WNBA Semifinals Open With Aces-Valkyries, Dream-Liberty — SkimNews
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- WNBA semifinals open Sunday with two best-of-five matchups - (2) Golden State Valkyries vs. (3) Las Vegas Aces at 4 p.m. ET and (4) Atlanta Dream vs. (8) New York Liberty at 2 p.m. ET on ABC.
- Las Vegas Aces are making their eighth consecutive semifinal and have won three of the past four championships, with A'ja Wilson leading all playoff scorers at 32 points per game after Round 1.
- Golden State Valkyries, in just their second season, hold the WNBA's No. 1 defense and went 17-5 at home at Chase Center, but lost all three regular-season meetings with Las Vegas.
- New York Liberty completed the first opening-round sweep of a No. 1 seed in league history, beating the Lynx by 16 points in each game behind Breanna Stewart's 27.5 points per game.
- Atlanta Dream make their first semifinal since 2018 riding a seven-game win streak, with Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard combining for 42.5 points per game this postseason.
- ESPN's panel leans heavily toward the lower-seeded favorites: five of six analysts pick the Aces to win their series, while four pick the Dream over New York; BPI gives Golden State a 64.9% advance rate and Atlanta 63.1%.
Why it matters: The semifinals pit the Aces' three-of-four-title dynasty against the league's rising programs - the second-year Valkyries and the Dream, in their first semifinal since 2018. Defending champion New York arrives after sweeping a No. 1 seed for the first time in opening-round history. An Aces title extends the streak; a Valkyries or Dream Finals trip arrives ahead of any expansion or rebuild timeline.
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