As the WNBA playoffs officially begin next month, teams are rallying to play some of their best basketball this season, striving to cement their berth. With multiple teams, including league leaders Minnesota Lynx and reigning champions Las Vegas Aces, already making the playoffs, only 50% of the spots remain. And Wednesday night gave us a glimpse of what to expect in the playoffs, as the table toppers Lynx took on the second-place Valkyries. However, with star rookie Olivia Miles’ unfortunate injury, one can only wonder whether the Lynx will sustain their form heading into the postseason.

Over on the East, another team falls out of playoff contention as the Washington Mystics take care of expansion team Toronto Tempo at home, slowly climbing up the ranks of the elite. So, as signs of trouble appeared for the league leaders, underdogs continued their rise, and one of the expansion team’s playoff dreams shattered, let’s take a look at the drama that unfolded on Wednesday night in the world of women’s basketball.

The Minnesota Lynx take the W, but at what cost

Another game day, another victory for head coach Cheryl Reeve’s side, as the Lynx beat rivals Valkyries 77-66. Minnesota has now won five games in a row, extending its record to 30-7. They have lost only once in their last 16 games, which goes to show their sheer dominance this season. Since the start of the season, the Lynx have been heavily underestimated, as star player Napheesa Collier was still recovering following her ankle injury during last year’s playoffs.

In this season’s WNBA Draft, the Lynx chose TCU Horned Frogs’ Olivia Miles as the No. 2 overall pick. While she was a highly valued addition, nobody thought she would fill Collier’s gap in her very first season and lead the Lynx to become the most dominant team this season. Following the likes of Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, Miles has had a generational rookie campaign, breaking her predecessors’ records to become the fastest WNBA player to reach 300 points and 100 assists, as well as 650 points and 200 assists.

On top of that, Miles is currently one of the frontrunners for the MVP award, directly competing with four-time winner A’ja Wilson. With season averages of 19.9 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.6 rebounds, it was going smoothly for Miles until Wednesday’s game against the Valkyries.

Miles was having another spectacular performance for the Lynx as she tallied 20 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds. But everything collapsed in the fourth quarter, when she went down with an ankle injury after accidentally stepping on, ironically, Napheesa Collier’s foot.

Miles was trying to defend Valkyries’ guard Veronica Burton in the lane just past the midway point of the fourth quarter when she stepped on Collier’s foot. Miles’ left ankle rolled hard, and she started hopping awkwardly toward the baseline instantly, clearly in pain.

“She did tweak it, but I don’t have any idea where it’s at. I haven’t seen the play yet, so obviously we’re hoping that she’s OK,” head coach Reeve told the media after the game, per Zone Coverage’s Andrew Dukowitz.

While the specifics of the injury are not exactly known yet, Miles did make it back out to the Lynx bench for the end of the game. The Lynx have seven games left to play in the regular season, including back-to-back games against Clark and the Fever. With more than a month left till the playoffs, it should not be that big of an issue for the table toppers.

However, it seems that Miles’ quest to potentially become the second player in WNBA history after Candace Parker to win Rookie of the Year and MVP honors in the same season may not happen now, with A’ja Wilson, Caitlin Clark, and Kelsey Mitchell all in the running. For now, only time will tell if Miles will be 100% fit for her first playoffs.

Toronto Tempo will now look forward to the next season

Safe to say, the Toronto Tempo have not exactly enjoyed their first season in the WNBA, now sitting with a 10-25 record. Since the start of the season, it has never really seemed like the expansion side would qualify for the playoffs, and it was officially confirmed on Wednesday when the Washington Mystics took the W over them, 93-82.

It’s been a tough stretch for the Tempo, and after 12 consecutive losses, they have been mathematically eliminated from the WNBA playoffs. Surprisingly, this is the first time in her 13-year career that head coach Sandy Brondello missed the playoffs.

“I think these are all lessons. They’re not failures. They’re lessons as we prepare for the big picture. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to evaluate us at full strength, but we’ve been able to evaluate individual talent.”

One of those individual talents is Kiki Rice, who was the franchise’s first draft pick. Rice missed a stretch of nearly two months in the middle of the season after spraining her ankle, but has been back for the Tempo for a few weeks.

With Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes out with injuries, Rice got the opportunity to play extra minutes in the city where she spent her childhood and played high school basketball, Washington DC. She notched 19 points, 2 assists, and a steal.

“I was sitting with [Sykes] a lot on the bench, she’s just constantly giving me feedback, encouraging me, telling me what I need to do out there. I really appreciate that because when you’re not on the court, you can see things that you don’t always see. I just appreciate their support, they’ve been very helpful,” Rice said.

After dropping out of the playoff race, the Tempo have now slid up into second place in the draft odds behind the Connecticut Sun for the best shot at the No. 1 pick. That means Toronto has long time to plan, and may even outline potential picks as they dissect what went wrong.

How the WNBA playoff landscape looks

Following a short hiatus from the FIBA World Cup, the WNBA playoffs are set to begin on Sunday, September 27. As we all know, Round 1 will be a best-of-three series, with the higher seed holding games 1 and 3. The Semifinal Round will feature a best-of-five series, while the WNBA Finals will be a best-of-seven matchup.

With the eight best teams making their way to the postseason, we already know that the Minnesota Lynx, Golden State Valkyries, Las Vegas Aces, and soon, the Indiana Fever will qualify for the playoffs. All Stephanie White’s team needs is a win or a draw, and with the way they have been performing, they might very well seal their future in the next game against Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings.

Meanwhile, the Seattle Storm, Connecticut Sun, and now the Toronto Tempo need to put their thinking caps on this offseason and study what went wrong, as all of them are mathematically out of playoff contention. And with the Los Angeles Sparks losing five games in a row, you can expect Lynne Roberts’ troops to join these teams sooner rather than later.

That leaves the Atlanta Dream, Washington Mystics, New York Liberty, Dallas Wings, Portland Fire, Chicago Sky, and Phoenix Mercury still in contention if we apply the logic of maths again.

But if the regular season were to end today, the first round would have some enticing games that almost every fan would like to watch. As of August 20, the Lynx will take on the Wings, A’ja Wilson’s Aces will go up against Angel Reese’s Dream, Caitlin Clark’s Fever will meet Sabrina Ionescu and the Liberty, while the Mystics will lock horns with the Valkyries.

It would take a miracle for the Fire, Sky, and Mercury to land a spot in the postseason, with all three’s winning percentages under .500. Regardless, with just a month left until we head towards the biggest event in women’s basketball, fans can expect some thrilling encounters right from the get-go.