After the Las Vegas Aces’ victory at the Golden State Valkyries last Wednesday, A’ja Wilson acknowledged she checks the WNBA standings every day — sometimes multiple times a day with individual games often affecting the 1-13 order.

The Minnesota Lynx sit comfortably atop the league with a little more than a month left in the regular season, but the remaining playoff hopefuls are battling it out for seeding and for one of the eight playoff berths. Though the New York Liberty, still without Breanna Stewart, are hanging on to the No. 2 spot by a thread after the Atlanta Dream tied their 20-11 record, the most interesting part of the postseason race is happening further down the board: only 2½ games separate the No. 5 Indiana Fever and the No. 9 Los Angeles Sparks. Wilson’s surging Aces have won six of their past seven games to climb up to the sixth spot just a week after teetering in and out of the postseason picture. And the Seattle Storm have hit a bumpy patch, falling to eighth.

With stakes in seemingly every remaining game, checking the standings daily is likely to become common practice for more than only Wilson.

Previous ranking: 1

Next seven days: vs. NY (Aug. 16)

Despite losing Napheesa Collier for at least two weeks, the Lynx have managed to grind out three wins last week over Seattle, Washington and New York. Kayla McBride, Courtney Williams and Alanna Smith have done a good job supplementing the scoring Minnesota lost when Collier went down against the Aces on Aug. 2, while DiJonai Carrington has found her footing through her first three games since she was traded from Dallas.

Take Minnesota’s game against the Liberty: McBride was able to pass off the defensive assignment of guarding Sabrina Ionescu to Carrington for stretches, helping McBride focus on her offensive game. Carrington has six steals and two blocks through three games and has been a staple player in crunch time, already proving the trust her new team has in her.

---

Previous ranking: 3

Next seven days: @ LA (Aug. 12), @ LV (Aug. 13), @ MIN (Aug. 16)

The Liberty picked up two wins against Dallas — one by nine points and the other by 11, but fell to the Lynx by 12. They’re hoping Breanna Stewart will be able to return from the bone bruise in her right knee by the end of the month, but the August schedule is packed with tough games, and Phoenix and Atlanta are right on New York’s heels in the standings.

Not only are all of their games this week on the road, but the Liberty face the Sparks and Aces on back-to-back days, play the Lynx twice in four days — and still have to play six more games against teams who are in the tight playoff race. All but two of these games are on the road.

---

Previous ranking: 2

Next seven days: @ SEA (Aug. 13), vs. SEA in Vancouver (Aug. 15), @ GS (Aug. 17)

The Dream got what could be their most important win of the season Sunday, beating Phoenix. They now have the same record (20-11) as New York, and are tied with the Liberty for the No. 2 seed. They’re also a full game ahead of the Mercury. That win additionally saw the return of Brittney Griner and Rhyne Howard — the latter of whom had been out since July 17. The one piece of bad news for the Dream is Jordin Canada went down because of an apparent right leg injury in that game.

---

Previous ranking: 5

Next seven days: vs. LV (Aug. 15), @ SEA (Aug. 17)

The Mercury notched wins over Connecticut and Indiana before falling to Atlanta, but their momentum is still trending positively. Alyssa Thomas made history by becoming the first WNBA player to record three consecutive triple-doubles (against Chicago, Connecticut and Indiana), and the chemistry between her, Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper — along with the addition of DeWanna Bonner — still puts the Mercury in a better position than they were a week ago.

---

Previous ranking: 8

Next seven days: vs. NY (Aug. 13), @ PHX (Aug. 15), vs. DAL (Aug. 17)

The Aces’ hot streak — they’ve won six of their past seven games — has seen them climb from being on the fringe of the playoff picture up into the No. 6 seed. A’ja Wilson has continued her MVP campaign, becoming the first player in WNBA history to record a 30-point, 20-rebound game (32 points, 20 rebounds against the Sun). She is also the only player this season to rank in the top five in points, rebounds and blocks per game.

---

Previous ranking: 4

Next seven days: vs. DAL (Aug. 12), vs. WAS (Aug. 15), @ CON (Aug. 17)

The Fever’s roster has been decimated by injuries, most recently Sydney Colson (season-ending ACL) and Aari McDonald (foot) in last week’s loss to Phoenix. Cailtin Clark is also still sidelined because of her groin strain. They did manage to beat Chicago with only eight active players — and then signed Odyssey Sims to a hardship contract — but are reaching the point of needing Clark back sooner than later.

---

Previous ranking: 7

Next seven days: vs. NY (Aug. 12), @ DAL (Aug. 15), @ WAS (Aug. 17)

The Sparks have been jelling since getting healthy. Cameron Brink is averaging 7.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 14 minutes per game, providing a defensive presence, stretching the floor and shooting 46% from 3 since her return from her ACL injury. Los Angeles won three of its four games last week, including a tight contest against Seattle, and is one of the hottest teams in the league. Don’t be surprised if the Sparks continue to climb the rankings.

---

Previous ranking: 9

Next seven days: @ WAS (Aug. 13), @ CHI (Aug. 15), vs. ATL (Aug. 17)

Golden State lost a close one to Las Vegas but handled Los Angeles with no problem, in what coach Natalie Nakase called a must-win game. In doing so, the Valkyries clinched a 3-1 series win and the postseason tiebreaker over a Sparks team that is probably their biggest competition for the eighth seed. In the game, the Valkyries held the Sparks — a team that scored at least 100 points in five of its past six games — to only 59.

---

Previous ranking: 6

Next seven days: vs. ATL (Aug. 13), vs. ATL in Vancouver (Aug. 15), vs. PHX (Aug. 17)

The Storm are navigating a rough stretch that has seen them lose five games in a row, including a gut-wrenching three-point loss to the Sparks — their second close defeat against Los Angeles in 10 days. Seattle has now slipped to the eighth seed, and with games against Atlanta and Phoenix this week, the opportunity to find some positive momentum could be tricky.

Seattle is also in the process of folding in Brittney Sykes after acquiring her in a trade that sent Alysha Clark to Washington. Sykes scored 14 and 27 points in her first two games with the Storm, showing a promising fit with the team. But it’s going to take more than that for Seattle to steady its season.

---

Previous ranking: 10

Next seven days: vs. GS (Aug. 13), @ IND (Aug. 15), vs. LA (Aug. 17)

The Mystics have a new look after trading Brittney Sykes to Seattle and Aaliyah Edwards to Connecticut around the trade deadline. Now, plenty rests on the shoulders of rookies Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron. The Mystics did pick up a much-needed win over Dallas on Sunday to end a four-game skid, but as the race for the final few playoff spots heats up, they need to keep that up.

---

Previous ranking: 11

Next seven days: @ IND (Aug. 12), vs. LA (Aug. 15), @ LV (Aug. 17)

Dallas dropped all three of it games last week: two against the Liberty and another against the Mystics. One of the Liberty games was played without Rookie of the Year favorite Paige Bueckers, who was sidelined because of a back injury. Bueckers described the injury as a “pulled muscle” sustained in the first game against the Liberty. If Dallas wants to find any success through the rest of the season, it needs Bueckers back on the court.

---

Previous ranking: 12

Next seven days: @ CON (Aug. 13), vs. GS (Aug. 15)

The Sky ended an eight-game losing streak with a 14-point win over Washington but followed that up with losses to Atlanta and to short-handed Indiana. The biggest question for Chicago revolves around the return of Angel Reese. Coach Tyler Marsh told reporters the All-Star has “stepped away” from the team to focus on rehab for a back injury, but she is “progressing.”

---

Previous ranking: 13

Next seven days: vs. CHI (Aug. 13), vs. IND (Aug. 17)

The Sun acquired Aaliyah Edwards in a trade with the Mystics that sent Jacy Sheldon to Washington. Getting Edwards gives Connecticut a talented young player who helps bolster its frontcourt. But as it dropped all four games last week, to Phoenix, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Golden State, these moves are more geared toward future success than anything immediate.