WNBA playoff picture still jumbled as Chicago, Atlanta, Washington vying for 8th seed

The WNBA playoff picture is still jumbled with the final postseason spot coming down to three teams — Chicago, Atlanta and Washington.

All three teams will play each other at least once over the last nine days of the season. The Mystics face both the Sky and Dream this week, including a home-and-home set against Atlanta. Chicago visits Atlanta next Tuesday.

The Sky have a one-game advantage over the Dream and a two-game lead over the Mystics, though they lost star rookie Angel Reese for the season with a wrist injury.

The reward for securing the eighth seed is most likely a trip to New York to face the Liberty. New York has a three-game lead on second-place Minnesota with five games to play. The two teams will meet Sunday in New York.

Making the playoffs also has other implications for Chicago and Atlanta. The Dallas Wings have the option to swap first round picks with Chicago from an earlier trade. Atlanta traded its first round pick to Washington.

The eighth spot isn't the only seed still up for grabs. The rest of the playoff picture is slowly starting to come into focus. The Lynx have a one-game lead over Connecticut for the No. 2 seed. Las Vegas has a one-game advantage over Seattle for the fourth spot.

Caitlin Clark has helped Indiana rise to the No. 6 seed. The Fever trail Seattle by 1 1/2 games for the fifth seed and lead Phoenix by two games.

New York remains in the top spot in this week's AP WNBA power poll with Minnesota right behind them. Las Vegas flipped places with Connecticut to move up to third. Indiana, Seattle and Phoenix stayed in fifth, sixth and seventh. Chicago and Washington were next with Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles rounding out the poll.

Clark had another strong week, averaging 25 points, 10 assists and 7.7 rebounds to help the Fever win two of their three games. The star rookie helped Indiana rally from a double-digit deficit in the third quarter. Indiana hosts a pair of games against Las Vegas and one against Dallas this week.

Leonie Fiebich has routinely been on the court to close out games for the New York Liberty. The 6-foot-4 rookie from Germany provides length on the defensive end and a solid all-around offensive game. She averaged 6 points, 4.5 rebounds and three steals in New York's close wins over Seattle and Las Vegas last week.

Napheesa Collier had another impressive pair of games to earn AP Player of the Week honors as the Lynx star averaged 22.5 points, 11 rebounds and 1.5 blocks to help Minnesota win both its games and remain in the hunt for the No. 1 seed. Indiana's Aliyah Boston and Las Vegas' Kelsey Plum also received votes.

Washington vs. Atlanta, Friday and Sunday. The teams will play a home-and-home set on Friday and Sunday with the first game in Atlanta. They split the first two meetings this season with each winning on the road.

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) shoots and is fouled by Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso (10) during the second half of an WNBA basketball game, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, in Las Vegas. L (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Las Vegas Aces guard Tiffany Hayes drives toward the hoop against Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, back left, and guard Lindsay Allen, right, during the second half of an WNBA basketball game, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, in Las Vegas. L (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12) steals the ball from Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard (10) during the first half of an WNBA basketball game Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Atlanta Dream guard Haley Jones (13) makes a rebound by teammate Allisha Gray (15) during the first half of an WNBA basketball game against the Las Vegas Aces Friday, Aug. 30, 2024 in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

CENTERVILLE, Mass. (AP) — Members of the Kennedy family gathered Monday for the funeral of Ethel Kennedy, the wife of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.

Ethel Kennedy, who raised their 11 children after her husband was assassinated and remained dedicated to social causes and the family’s legacy, died on Thursday at age 96.

Monday's funeral, which was closed to the public, took place at Our Lady of Victory, in Centerville, Massachusetts, about 28 miles (45 kilometers) north of Boston.

Mourners gathered at the church under a cool gray sky. Ethel Kennedy died following complications related to a stroke suffered earlier this month.

“Along with a lifetime’s work in social justice and human rights, our mother leaves behind nine children, 34 grandchildren and 24 great-great-grandchildren, along with numerous nieces and nephews, all of whom love her dearly,” the family statement said in announcing her death.

President Joe Biden called her “an American icon — a matriarch of optimism and moral courage, an emblem of resilience and service.”

The Kennedy matriarch, mother to Kathleen, Joseph II, Robert Jr., David, Courtney, Michael, Kerry, Christopher, Max, Douglas and Rory, was one of the last remaining members of a family generation that included President John F. Kennedy. Her family said she had recently enjoyed seeing many of her relatives before falling ill.

A millionaire’s daughter who married the future senator and attorney general in 1950, Ethel Kennedy had endured more death by the age of 40, for the whole world to see, than most people would in a lifetime.

She was by Robert F. Kennedy’s side when he was fatally shot in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968, just after winning California’s Democratic presidential primary. Her brother-in-law had been assassinated in Dallas less than five years earlier.

Ethel Kennedy went on to found the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights soon after her husband’s death and advocated for causes including gun control and human rights. She rarely spoke about her husband’s assassination.

Former Massachusetts U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy II, center right, son of the late Ethel Kennedy, arrives at Our Lady of Victory church, for Ethel Kennedy's funeral, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

FILE - Robert F. Kennedy, 38-year-old American attorney general and brother of the late U.S. President, John F. Kennedy, is accompanied by his wife Ethel, leaving the U.S. Embassy for the airport in London, Jan. 25, 1964, to fly to Derbyshire to visit the grave of his sister who died in 1947 in a plane crash. (AP Photo/Laurence Harris, File)

Joseph Kennedy III, center right, grandson of the late Ethel Kennedy arrives at Our Lady of Victory church, for Ethel Kennedy's funeral, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

FILE - Ethel Kennedy, from the film "Ethel," poses for a portrait during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Victoria Will, File)

Pallbearers Max Kennedy, left, Chris Kennedy, behind center left, both sons of the late Ethel Kennedy, and Matt Kennedy, center front, and, Joseph Kennedy III, front second from right, both grandsons of Ethel Kennedy, carry her casket from Our Lady of Victory church, following funeral services, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Centerville, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)