Your information to Sunday's first-round WNBA playoff video games – ESPN

Breanna Stewart finishes with 18 factors because the Liberty high the Mercury in time beyond regulation to win Sport 1. (1:43)
The WNBA playoffs are underway. The primary spherical tipped off Sunday because the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx and 3-seed Atlanta Dream opened with Sport 1 dwelling victories.
Fifth-seeded New York then wanted time beyond regulation to knock off 4-seed Phoenix and steal again home-court benefit — although Breanna Stewart appeared to injure her left knee towards the tip of the sport.
Within the nightcap, the Las Vegas Aces routed the Seattle Storm.
ESPN breaks down every thing we noticed Sunday, with postgame evaluation on every sport.
MORE: Playoff predictions | Strengths, flaws for every team | Top 25 players | Schedule
Watch the Sport Highlights from Las Vegas Aces vs. Seattle Storm, 09/14/2025
Remaining: Las Vegas 102, Seattle 77
What the win means for Las Vegas: The Aces stretched their successful streak to 17 video games and confirmed why they’ve sustained it. Their confidence is rising, and so they’re the healthiest and deepest they have been all season.
Each participant mixture for the Aces labored. A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young have been their traditional selves, combining for 47 factors, 14 rebounds and 9 assists. They’ve been the celebs of the successful streak — and now the gamers round them are excelling, too.
Jewell Loyd, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus and Dana Evans introduced power off the bench and mixed for 34 factors. The Aces’ starters headed to the bench with about 5 minutes left within the sport and the victory all however secured.
The Aces enhance to 7-0 in first-round video games below Becky Hammon, who took over as coach in 2022.
What the loss means for Seattle: The Storm have been swept within the first spherical by Las Vegas final 12 months, and so they’re midway to the identical destiny. They have been outplayed in each facet, and it led to the franchise’s largest loss within the playoffs, eclipsing Seattle’s 23-point defeat to Los Angeles in 2019.
The Storm get to go dwelling, and so they want a spark from their followers as a result of they’d none Sunday.
Can Seattle discover something that works towards the Aces for Sport 2? The Storm haven’t got a lot time to determine it out, with Sport 2 on Tuesday. However the Storm should determine the way to transfer the ball higher towards the Aces. That is not straightforward with how Las Vegas has been enjoying protection for greater than the previous month. However Sunday, Seattle had simply 25 factors within the first half, tied for its fewest in a playoff half in franchise historical past. Trailing by 20 at that time, the sport already appeared over.
Seattle has to return out with extra hearth in Sport 2, set up its submit sport (Wilson dominated the Storm offensively and defensively) and guard the 3-point line higher. In essence, the Storm want a special sport from what they performed Sunday. — Michael Voepel
Remaining: New York 76, Phoenix 69
What the win means for New York: The defending champs reclaimed home-court benefit after ending because the No. 5 seed within the common season, however the work is much from executed. New York should full the sweep at Barclays Heart on Wednesday or face the prospect of successful a deciding Sport 3 again in Phoenix.
The most important concern over the subsequent three days would be the well being of former MVP Breanna Stewart, who left the sport in time beyond regulation after showing to endure a knee harm whereas making an attempt a shot. Stewart stayed in to shoot the free throw and for the subsequent minute of play was in apparent ache. The truth that she was unable to complete a sport that was nonetheless very a lot within the steadiness is a troubling indicator for Stewart’s availability going ahead, although New York will know much more after operating assessments.
One bit of fine information: This is not the identical knee on which Stewart had offseason meniscus surgical procedure and extra just lately was sidelined for practically a month resulting from a bone bruise. Each of these accidents have been to her proper knee.
Watch the Sport Highlights from Phoenix Mercury vs. New York Liberty, 09/14/2025
What the loss means for Phoenix: The Mercury will face elimination on Wednesday. As admirably as they competed on protection, holding New York to 42% taking pictures and forcing 20 turnovers, they simply could not rating sufficient. They solely shot worse than Sunday’s 32.5% as soon as in the course of the 44-game common season.
Particularly, Phoenix may use extra offense from All-Star Satou Sabally, who suffered by means of a dreadful taking pictures sport in her postseason debut for the workforce. Sabally missed her closing 13 shot makes an attempt and has solely missed extra whole (15) photographs as soon as in her WNBA profession. She has now shot a mixed 4-for-32 (12.5%) in her previous two playoff video games.
One doable adjustment for coach Nate Tibbetts: favoring harmful reserve Sami Whitcomb over starter Monique Akoa Makani, giving New York much less means to cover Sabrina Ionescu on protection. The Mercury have been plus-7 in Whitcomb’s 20 minutes of play.

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Will the bench battle favor Phoenix in Sport 2? Kennedy Burke was a contender for Sixth Participant of the Yr and Emma Meesseman is among the world’s finest gamers — however on Sunday it was the Mercury’s second unit that shone, outscoring the Liberty reserves 21-2. DeWanna Bonner scored double digits, and though Whitcomb did not shoot particularly effectively, her ground spacing opened issues up for Alyssa Thomas.
It is onerous to anticipate this pattern to proceed. Meesseman could not get something going, taking pictures 1-of-6 from the sphere. Meesseman shot worse than 50% simply thrice in 17 regular-season video games. The narrative that position gamers play higher at house is overstated — all people performs higher at dwelling, together with stars — however the Liberty ought to anticipate higher bench play in Sport 2. — Kevin Pelton
Remaining: Atlanta 80, Indiana 68
What the win means for Atlanta: The Dream earned their first playoff win since 2018 and are one victory away from advancing to the semifinals, the place they’d face the winner of Aces-Storm. Karl Smesko’s arrival this offseason revamped Atlanta’s offense, however what went a bit extra below the radar was how the Dream have additionally been a robust defensive unit. They confirmed that Sunday, irritating Indiana into 15 or fewer factors within the second and fourth frames and slowing down their high-powered offense for giant stretches of the sport.
Watch the Sport Highlights from Atlanta Dream vs. Indiana Fever, 09/14/2025
Atlanta entered the postseason with 149 mixed playoff video games on the roster, third-fewest within the discipline, however confirmed no indicators of an absence of expertise, notably within the fourth quarter because the Dream saved their foot on the gasoline and ran away with the win.
Traditionally, groups that win Sport 1 in a best-of-three have gained the sequence 71% of the time, with a sequence file of 85-34.
What the loss means for Indiana: After being swept final season, the Fever stay winless within the postseason relationship to 2016. Due to the change in playoff format, they may host Sport 2 in Indianapolis on Tuesday. They’ve handled a number of adversity this offseason with all of the season-ending accidents, so this loss is solely the newest problem in retaining their season alive.
The shorthanded Fever may additionally use ahead Damiris Dantas (concussion protocol) to return by Sport 2 to shore up their depth towards a gifted Dream frontcourt.
X issue for Sport 2: Kelsey Mitchell put up a playoff-career excessive 27 factors in Sport 1, however who else will step up for the Fever on offense? Solely Odyssey Sims additionally completed in double figures, and the bench generated simply 5 factors exterior of rubbish time. After taking pictures 8-for-17 within the first body, Indiana did not make greater than six discipline targets in any subsequent quarter, ending with a 34.9% clip from the sphere and 2-for-15 taking pictures from 3.
Indiana has proven itself able to producing 4 or 5 double-digit scorers, however is that too tall a job with its depth depleted towards a protection like Atlanta’s? If not, the Fever’s protection have to be manner sharper to even the sequence.
Indiana may also want higher composure down the stretch than it had Sunday, the place (partly over frustration towards officiating) the wheels got here off within the fourth quarter. — Alexa Philippou
Remaining: Minnesota 101, Golden State 72
What the win means for Minnesota: The Lynx took management within the second quarter. After trailing by six on the finish of the primary, the Lynx opened the second quarter on a 15-5 run, outscored the Valkyries 26-12 within the interval and led 47-40 at halftime.
Natisha Hiedeman, a candidate for Sixth Participant of the Yr, supplied the Lynx with an enormous activate the bench, as she has executed all season. The momentum shifted as quickly as she checked into the sport with 3:43 left within the first quarter. Hiedeman completed the sport with a career-high 18 factors in 23 minutes.
The Lynx by no means appeared again, outscoring the Valkyries 54-34 by means of the ultimate two quarters to maneuver one sport away from returning to the semifinals.
The Lynx cruise in Sport 1 as they take a 1-0 sequence lead over the Valkyries.
What the loss means for Golden State: The Valkyries path 0-1 within the sequence as they return to the Bay Space — the place they may play on the SAP Heart in San Jose as an alternative of the Chase Heart in San Francisco. It is a tall job to sluggish the Lynx, however there have been flashes at this time of what may steal them a sport this sequence and keep away from a sweep.
Golden State entered the playoffs ranked twelfth within the league in 3-point proportion, however the Valkyries had one among their finest taking pictures durations of the season Sunday. They shot 5-of-8 (62.5%) from past the arc and held Minnesota to 8-of-20 from the ground on the different finish. They have been creating beauty, not simply hoisting up photographs and hoping for one of the best. To even the sequence, they’ve to duplicate this sort of offense and take management of the sport once more.

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X issue for Sport 2: Bench manufacturing might be an enormous consider both the Valkyries forcing a Sport 3 or the Lynx sweeping the sequence. Golden State’s second unit scored six factors till the benches have been cleared with 3:37 left within the sport — all by Kate Martin. Its bench completed with 17, whereas Minnesota received 42 factors from its second unit. Hiedeman had 18, whereas Jessica Shepard added 12 factors and DiJonai Carrington, who had missed the previous 4 video games with a shoulder harm, completed with six factors on two made 3-pointers.
The Valkyries want extra from these bench minutes and might’t solely depend on their starters in the event that they wish to make it previous the primary spherical. — Kendra Andrews

Earlier than the primary spherical opened, ESPN writers Kendra Andrews, Sean Hurd, Myron Medcalf, Eric Moody, Neil Paine, Kevin Pelton, Alexa Philippou, Andre Snellings and Michael Voepel predicted how every best-of-three sequence would finish. Click here for picks for the whole WNBA playoffs.

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