WNBA playoffs: The tide is high

The GIST: Semifinals, here we come. The No. 3 Connecticut Sun punched their ticket with a convincing Wednesday win over the No. 6 Dallas Wings, setting up a couple of top-four seed best-of-five matchups. Getcha popcorn ready.

No. 1 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 4 Seattle Storm: A rematch of the 2020 Finals, this series is loaded with starpower, highlighted by All-Star captains and MVP contenders Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson and Seattle’s Breanna Stewart.

• The Aces won the regular season series 3-1 and are high-rolling after a historic three-point shooting display in the first round. Along with Wilson, expect Chelsea Gray to stay hot as they chase a first franchise championship.

• As for the Storm, GOAT Sue Bird is clearly hungry to go out on top — she posted a season-high 18 points in their semis-clinching win. She’ll need to keep it going against this stacked Las Vegas squad. Tip-off is Sunday at 4 p.m. ET. Counting down the hours.

No. 2 Chicago Sky vs. No. 3 Connecticut Sun: After both teams went all three games in their first-round matchups, this 2021 semis rematch is destined for thrilling finishes, especially considering their four regular season clashes were decided by single digits. To quote Eminem, our palms are already sweaty.

• The defending champ Sky won all four of those meetings and are right back in their groove after a stunning playoff-opening loss in round one. Plus, this team is deep — six players scored in double digits in Tuesday’s elimination win. Clutch.

• Meanwhile, the Sun looked disjointed in their Wednesday dub but received a major boost in veteran DeWanna Bonner’s 21-point outburst. They’ll rely on that experience to flip the script when this series tips Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.