Sep 14, 2025, 05:45 PM ET
The WNBA playoffs are underway. The first round tipped off Sunday as the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx and 3-seed Atlanta Dream opened with Game 1 home victories.
The postseason now shifts to Phoenix, where the Mercury host the reigning champion New York Liberty.
How will the first round play out? What games are we most looking forward to, which players might step up, and which matchups will have the most impact? ESPN breaks down what to expect — and provides postgame analysis on every game Sunday.
MORE: Playoff predictions | Strengths, flaws for every team | Top 25 players | Schedule
Sunday schedule
5 p.m. ET (ESPN): No. 5 seed New York Liberty at No. 4 seed Phoenix Mercury
10 p.m. ET (ESPN): No. 7 seed Seattle Storm at No. 2 seed Las Vegas Aces
Final: 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, where they’d face the winner of Aces-Storm. Karl Smesko’s arrival this offseason revamped Atlanta’s offense, but what went a bit more under the radar was how the Dream have also been a strong defensive unit. They showed that Sunday, frustrating Indiana into 15 or fewer points in the second and fourth frames and slowing down their high-powered offense for large stretches of the game.
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Atlanta entered the postseason with 149 combined playoff games on the roster, third-fewest in the field, but showed no signs of a lack of experience, particularly in the fourth quarter as the Dream kept their foot on the gas and ran away with the win.
Historically, teams that win Game 1 in a best-of-three have won the series 71% of the time, with a series record of 85-34.
What the loss means for Indiana: After being swept last season, the Fever remain winless in the postseason dating to 2016. Thanks to the change in playoff format, they will host Game 2 in Indianapolis on Tuesday. They have dealt with a host of adversity this offseason with all the season-ending injuries, so this loss is simply the latest challenge in keeping their season alive.
The shorthanded Fever could also use forward Damiris Dantas (concussion protocol) to return by Game 2 to shore up their depth against a talented Dream frontcourt.
X factor for Game 2: Kelsey Mitchell put up a playoff-career high 27 points in Game 1, but who else will step up for the Fever on offense? Only Odyssey Sims also finished in double figures, and the bench generated just five points outside of garbage time. After shooting 8-for-17 in the first frame, Indiana didn’t make more than six field goals in any subsequent quarter, finishing with a 34.9% clip from the field and 2-for-15 shooting from 3.
Indiana has shown itself capable of producing four or five double-digit scorers, but is that too tall a task with its depth depleted against a defense like Atlanta’s? If not, the Fever’s defense must be way sharper to even the series.
Indiana will also need better composure down the stretch than it had Sunday, where (in part over frustration toward officiating) the wheels came off in the fourth quarter. — Alexa Philippou
Final: Minnesota 101, Golden State 72
What the win means for Minnesota: The Lynx took control in the second quarter. After trailing by six at the end of the first, the Lynx opened the second quarter on a 15-5 run, outscored the Valkyries 26-12 in the period and led 47-40 at halftime.
Natisha Hiedeman, a candidate for Sixth Player of the Year, provided the Lynx with a big spark off the bench, as she has done all season. The momentum shifted as soon as she checked into the game with 3:43 left in the first quarter. Hiedeman finished the game with a career-high 18 points in 23 minutes.
The Lynx never looked back, outscoring the Valkyries 54-34 through the final two quarters to move one game away from returning to the semifinals.
What the loss means for Golden State: The Valkyries trail 0-1 in the series as they return to the Bay Area — where they will play at the SAP Center in San Jose instead of Chase Center in San Francisco. It’s a tall task to slow the Lynx, but there were flashes today of what could steal them a game this series and avoid a sweep.
Golden State entered the playoffs ranked 12th in the league in 3-point percentage, but the Valkyries had one of their best shooting periods of the season Sunday. They shot 5-of-8 (62.5%) from beyond the arc and held Minnesota to 8-of-20 from the floor at the other end. They were creating good looks, not just hoisting up shots and hoping for the best. To even the series, they have to replicate this kind of offense and take control of the game again.
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X factor for Game 2: Bench production will be a big factor in either the Valkyries forcing a Game 3 or the Lynx sweeping the series. Golden State’s second unit scored six points until the benches were cleared with 3:37 left in the game — all by Kate Martin. Its bench finished with 17, while Minnesota got 42 points from its second unit. Hiedeman had 18, while Jessica Shepard added 12 points and DiJonai Carrington, who had missed the past four games with a shoulder injury, finished with six points on two made 3-pointers.
The Valkyries need more from these bench minutes and can’t solely rely on their starters if they want to make it past the first round. — Kendra Andrews
First-round playoff predictions