Connecticut Sun playoff picture: Assessing scenarios at halfway point

Connecticut Sun playoff picture: Assessing scenarios at halfway point originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Connecticut Sun are in a comfortable position ahead of the WNBA All-Star break.

With two games to play before the respite, the Sun are second in the Eastern Conference standings behind the New York Liberty. New York broke the tie atop the standings with its 71-68 win over Connecticut on Wednesday.

At 17-5 on the season, the Sun would be the No. 2 overall seed if the WNBA playoffs started today. Of course, there’s plenty of basketball left to be played (18 games, to be exact), but the halfway point is a perfect time to assess potential postseason scenarios.

As of Wednesday, the 9-12 Chicago Sky would be Connecticut’s first-round opponent as the No. 7 seed. That would be a compelling matchup against an up-and-coming squad headlined by rookie phenom Angel Reese. The former LSU star has already made history this season with a league-record 14 consecutive double-doubles.

Another strong possibility is a meeting with the Indiana Fever, who are led by another rookie sensation in Caitlin Clark and own the No. 8 seed with a 9-14 record. Clark recently became the first WNBA rookie ever to record a triple-double.

Here’s a look at the top eight teams currently positioned to make the postseason:

1. New York Liberty: 18-4

2. Connecticut Sun: 17-5

3. Minnesota Lynx: 16-6

4. Las Vegas Aces: 14-7

5. Seattle Storm: 14-8

6. Phoenix Mercury: 12-10

7. Chicago Sky: 9-12

8. Indiana Fever: 9-14

The Atlanta Dream (7-14) and Washington Mystics (6-17) are just outside the group in ninth and 10th place, respectively.

The Sun fell to the Liberty in the 2023 semifinals after defeating the Lynx in Round 1. New York went on to lose to the Aces in the WNBA Finals.

Connecticut will host the Mercury on Sunday and finish the first half of its campaign on the road against the Liberty. DeWanna Bonner, Brionna Jones, and Alyssa Thomas will represent the Sun in the WNBA All-Star Game on July 20.