Alright, playoff hoops is officially back, and Game 1 gave us exactly what the WNBA postseason does best: pressure, pace swings, and a couple of performances that slap you awake even if you thought you had the script figured out. All eight teams were in action Sunday, and the bracket has some early dents already.
Updated bracket picture
The first round is a best-of-three, so every opener matters. One bad night can put you on the edge fast, even though last postseason showed comebacks are possible when the pressure cranks up.
First round: Game 1 results (Sunday, Sept. 27)
- New York Liberty lead Minnesota Lynx 1-0 after a 91-75 win
- Las Vegas Aces lead Indiana Fever 1-0 after a 102-85 win
- Atlanta Dream lead Washington Mystics 1-0 after a 92-77 win
- Golden State Valkyries lead Dallas Wings 1-0 after a 104-80 win
Next step is simple: the teams up 1-0 come out hunting a sweep, and the teams down 0-1 are already in survival mode.
Liberty stun Lynx: 91-75
If you needed a reminder that seeding does not guard anybody, New York delivered it. The Liberty opened the series against the top-seeded Lynx and took Game 1 with a mature, composed performance that got louder as the game went on.
It also came after a regular season that was arguably the quietest Liberty star Breanna Stewart has had since entering the league in 2016. She rarely factored into the MVP race, and New York slipped to eighth in the standings.
Then Stewart flipped the whole vibe with a monster line: 34 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks. When she is playing at that level, the Liberty look like a different team entirely, the kind that can make a series feel uncomfortable for a favorite in a hurry.
Minnesota actually found some footing and went into halftime up 44-40, but the Liberty owned the third-quarter momentum and never really let the Lynx settle into a clean rhythm afterward. Minnesota’s veteran duo of Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride combined for 26 points, and rookie guard Olivia Miles had a rough playoff debut, going 3-of-12 with four turnovers and one assist.
Wilson brings the hammer: 102-85
Some playoff performances are great. Some are clarifying. A’ja Wilson’s Game 1 was the second kind, the type that tells both teams exactly where the matchup stress lives.
Wilson finished with 38 points and 16 rebounds, shooting an absurd 15-of-19 from the field and hitting both of her three-point attempts. It was her 26th career postseason double-double. Indiana threw bodies at her, tried to crowd the paint, tried to change angles. Nothing held.
And when the Aces’ perimeter engine is humming, it is a long night. Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young combined for 35 points and 18 assists, and Las Vegas was plus-27 with each of them on the floor.
Indiana’s path in this series is usually powered by its backcourt punch, but it did not show up in Game 1. Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark went a combined 10-of-33. If that number does not climb, it is tough to see how the Fever keep pace when Wilson is bending the game at both ends.
Dream flip it after half: 92-77
This one was tight until it was not. Washington was right there early, but Atlanta came out of the break like a team that had solved the riddle.
The Dream were led by Rhyne Howard with a game-high 26 points, plus a steady, physical double-double from Angel Reese with 13 points and 12 rebounds. For Washington, Sonia Citron did everything she could to keep it competitive with 25 points and six rebounds.
At halftime, Atlanta was down five. Then the game turned on a single stretch: the Dream dominated the third quarter 29-12, then opened the fourth by scoring the first five points to stretch the cushion even wider. You can survive a bad few minutes in June. In late September, it can cost you the night.
Game 2 shifts to Washington on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET.
Valkyries clinic: 104-80
For one quarter, Dallas was in the neighborhood. Then Golden State slammed the door and double-locked it.
The defining moment was the second quarter, when the Valkyries blitzed the Wings 37-11. That is not a run. That is an avalanche. Golden State had three players hit 20-plus points, led by Cecilia Zandalasini with 22. Paige Bueckers paced Dallas with 21 points and six rebounds.
The efficiency numbers tell the story of how clean Golden State played: 49 percent from the field (36-of-74), 50 percent from three (18-of-36), 22 assists, and just four turnovers. When you take care of the ball like that and you are hitting from deep, you force the other team to play perfect just to stay attached.
Golden State and Dallas run it back Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET.
What I’m watching in Game 2
- Minnesota’s response: The Lynx have too much experience to stay flat. The key is whether they can clean up the guard play and keep New York from dictating the third-quarter tone again.
- Indiana’s shot-making: The Fever do not need perfection, but they do need the Mitchell-Clark combo to look more like a weapon than a grind. Otherwise, Las Vegas can keep playing through Wilson until the series breaks.
- Washington’s counter: That third-quarter swing cannot happen twice. The Mystics need a steadier offensive flow when Atlanta starts pressuring the ball and speeding up decisions.
- Dallas protecting the rock: You cannot beat a hot shooting team while giving away possessions. Golden State’s four-turnover night is the blueprint. Dallas has to make Golden State guard longer and more often.
Quick FAQ
What’s the first-round format?
The first round is best-of-three.
Who landed the biggest early shock?
The biggest early shakeup is New York taking Game 1 from Minnesota with the Lynx entering as the top seed.