WNBA playoffs winners and losers: Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson have historic Game 1s; Liberty upset No. 1 Lynx

The 2026 WNBA playoffs got underway with a stunner on Sunday when the No. 8 seed New York Liberty easily took care of the No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx, 91-75. The Liberty are now up 1-0 and will have a chance to close out the series at home in Game 2 on Tuesday night.

Sunday’s action continued out West when the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces cruised past the Indiana Fever, 102-85. Later, The Atlanta Dream used a strong second half to pull away from the Washington Mystics for a 92-77 victory, before the Golden State Valkryies destroyed the Dallas Wings, 104-80 in a game they led by as many as 36. 

Every team will enjoy a day off on Monday before the playoffs resume with a pair of Game 2s on Tuesday between the Lynx and Liberty and the Aces and Fever. For now, let’s take a look back at the winners and losers from the opening day of the WNBA playoffs. 

Winner: Breanna Stewart

A few weeks ago, Breanna Stewart was named MVP of the Women’s World Cup, becoming the first player ever to earn that honor multiple times. Sunday’s Game 1 was yet another reminder that Stewart is one of the greatest players, winners and leaders ever — no matter the stage. 

As she’s done all season long, Stewart put the Liberty on her back and carried them to a huge win on the road that has them one win away from becoming the first No. 8 seed to ever win a series against a No. 1 seed. 

Stewart finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks on 11 of 18 from the field to record the fourth 30-point, 10-rebound, five-assist game in WNBA playoff history. She also now has three 30-point, 10-rebound playoff performances, which is second only to A’ja Wilson all time.  

“I was just really ready. If you don’t get up for these big moments, then you gotta rethink why you’re playing basketball,” Stewart said. “From myself, mentally, just ready to do whatever it took to lead the team and get the win today. My teammates found me and got me good looks at the basket.”

Liberty coach Chris DeMarco raved about Stewart’s versatility and leadership, and the belief she gives the Liberty. 

“She’s just everywhere. We talk a lot about putting out fires as coaches and where’s the threat. She’s just constantly putting it out,” DeMarco said. “We can feel when she’s out there, it gives us confidence.” 

Winner: A’ja Wilson

In a dominant Game 1 win, Wilson made it abundantly clear why she’s likely going to win her fifth MVP award and become the first player in league history to go back-to-back-to-back. Wilson finished with 38 points, 16 rebounds, two assists, two steals and four blocks on an extremely efficient 15 of 19 from the field. 

“It’s my job Holly, it’s what I do,” Wilson told ESPN’s Holly Rowe after the game. “I don’t take a minute on this court for granted. When I come out I try to be the best that I can be.” 

On Sunday, Wilson:

• Tied her playoff career-high in scoring
• Tied her playoff career-high in rebounding
• Recorded her sixth 30-point, 10-rebound game in the playoffs (most by any player)
• Recorded her second 35-point, 15-rebound game in the playoffs (as many as every other player in WNBA history combined)
• Recorded the most efficient 30-point playoff game (78.9% field goal) in WNBA history

Aliyah Boston has historically defended Wilson as well as anyone, but she had no answer in Game 1. Neither did anyone else in a Fever uniform. Wilson did whatever she wanted from wherever she wanted. Just take a look at her shot chart. Under the rim, on the block, at the elbow, from the wing, it didn’t matter. 

When Wilson is playing like this on both ends of the floor, the Aces are just about unbeatable. 

“I mean, defense is what’s gonna win us championships,” Wilson said. “I felt like if I could come out and be an anchor for our team in that situation, it allows everyone else to do their job. I can’t hold my teammates accountable if I’m not doing my job.” 

Loser: Kelsey Mitchell

Mitchell put together the best scoring season by a guard in WNBA history. Her 24.7 points per game were the fifth-highest single-season average ever, her 1,086 points were the most in a single season and her 64.2% true shooting was tied for the second-highest among 20-point scorers in WNBA history.

But in the Fever’s regular-season finale on Thursday, Mitchell was held to a season-low 10 points on 3 of 12 from the field, which snapped her record-smashing streak of 27 consecutive 20-point games. The Fever hoped Mitchell would get back on track in Game 1 against the Aces, but it never happened. 

Mitchell managed just 12 points on 4 of 16 from the field. This was her second-lowest scoring performance and tied for her worst shooting performance. The Aces were so locked in that the Fever may have lost on Sunday no matter what Mitchell did, but they never had a chance with her struggling to such an extent. 

Including the regular season and the playoffs, this was the sixth time that Mitchell has shot under 40% in a game. The Fever are 1-5 in those contests, with three defeats by 15-plus points. If they want to avoid elimination on Tuesday, they’ll need a much bigger night from Mitchell. 

Winner: DeWanna Bonner’s third quarter

In late August, the Phoenix Mercury waived Bonner to allow her to sign with a playoff team and chase a title in what may be her final season. Bonner picked the Dream, who officially signed her on Aug. 27, just before the World Cup break. She only played five regular season games with the Dream, and scored in double figures just once. 

It looked like that trend would continue in Game 1, when Bonner went scoreless in the first half. But she checked in early in the third quarter and scored almost immediately after getting a mismatch against Georgia Amoore. That jumpstarted a game-changing third from Bonner, who scored 11 of her 13 points in the frame and nearly outscored the Mystics by herself. 

“I got an easy one, and it was kinda like, ‘alright, it’s go time,'” Bonner said of her third quarter. Thanks to her takeover, which included a huge 3-pointer, the Dream won the third 29-12 to turn a five-point deficit at the break into a 12-point lead. “She made so many big plays for us,” Dream coach Karl Smesko said. “The enthusiasm that she played with. It’s not just the playoff experience, it’s the joy of playing basketball. That was evident and I think it was contagious for everyone and made a huge difference in the outcome of the game.”

Notably, this was Bonner’s 99th career playoff game, extending her WNBA record; the Mystics’ entire roster had 32 combined games of playoff experience entering Sunday, and 26 of them were from Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. 

Loser: Olivia Miles

The presumptive Rookie of the Year assisted on the Lynx’s first bucket on Sunday, then scored the next two to power a 6-0 start. The rest of the afternoon was a nightmare for both her and the Lynx. Miles finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and just one assist, and had more turnovers (four) than made baskets as she shot 3 of 12. Late in the fourth quarter

This was one of Miles’ worst performances of the season, and it came at a horrible time for the Lynx, who are now down 1-0 in this best-of-three and have lost homecourt advantage. Here are a few notes on her statline: 

• 11 points: third-fewest of the season
• 1 assist: tied for third-fewest of the season
• 25% field goal: tied for third-least efficient game of the season

Miles admitted during her halftime interview with the broadcast that she was “still nervous,” and she played like it. Some of her mistakes were completely uncharacteristic, and she looked hesitant at times against an extremely long and physical Liberty defense. 

“It’s hard being a rookie in your first playoffs against a matchup of a team that has been a challenge for her,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. “I think she’s feeling it right now, but this is what we expected. It’s not easy. There’s a lot that goes with being a really good player. Some of it is being targeted and focused and trying to put you in your tougher spots. She’s a smart player, she’ll figure it out.”

In four games against the Liberty this season, between the regular season and playoffs, Miles is averaging 17 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and three turnovers on 19 of 62 (30.6%) shooting.

Winner: Ballhalla

Game 1 could not have gone better for the Valkryies and everyone inside Ballhalla. After a competitive first quarter, the Valkyries outscored the Wings 37-11 in the second quarter to blow the game open for good. The majority of the second half was essentially garbage time, as the Valkyries soared to the first playoff win in franchise history. 

The Valkyries had three 20-point scorers and five players in double figures: Cecilia Zandalasini (22 points), Tiffany Hayes (21 points), Gabby Williams (20 points), Veronica Burton (10 points) and Kayla Thornton (10 points). As a team, they shot 48.6% from the field, went 18 of 36 (50%) from 3-point range and turned the ball over just four times. 

The Chase Center was once again sold out, as it has been for every game in the franchise’s short history, and the Valkyries fed off the energy of their electric crowd. The Valkyries were a league-best 17-5 at home in the regular season, and are now 1-0 in the playoffs. As the No. 2 seed, they’ll have homecourt advantage until at least the Finals, and with the No. 1 seed Lynx already on the ropes, there’s a chance they could have it the rest of the way. 

The only bad news is that every game isn’t going to be as easy as this one, especially as the competition gets harder. 

Winner: The Liberty’s second-half defense

While the Liberty got off to an early lead in Game 1, the Lynx won the second quarter 26-15 to take a 44-40 lead at the break, and it looked like the top seeds were back in full control. But in the second half, the Liberty’s defense stepped up big time, holding the Lynx to just 31 points in the final 20 minutes of the game.

“I felt like we were connected. I could hear us talking. We covered for each other. We were aggressive,’ Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco said after the game. “I just loved our aggressiveness on that end, and we made the adjustment. You know, that was a tough second quarter for us, and we changed some things. I thought we came out strong in the second half.”

In the second half, the Lynx shot 34.4% from the field and 25% from outside and were outrebounded 20-8. The Liberty’s length in the backcourt and height in the frontcourt clearly rattled Minnesota — particularly the rookie Miles, as mentioned above — and having players like Leonie Fiebich and Han Xu who could switch and disrupt all positions kept New York in control of the tempo. (Of course, it helped that Fiebich was 4 of 4 from the 3-point line in the second half, too.)

Another key for the Liberty was their physicality — Napheesa Collier, Natasha Howard and Nia Brodie all had four personal fouls in the third quarter, which kept them from being as aggressive in the paint. Overall, it was a masterclass on defense from the 2024 champions, and if the Lynx want to push the series back to Minnesota, they’re going to need to figure out how to adjust. — Lindsay Gibbs

Loser: The fans

The first day of the 2026 WNBA playoffs was a major letdown from an entertainment standpoint. After so much talk about a historic level of parity between the playoff teams, there was little drama on Sunday. None of the four games were decided by fewer than 15 points. 

• Liberty: 16-point win
• Aces: 17-point win
• Dream: 15-point win
• Valkyries: 24-point win

Let’s hope there’s more excitement in the coming days as these series shift location for Game 2. Three teams, the Fever, Mystics and Wings, will be trying to stave off elimination at home, while the Liberty, the one lower seed to win, will be at home when they try to become the first No. 8 seed to win a first-round series. 

Lindsay Gibbs contributed to this article.