The Lynx (14-8) secured the No. 4 seed in the WNBA playoffs and the single bye that comes with it, meaning they will be spectators Tuesday when the playoffs open.
But there is plenty to watch for in the two early matchups in Bradenton, Fla., bubble. The Lynx will play the highest seeded remaining team from the first round on Thursday in a winner-take-all game to advance to the WNBA semifinals.
That opponent will be Phoenix if the Mercury wins its game, or it will the winner of Connecticut vs. Chicago if Washington upsets Phoenix. The Lynx went 2-0 against Chicago and Connecticut this season and 1-1 against Phoenix. Here's a look at Tuesday's two games:
No. 7 seed Connecticut (10-12) vs. No. 6 Chicago (12-10) 6 p.m. in Bradenton, Fla. TV: ESPN2
The matchup: This game features the Sun, which appeared in the WNBA Finals last season, and the Sky, which is making its second straight playoff appearance. The two teams split their two regular-season games and took opposite paths to the playoffs, with the Sun surviving after an 0-5 start and the Sky ending the season on a 2-6 run.
About the Sun: This is a much different team than the one that lost to Washington in the finals last season. Only Alyssa Thomas and Jasmine Thomas are returning starters from that team, with Shekinna Stricklen lost via free agency, Courtney Williams having forced an offseason trade to Atlanta and All-Star center Jonquel Jones sitting out the season because of coronavirus concerns.
The Sun added high-scoring forward DeWanna Bonner via free agency but started the season without guard Briann January. The Sun has struggled to score — it is 10th in the league in scoring (80.4), but it's second in points allowed (79.9) and fourth (44.3) in opponent field goal percentage.
About the Sky: The Sky started the season 10-4 and looked like it would compete for a top playoff seed. But then Azura Stevens was lost to a knee injury and Diamond DeShields left the WNBA bubble for personal reasons in late August. The Sky promptly lost five of six games before ending a four-game losing streak with a 95-88 victory over Dallas in the final regular-season game.