Show the numbers
| Team | 10 May | 17 May | 24 May | 31 May | 7 Jun | 14 Jun | 21 Jun | 28 Jun | 5 Jul | 12 Jul | 19 Jul | 26 Jul | 2 Aug | 9 Aug | 16 Aug | 23 Aug | 30 Aug |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Lynx | 10 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Golden State Valkyries | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Las Vegas Aces | 9 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Indiana Fever | 11 | 9 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Atlanta Dream | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Dallas Wings | 4 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 |
| New York Liberty | 1 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| Washington Mystics | 7 | 6 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| Portland Fire | 13 | 12 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Chicago Sky | 3 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Los Angeles Sparks | 14 | 14 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 11 |
| Phoenix Mercury | 6 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 |
| Toronto Tempo | 12 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Connecticut Sun | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Seattle Storm | 8 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
Why?
Minnesota Lynx were 10th after each of the first two weeks and top of the table every week from 31 May. I wanted to follow the table week by week, to see how a slow start became 14 weeks on top.
From 10th to the top
Minnesota Lynx lost their first game by a point and were 10th after each of the first two weeks, at 0–1 and then 2–2. Three different teams led in those first three weeks: New York Liberty, Las Vegas Aces and Atlanta Dream. Minnesota won their next four games and reached 3rd on 24 May. On 31 May, at 6–2, Minnesota went top. No team moved them for the rest of the regular season.
- position, 17 May to 31 May
- 10th → 1st
- weeks in a row on top
- 14
- 31 May–30 Aug
- point differential, 40 games
- +315
- 3,652 for · 3,337 against
The margin behind the wins
A team's point differentialPoints scored minus points conceded, over all 40 regular-season games. Derived from the final scores; the feed does not publish it. is the sum of all its winning and losing margins. Minnesota's +315 was the league's best, 7.9 points a game, and Golden State Valkyries were next on +288.
The table and the margins mostly line up. The exception is Washington Mystics: 8th at 24–16, with a differential of −8, the only team in the top eight below zero. Indiana Fever (+242) and Atlanta Dream (+204) both had a bigger differential than Las Vegas Aces (+163), who finished above them on wins.
Show the numbers
| Position | Team | Won–lost | For | Against | Differential | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota Lynx | 31–9 | 3,652 | 3,337 | +315 | +7.9 |
| 2 | Golden State Valkyries | 29–11 | 3,305 | 3,017 | +288 | +7.2 |
| 3 | Las Vegas Aces | 27–13 | 3,624 | 3,461 | +163 | +4.1 |
| 4 | Indiana Fever | 26–14 | 3,880 | 3,638 | +242 | +6.1 |
| 5 | Atlanta Dream | 26–14 | 3,632 | 3,428 | +204 | +5.1 |
| 6 | Dallas Wings | 24–16 | 3,560 | 3,414 | +146 | +3.7 |
| 7 | New York Liberty | 24–16 | 3,593 | 3,474 | +119 | +3.0 |
| 8 | Washington Mystics | 24–16 | 3,313 | 3,321 | −8 | −0.2 |
| 9 | Portland Fire | 16–24 | 3,463 | 3,642 | −179 | −4.5 |
| 10 | Chicago Sky | 15–25 | 3,467 | 3,587 | −120 | −3.0 |
| 11 | Los Angeles Sparks | 15–25 | 3,494 | 3,672 | −178 | −4.4 |
| 12 | Phoenix Mercury | 14–26 | 3,367 | 3,490 | −123 | −3.1 |
| 13 | Toronto Tempo | 11–29 | 3,449 | 3,751 | −302 | −7.5 |
| 14 | Connecticut Sun | 10–30 | 3,158 | 3,511 | −353 | −8.8 |
| 15 | Seattle Storm | 8–32 | 3,314 | 3,528 | −214 | −5.3 |
Across the league the median margin was 9 points. 31 games were decided by one or two points. Another 49 were decided by 20 or more. The biggest was Las Vegas Aces 106, Phoenix Mercury 58 on 11 July.
Hot runs, cold runs
Minnesota's 10 straight wins, from 8 July to 2 August, were the longest run of the season. Golden State Valkyries won 9 in a row, New York Liberty 8 and Washington Mystics 7.
At the other end, Toronto Tempo lost 12 in a row between 14 July and 19 August. Seattle Storm lost 11 in a row twice. Figure 3 has every run of seven or more, with the dates.
Show the numbers
| Team | Longest winning run | Dates | Longest losing run | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Lynx | 10 | 8 Jul–2 Aug | 2 | 3 Jul–6 Jul, 24 Aug–30 Aug |
| Golden State Valkyries | 9 | 24 Jun–18 Jul | 2 | 4 Jun–6 Jun, 19 Jun–21 Jun, 20 Jul–29 Jul, 19 Aug–21 Aug |
| Las Vegas Aces | 6 | 31 May–13 Jun | 2 | 23 May–28 May, 8 Aug–9 Aug, 15 Aug–18 Aug |
| Indiana Fever | 5 | 17 Jul–31 Jul, 8 Aug–18 Aug | 2 | 28 May–30 May, 18 Jun–20 Jun, 2 Aug–6 Aug, 20 Aug–22 Aug |
| Atlanta Dream | 5 | 13 Jul–31 Jul | 5 | 24 Jun–4 Jul |
| Dallas Wings | 6 | 2 Jul–19 Jul | 3 | 5 Aug–9 Aug |
| New York Liberty | 8 | 27 May–17 Jun | 4 | 7 Jul–18 Jul |
| Washington Mystics | 7 | 20 Jul–9 Aug | 2 | 18 May–24 May, 6 Jun–8 Jun, 24 Jun–26 Jun, 16 Jul–18 Jul, 11 Aug–13 Aug |
| Portland Fire | 3 | 23 May–27 May | 5 | 18 Jul–2 Aug |
| Chicago Sky | 3 | 16 Aug–21 Aug | 6 | 7 Jun–22 Jun |
| Los Angeles Sparks | 3 | 21 May–29 May, 7 Jun–13 Jun | 6 | 13 Jul–28 Jul, 9 Aug–20 Aug |
| Phoenix Mercury | 3 | 24 Jun–2 Jul, 19 Jul–29 Jul | 6 | 19 May–1 Jun |
| Toronto Tempo | 2 | 17 May–19 May, 27 May–30 May, 7 Jun–10 Jun | 12 | 14 Jul–19 Aug |
| Connecticut Sun | 2 | 22 Jun–26 Jun, 14 Jul–17 Jul | 7 | 2 Jun–19 Jun |
| Seattle Storm | 2 | 22 May–24 May, 25 Jun–27 Jun | 11 | 27 May–22 Jun, 9 Jul–8 Aug |
Home court, month by month
Home teams won 161 of the 300 games, 53.7%. Home teams scored 88.0 points a game to the away side's 86.2. The share moved from month to month:
| Month | Games | Home won | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| May | 63 | 26 | 41.3% |
| June | 81 | 50 | 61.7% |
| July | 71 | 36 | 50.7% |
| August | 85 | 49 | 57.6% |
Team by team, every split is 20 games, so one or two results move it a long way. Within those samples, Minnesota won more away than at home, 17–3 against 14–6. Seattle Storm won 2 of their 20 away games. Chicago Sky scored 7.8 more points a game at home than away; New York Liberty scored 5.5 fewer.
And the last 30 games?
These numbers were read on 15 September 2026 and stop at 30 August. Another 30 regular-season fixtures were listed from 17 September, US time, after that, and nothing on this page says how they went. I want to add those games next, to see where every team finishes the regular season.
Summary
- Minnesota Lynx
- 10thafter weeks 1 and 21stevery week from 31 May
- Best record
- 31–9Minnesota, +31529–11Golden State, +288
- Longest run
- 10Minnesota wins12Toronto losses
The working
Definitions, sources and when the numbers were read
- Table
- Win percentage, then point differential, then team abbreviation. Not the WNBA's official tiebreak, which starts with head-to-head. Indiana and Atlanta (26–14), Dallas, New York and Washington (24–16), and Chicago and Los Angeles (15–25) are level on wins, and the league may order them differently.
- Weeks
- Position after the last game of each Monday–Sunday week on US Eastern dates, labelled with that Sunday: 17 weeks, 10 May to 30 August.
- Games
- 300 regular-season games; every team played 40, 20 at home and 20 away. The 30 June Commissioner's Cup final is not counted. The fixtures after the break have placeholder scores and are in no figure.
- Differential
- Points for minus points against, all 40 games. Derived from the final scores.
- Streaks
- Consecutive wins or losses, recomputed from each team's game-by-game record.
- Home and away
- Home is the side the feed lists as home. Every team split is a 20-game sample.
- Read
- 15 September 2026, from Punt's database. Completed games only.
- Not in this article
- The playoffs, where anyone finishes after the break, or anything about prices.
- Sources and terms
- Every source Punt uses, with its licence, is on Credits. The terms are defined in the Glossary, and the methodology page sets out where every number comes from and the rules it follows.