WNBA power rankings: Who has the biggest home-court advantage?
WNBA power rankings: Who has the biggest home-court advantage?
Cydney Henderson, USA TODAYTue, August 25, 2026 at 10:06 AM UTC
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Seven of the eight WNBA playoff bids have been claimed, but teams are still jockeying for postseason seeding with six to seven games remaining in the regular season for every team.
The Minnesota Lynx are the favorite to lock up the No. 1 seed and home-court advantage throughout the postseason. The remaining teams are locked in a much tighter race. Only three games separate the No. 2 seed from No. 6 seed, meaning the final games in the regular season will determine which four teams get to play at home in the first round and beyond.
Home court is bigger deal for some teams than others. For example, the Golden State Valkyries have the best home record, while the Las Vegas Aces seem to play better on the road this season. Let's take a look at how each franchise fares at home in this week's USA TODAY Sports' WNBA power rankings, released every Tuesday this season:
More: Everything you about the WNBA playoffs
1. Minnesota Lynx (31-8)Previous rank: 1 (⬌)
Record at home: 14-6
It's tradition for the Minnesota Lynx to do the Electric Slide after every victory at Target Center and let's just say the Lynx have done a lot of dancing this season. Minnesota has a 14-5 record at home and has performed even better on the road at 17-2. The Lynx need one more win to lock up the No. 1 seed in the WNBA playoffs, securing home-court advantage throughout the postseason.
2. Indiana Fever (25-14)Previous rank: 3 (⬆1)
Record at home: 13-6
The Fever are shooting lights out at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Indiana is averaging 99.8 points at home this season and have scored 100 or more points 11 times on their home court this year. In comparison, the Fever average 93.7 points per game on the road. The Fever are tied with the Lynx for the highest 3-point percentage in the league at 39.5%, but Indiana's shooting from beyond the arc improves to 40.2% at home. The Fever closed a five-game road trip with a 113-90 victory over the Chicago Sky on Aug. 23 to pick up their 25th win of the season, setting a franchise record for the most regular-season wins in a season.
3. Golden State Valkyries (26-11)Previous rank: 2 (⬇1)
Record at home: 15-5
There's no place like Ballhalla. The Valkyries have the best home record of the league at Chase Center and that may have to do with the atmosphere. Golden State has sold out all of their 42 regular-season games. The record crowd helps fuel Golden State, especial their 3-point shot. The Valkyries attempt the most 3-pointers per game (12.0) in the league, shooting 36.2% from beyond the arc at Ballhalla, compared to 32.3% on the road. Golden State is shooting 42.1% from the field, which ranks last in the league and drops even further, to 41.9%, on the road. The Valkyries have surpassed their win total (23) and home win total (14) from their historic inaugural season in 2025, but would be wise to lock in home-court advantage heading into the postseason.
4. Las Vegas Aces (26-13)Previous rank: 4 (⬌)
Record at home: 12-7
The defending champion Aces have performed better on the road this season than at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas. The Aces have the highest field-goal percentage in the league on the road, shooting 49.2% from the field as the visiting team, compared to 47.3% on their home turf.
5. Atlanta Dream (25-13)Previous rank: 5 (⬌)
Record at home: 12-6
The Atlanta Dream clinched a playoff spot behind Angel Reese's 31-point, 14-rebound double-double in the Dream's 99-89 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Aug. 22. The Dream have been consistent at home and on the road this season, although their field-goal percentage is slightly better at the Gateway Center Arena. Their offensive production is also higher at home, averaging 93.7 points compared to 89.3 points per game on the road. The Dream are currently fourth in the standings and have to close the season out on a high note to lock in home-court advantage.
6. New York Liberty (23-15)Previous rank: 6 (⬌)
Record at home:13-5
The New York Liberty know the importance of home-court advantage. The Liberty hosted the 2026 Commissioner's Cup championship at the Barclays Center in June and walked away with the trophy in front of an amped crowd. New York will have some work to do to climb the WNBA standings and host in the playoffs. The Liberty are in sixth place in the standings, three games out of second with six games remaining. If the season were to end today, the Liberty would face the Aces in the first round in a rematch to the Commissioner's Cup.
7. Washington Mystics (22-15)Previous rank: 7 (⬌)
Record at home:13-7
The Washington Mystics have the youngest roster in the league with Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin. But the team's rebuild may be ahead of schedule, as it secured its first playoff berth since 2023. The Mystics are currently in seventh place in the standings and 3.5 games out of the No. 2 position. Washington averages 85.1 points per game at home, about five points more than their road average.
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8. Dallas Wings (22-16)Previous rank: 8 (⬌)
Record at home:12-6
The Dallas Wings are closing in on their first postseason berth since 2023. They will secure the eighth and final playoff spot with a win against the Portland Fire on Tuesday, Aug. 25. Even if the Wings make the playoffs, they won't have home-court advantage and will be on the road to start the first round, but that doesn't seem to be a problem. The Wings have performed slightly better on the road, averaging 89.6 points per game, compared to 87.6 at home in Dallas.
9. Portland Fire (15-22)Previous rank: 9 (⬌)
Record at home:8-11
The Portland Fire's bid to become the second consecutive expansion team to make the playoffs in their inaugural season is on life support. The Fire must defeat the Wings on the road to stay in the postseason race. The Fire have had slightly more success at home at the Moda Center this season with a 8-11 record, compared to a 7-11 road record. Portland is averaging 35.2% from the 3-point line, but that number drops to 32.5% on the road.
10. Chicago Sky (15-23)Previous rank: 11 (⬆1)
Record at home:10-10
Even though they've been eliminated from the playoffs, the Sky have performed relatively well in Chicago and are a .500 team on their home court at Wintrust Arena. Look no further than Sydney Taylor's game-winning 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds left to stave off the Golden State Valkyries' 21-point comeback on Aug. 21. On the road, however, the Sky have struggled with a 5-13 record. The Sky average 6.8 more points per game at home, the largest differential in the league.
11. Phoenix Mercury (13-24)Previous rank: 10 (⬇1)
Record at home:5-12
The Mercury have struggled on their home turf in Phoenix, a head-scratching development after recording a 15-7 record at Mortgage Matchup Center during last season's run to the WNBA Finals. Phoenix has been mathematically eliminated from the postseason with seven regular-season games remaining, becoming the first team to miss the playoffs after reaching the WNBA Finals the season before since 2008. "It's definitely disappointing. Definitely not what we anticipated for the season," Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas said.
12. Los Angeles Sparks (13-25)Previous rank: 12 (⬌)
Record at home:6-13
The Los Angeles Sparks haven't made the playoffs since 2020 and that drought isn't going to end this season after they were eliminated from the postseason yet again. The Sparks rank bottom three in the league in defensive rating (112.1) and have consistently struggled at home and on the road (7-12).
13. Toronto Tempo (11-26)Previous rank: 13 (⬌)
Record at home:7-13
After a 6-5 start to the Tempo's inaugural season, the injuries ravaged Toronto, which has won five game since. The Tempo snapped their 12-game losing streak with a 82-79 win over the Portland Fire on Aug. 21, but it's too little too late for the playoffs. The Tempo has performed better on Canadian soil this season with seven of their 11 wins coming at home.
14. Connecticut Sun (9-27)Previous rank: 14 (⬌)
Record at home:6-12
Wins have been hard to come by for the Connecticut Sun, whether the team is at home or on the road. The Sun have won twice as many games at Mohegan Sun Arena than on the road in the franchise's final season Connecticut.
15. Seattle Storm (7-31)Previous rank: 15 (⬌)
Record at home:5-13
The 2026 WNBA season hasn't gone well for the Storm. They've won five games at the Climate Pledge Arena, compared to two wins all season on the road.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WNBA power rankings: Who has the biggest home-court advantage?
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