Grading every team in the WNBA playoffs' first round: Liberty finally show up, Lynx make disastrous history — SkimNews
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- New York Liberty became the first No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 seed in a WNBA first-round series, sweeping the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx by 16 points in both games and leading for just 3:23 across the two-game set.
- Breanna Stewart recorded the fourth 30-point, 10-rebound, five-assist playoff game in WNBA history in Game 1 against Minnesota, while Sabrina Ionescu shot 7-of-18 from three (38.9%) in the series.
- Golden State Valkyries rallied from 16 points down in the third quarter of Game 3 against Dallas, with Gabby Williams hitting the go-ahead bucket in the final 90 seconds and sealing it at the line after a 15-miss shooting drought.
- Arike Ogunbowale scored 45 points in Game 2 for the Dallas Wings — the highest-scoring playoff game in WNBA history — before a late groin injury helped swing Game 3.
- Las Vegas Aces outlasted the Indiana Fever in three games, with their Big Three of A'ja Wilson, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray accounting for 213 of 285 series points (74.7%) and 47 of 56 assists (83.9%).
- Atlanta Dream swept the Washington Mystics behind the best first-round defense in the field, forcing 26 steals, blocking 9 shots and holding Washington to 39.7% shooting.
- Minnesota Lynx earned the only failing grade, becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose a first-round series — and a first-round game — to a No. 8 seed under the WNBA's current playoff format.
Why it matters: The Liberty's sweep of the top-seeded Lynx — a first under the format — upends the title race, sending the +430 FanDuel long shot into the semis against a Dream team that just held opponents under 40% from the field. The defending-champion Aces survive yet another early scare, with their Big Three carrying 74.7% of the scoring load in a series that was their third four-series push to the brink since the 2025 playoffs.
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