WNBA Playoff Bracket 2021: Semifinals Matchups, TV, Live Stream Schedule

Home-court advantage didn't count for much in the second round of the 2021 WNBA playoffs.

The Phoenix Mercury went on the road to beat the defending champion Seattle Storm in overtime. The Chicago Sky followed up by going into Minneapolis and earning a double-digit victory over the Minnesota Lynx.

As a result of those games, the best-of-five semifinals are confirmed. The Sky will meet the top-seeded Connecticut Sun, and the Mercury will play the Las Vegas Aces.

WNBA Playoff Bracket

WNBA Semifinals Schedule

No. 1 Connecticut Sun vs. No. 6 Chicago Sky

Game 1: Sky vs. Sun; Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

Game 2: Sky vs. Sun; Sept. 30 at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

Game 3: Sun vs. Sky; Oct. 3 at TBD

Game 4: Sun vs. Sky; Oct. 6 at TBD

Game 5: Sky vs. Sun; Oct. 8 at TBD

No. 2 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 5 Phoenix Mercury

Game 1: Mercury vs. Aces; Sept. 28 at 10 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

Game 2: Mercury vs. Aces; Sept. 30 at 10 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

Game 3: Aces vs. Mercury; Oct. 3 at TBD

Game 4: Aces vs. Mercury; Oct. 6 at TBD 

Game 5: Mercury vs. Aces; Oct. 8 at TBD

Preview

The obvious challenge ahead for Sky head coach James Wade is figuring out how to score against an opponent that has four All-Defensive honorees.

The Sun boasted the league's best defensive rating (91.7), per WNBA.com. They held opponents to 40.9 percent shooting from the field and 31.0 percent from beyond the arc.

Depending on how this year's playoffs shake out, Connecticut has the potential to be an all-time great team on defense.

Chicago claimed a 2-1 edge on the Sun during the regular season, but MVP front-runner Jonquel Jones was absent in all three of those contests. Jones took a break midseason to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina at EuroBasket Women 2021.

Jones averaged 19.4 points, 11.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks during the regular season. She was also fifth in effective field-goal percentage (57.1) and true shooting percentage (61.4), per Basketball Reference.

Mitigating Jones' impact on both ends of the floor will be a top priority for Chicago.

The Sky's hopes of pulling off an upset will likely hinge on the performance of Diamond DeShields.

In terms of pure talent, the Sky can match up with anybody else in the WNBA. The issue has been getting all of that talent to equal the sum of its parts, and DeShields is a case in point.

The 26-year-old has yet to enjoy her long-awaited breakthrough. She shot a career-worst 38.6 percent from the floor and continued to struggle from the perimeter (28.9 percent).

But DeShields showed Sunday how she has the tools to be a dynamic contributor off the bench, putting up 14 points, three rebounds and two steals in 18:41 on the floor against the Lynx. A collective effort will be required to topple the Sun, and DeShields has a part to play in that regard.

On the other side of the semifinals, Phoenix's second-round win could be cause for concern.

The Storm didn't have 2018 MVP Breanna Stewart, and Jewell Loyd shot just 5-of-24 from the field. And yet, Seattle was one Ezi Magbegor shot attempt away from winning in regulation and sending the Mercury packing.

The questions surrounding the Mercury are much the same as they've been for the last few years: Do they have the depth to go all the way, and can an opposing team successfully drag Brittney Griner away from the basket?

The bench is an area where Las Vegas has a clear advantage.

Dearica Hamby is the two-time reigning Sixth Woman of the Year, and she may hand the throne over to teammate Kelsey Plum this season. Together, they averaged 26.4 points.

Shey Peddy, Sophie Cunningham and Kia Vaughn—the three players who saw minutes off the bench for Phoenix on Sunday—put up a combined 15.9 points per game.

The Aces also have the pieces to make Griner's life difficult and wear her down over the course of a five-game series.

Liz Cambage made a cameo in the season finale after missing time due to the WNBA's COVID-19 protocols. The 6'8" center should be good physically to shoulder a big offensive load inside.

Reigning MVP A'ja Wilson, meanwhile, nearly averaged a double-double (16.3 points, 9.0 rebounds) in three meetings against the Mercury.

In Chelsea Gray, the Aces have a dimension to their offense they lacked during their 2020 Finals run. The absence of a true playmaker in the starting lineup was a glaring flaw one season ago.

Gray dished out 5.9 assists per game in her first year with the team, delivering exactly what head coach Bill Laimbeer was expecting.

When it comes to counteracting Griner, the four-time All-Star has the vision and skill to exploit her in the pick-and-roll.