WNBA playoff winners and losers include Stewie, A'ja and the Indiana Fever
WNBA playoff winners and losers include Stewie, A'ja and the Indiana Fever
Cydney Henderson, Meghan L. Hall, Mitchell Northam and Callie Fin, USA TODAYMon, September 28, 2026 at 4:17 AM UTC
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The WNBA playoffs started off with an upset and then went straight chalk.
The No. 8 seeded New York Liberty defeated the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in the opening game of a quadruple header to kickoff the postseason on Sunday, Sept. 27. The first-round playoff series is a rematch of the 2024 WNBA Finals where the Liberty won their first league title.
The rest of the afternoon belonged to the higher seed with the No. 3 Las Vegas Aces easily dispensing of the No. 6 Indiana Fever, the No. 4 Atlanta Dream surging in the second half to beat the No. 5 Washington Mystics and the No. 2 Golden State Valkyries setting a franchise record for points in a rout of the Dallas Wings.
Here are the winners and losers from the first day of the 2026 WNBA playoffs:
WinnersLiberty forward Breanna Stewart
Before Game 1 of the first-round WNBA playoff series between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx tipped off, veteran forward Breanna Stewart delivered a message to her team: “Set the tone.”
Well, it appeared to be a personal memo because that’s exactly what Stewart did in the Liberty’s 91-75 road win over the Lynx on Sunday to improve to 1-0 in the series, which should shock absolutely no one. Stewart was MVP of the 2026 WNBA Commissioners Cup and 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup, after all.
The veteran forward came out with a level of aggression that fueled her historic performance, finishing with a game-high 34 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks. Stewart became the fourth player in WNBA playoff history to record 30-plus points, 10-plus rebounds and five-plus assists in a game.
Stewart even knocked down two 3-pointers just for funsies, including a dagger with 4:07 remaining in the fourth quarter to push the Liberty’s lead to 14 points. The No. 8 seed Liberty went on to defeat the No. 1 overall seed Lynx by 16 points, their largest playoff road win since 2015.
“I feel like I want to will my team to win the game and really doing whatever I can offensively and defensively,” said Stewart, who averaged 20.8 points in the regular season. “I was smiling because there was a few (shots). I had that one 3(-pointer) at the end where it's just like when everything's going your way, it's definitely going to go in.”
Sabrina Ionescu said Stewart, a three-time WNBA champion and two-time WNBA Finals MVP, is “everything” to the Liberty. “You can always rely on her. She's everywhere. She keeps us poised out there and her versatility, her ability to score from really anywhere on the court just helps,” Ionescu added.
Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase
Some folks worried about the Golden State Valkyries having the offensive firepower necessary to succeed in the postseason, but all Natalie Nakase’s team was more than fine in their playoff opener against the Wings — scoring a franchise-record 104 points. The Valkyries also tied a franchise record for most 3-pointers in a single game with 18.
Golden State shot 49% from the floor and 50% from 3-point land in their dominant win over Dallas, quieting any doubters who questioned if the Valkyries had what it took to win in the playoffs. Three players — Cecilia Zandalasini, Tiffany Hayes and Gabby Williams — each topped 20 points.
In just their second season as a WNBA franchise, Nakase has now guided Golden State to its first playoff win. She could coach them to a berth in the semifinals if they complete a sweep of Dallas on Wednesday.
DeWanna Bonner coming off the bench for Dream
Playoff DeWanna Bonner has arrived. The 17-year veteran scored 11 of her 13 points in the 3rd quarter of Atlanta's 92-77 over the Mystics, and for Atlanta, it couldn't have come at a better time. Bonner infused energy into the Dream, who were down 41-36 at the half. Bonnner cashed in on a triple from what felt like the next state over and the avalanche continued. Atlanta scored 29 points in the frame and never looked back, even after Washington made late push.
"I think (watching her) was like, 'Finally!' DB (DeWanna Bonner's) trying to be comfortable, trying to make sure everybody else is good, but I done told her you need to shoot that ball," Dream forward Angel Reese said. "And you need to go get a bucket. So, seeing her do it and be able to do it with ease like she's been doing for years now, it was like, 'Woo!' Thankfully, she's showing up and we're gonna go as she goes."
Just call them Stew’ja
Sunday was a reminder A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart are still the WNBA’s elite. Both were selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft, with Stewart drafted in 2016 and Wilson in 2018. Given their lengthy reigns, it's natural for fans to want to shift attention to new, exciting talent.
But as Wilson followed Stewart’s 34 points with 38 of her own, it was hard to deny who the playoffs run through.
Sunday was Wilson’s 11th career 30-point playoff game, extending her lead for the most in WNBA playoff history. Who is the closest to Wilson in that category? None other than Breanna Stewart, who now has nine.
LosersNo. 1 overall seed Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx’s playoff woes continue.
If you remember, the Lynx entered the 2025 WNBA playoffs as the No. 1 overall seed, but were ousted by the Phoenix Mercury in a controversial semifinal series that saw Napheesa Collier suffer a season-ending injury in Game 3 and Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve serve a suspension in Game 4. Similarly, the Lynx’s 2024 postseason ended in more controversy with a defeat in the WNBA Finals.Cheryl Reeve said the title was “stolen" from the Lynx following the Liberty’s 67-62 overtime win in a decisive Game 5.
The Lynx had their shot at revenge in Game 1 on Sunday in their first postseason meeting against the Liberty since the 2024 WNBA Finals. But the Lynx left the matchup with more frustration after a Game 1 loss on their home court that now leaves them on the brink of elimination.
“It was more so what the self-inflicted things that we did to ourselves, especially on offense, just not having a flow and a rhythm allowed them to get in transition,” said Kayla McBride, likely pointing to the Lynx conceding 24 points on 14 turnovers. “We were just putting so much pressure on our defense because our offense wasn't clicking. So that's really all it was.”
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The Lynx now has their backs against the wall yet again after a sensational regular season.
Minnesota Lynx point guard Olivia Miles' first playoff game
Lynx rookie guard Olivia Miles is just like us: She gets nervous.
"I'm still nervous, nervous as ever. It's so hard being your first time, you don't know what to expect," Miles said during the first playoff game of her WNBA career. "I have literally the best teammates in the world. They're here for me. They're allowing me to make mistakes. They're covering for me, so I appreciate them a lot."
Jitters appeared to overpower the Rookie of the Year, who turned in an uncharacteristic performance in the Lynx's Game 1 loss. Miles finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and one assist, well below her regular-season average of 19.8 points and six assists. She shot 3-of-12 from the field and 1-of-4 from the 3-point line, while surrendering four turnovers and picking up four personal fouls.
"It's hard being a rookie in your first playoffs against a matchup of a team that has been a challenge for her," Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said in her postgame remarks. "(Miles is) feeling it right now, but this is what we expected. It's not easy. And there's a lot that goes with being a really good player. Some of it is being targeted and focused and try to put you in you in tougher spots. And she's a smart player. She'll figure it out."
Dallas Wings point guard Paige Bueckers
In her WNBA playoff debut, Paige Bueckers met the moment. The rest of the Dallas Wings? Not so much.
Bueckers set a Wings’ franchise record for most points scored in the first half of a postseason debut with 17 and finished the night with 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting to go along with six rebounds and two assists in just 25 minutes of action.
But after a sluggish second quarter where Dallas simply couldn’t keep up with Golden State’s scoring surge, they fell into a hole they couldn’t dig out of. Ultimately, Bueckers’ impressive playoff performance was overshadowed by her team’s mistakes on both ends of the floor. Jessica Shepard, for example, had a forgettable night with zero points and three turnovers in 24 minutes.
In a win-or-go-home Game 2 for Dallas, they'll need the supporting cast around Bueckers to step up.
Fans hoping for closer games
In a perfect world, the playoffs are a time to showcase the best competition. Although it's early, that certainly wasn't the case Sunday.
On Day 1 of the playoffs, all of the games were decided by a combined 72 points. The closest contest was the Atlanta Dream’s 15-poin win over the Washington Mystics. That was an interesting one, with the Dream working back from an early 11-point deficit, but certainly not the nailbiter some fans might have hoped for.
Indiana Fever
There was reason to be optimistic regarding how the Fever might open up play against the Aces considering their 2-1 edge in the regular-series season this year.
But after the Aces all emphasized defense would be key in the series, the Fever didn’t seem prepared.
That’s why superstar guard Caitlin Clark simpy said “F” when asked how she’d grade the defense. The league’s best offense didn’t deliver, either, in the 102-85 result.
Fever coach Stephanie White chalked it up to her team’s postseason familiarity, or lack thereof.
“It's experience. Certainly, there's no substitute for experience. Some of them got it a year ago," White said. "But oftentimes, you have to be humbled first, right? Like I mean that's life, right? You you don't you don't always learn from the successes. You learn from being humbled."
The Aces gave a textbook lesson, scoring 28 points off of turnovers as the Fever struggled to get stops and knock down open shots.
"We know we felt the difference in the intensity level,” White said. “(That) doesn't always mean that we weren't playing hard or we weren't competing hard. Sometimes it's how you execute ... So it's mostly in details. Because I thought our team competed.”
It will be interesting to see how Indiana cleans up those details in Game 2.
Washington Mystics' youth vs. Dream
The Washington Mystics led the Dream by 3 at halftime, but were outscored by 20 in the second half and gave up a 29-point third quarter after holding the Dream to under 30% shooting in the first half. While the Mystics did a good job attacking the Dream's aggressiveness defensively by getting to the free-throw line, they could not answer as Atlanta's lead grew.
Washington also turned the ball over 22 times leading to 27 Atlanta points. Washington's youth was on full display as a roster, which hovers around an average age of 24 years old, struggled to keep up with the Dream. The Mystics have at least 10 players who had never been in a playoff game before Sunday, and unfortunately, they did not have an experience advantage over the Dream which could have helped them stay more composed late.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WNBA playoff winners and losers include Stewie, A'ja and the Indiana Fever
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