump continues

In August, the Liberty have performed fairly well, winning six of their nine games. However, during this time, it’s been Sabrina Ionescu who has found it hard to find her rhythm in the same month. During August, the Liberty star has scored below 10 points on two different occasions.

In nine games this month, Ionescu has shot less than 20% from the 3-point line on four different occasions, and twice she has shot 20 percent from beyond the arc. The Liberty star is arguably the best shooter on her team, but this month, she has made only 16 of her 66 from long distance.

On Thursday, Ionescu scored just 7 points while shooting 2-of-12 shots from the field, including 1-of-9 shots from the 3-point line. However, Ionescu still doesn’t look worried about her slump.

“I think we got really good looks. We just didn’t make them.”

However, if this continues into the playoffs, it could contribute to an early end for the Liberty’s postseason campaign. Without Ionescu’s contribution, the Liberty will be shorthanded, which they cannot afford against teams like the Lynx or the Valkyries.

Mystics take down Phoenix behind Georgia Amoore’s career-high

On a night when the Mystics stars struggled, Georgia Amoore stepped up with a career high. The 25-year-old guard scored 25 points in an 80-73 win to push the Mystics one win ahead of the Dallas Wings for sixth place. With the win, the Mystics finished the season with a sweep of the Mercury, defeating them in all three of their meetings this season.

The Mystics took a 3-point lead by the first half. However, the next 10 minutes saw the Mercury push Washington to the brink of a loss. With just over eight minutes remaining in the game, Washington trailed by 63-53. However, they quickly turned up the heat and went on a 17-2 run to take a 70-65 lead. With just over a minute left in the game, Amoore hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Mystics a much-needed 78-73 lead.

Amoore scored 16 points in the last period alone to snatch the game away from Phoenix. She scored eight of her team’s last 10 points. The visitors sealed the game with two free throws from Betnijah Laney-Hamilton with 28 seconds remaining to secure their 24th win of the season. Behind Amoore, Kiki Iriafen added 20 points along with 12 rebounds in 30 minutes. She recorded her 19th double-double of the season. 

From the Mercury side, it was once again one of the finest games that Kahleah Copper played. She recorded her second 35-point game in just three games, with the first one coming against the Atlanta Dream when she scored 37. She scored 35 points on 13-of-22 shooting from the field, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. She became the fastest player in Mercury history to record 2000 points. Copper did it in just 103 games, in her third season with the team. She already held the record for the fastest 1000 points.

Aside from Copper, only Natasha Mack (10 points) scored in double digits.

The Mercury are already out of the playoffs. The early exit should force the front office to make some tough calls in the offseason. Copper has one more year left in her contract before she becomes an unrestricted free agent. If the Mercury continue to struggle, she will look for another team in search of her second title.