The 2026 WNBA postseason began on Sunday, Sept. 27, with all four first-round series producing convincing Game 1 blowout wins.
Eight franchises opened their title chase, but the opening slate quickly turned into a showcase for the league's biggest names.
Stewart, Wilson Headline Dominant Openers
The eighth-seeded New York Liberty upset the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx on the road, 91-75, behind Breanna Stewart's 34 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks.
"We were ready to go.
I think our entire group, we knew what it was going to take and everything that we've been through prepared us for this moment," Stewart said.
Stewart acknowledged the hostile environment in Minnesota but stayed confident as the series shifts to Brooklyn for Game 2.
"Playing here was hard. Obviously it was really loud, but we kept our composure.
We continue to fight through and we know Tuesday's the hardest one yet," she added.
In Las Vegas, the third-seeded Aces defeated the sixth-seeded Indiana Fever 102-85, powered by reigning league MVP A'ja Wilson's historic line of 38 points, 16 rebounds, four blocks, and two steals.
"It's what I do. I don't take a minute on this court for granted," Wilson said.
Wilson stressed her commitment to setting the tone for her team every night on the postseason floor.
"So when I come out, I try to be the best that I can be and allow my teammates to do themselves as well and allow them to be the best.
So it's my job. I'm going to continue to do it at a high level always.
And then we go as much as we go," she said.
Elsewhere, the fourth-seeded Atlanta Dream earned a 92-77 victory over the fifth-seeded Washington Mystics behind 26 points and five steals from Rhyne Howard, alongside Angel Reese's playoff double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds.
"The next (game) will be harder than this one," Howard said.
Howard emphasized the necessity of playing complete defense to put opponents away early in the best-of-three series.
"They're gonna wanna come out with more aggression. They're gonna wanna fight a little bit hard because it will be their season on the line.
Not ours," she added.
Howard stressed that Atlanta must learn from its early game mistakes before Game 2.
"What we did in the first half, we can't have another half like that ever.
I think next game, they're gonna wanna come out and capitalize on the mistakes that we did make.
So I think making sure that we're playing our defense for a full 40 minutes is gonna be key because you wanna take their confidence early.
(We) wanna make sure that we put them away early. There's not a team that you can just play around with," Howard said.
Closing out the opening day of postseason play, the second-seeded Golden State Valkyries relied on a balanced offensive explosion to beat the seventh-seeded Dallas Wings 104-80, powered by Cecilia Zandalasini's 22 points and 21 points off the bench from Tiffany Hayes.
"The way our defense can be a little bit out of stickiness is getting stops, so we're pushing it in transition," said Natalie Nakase, head coach of the Golden State Valkyries.
Nakase highlighted her team's foundational commitment to defensive physicality and transition rhythm.
"That's our biggest thing. If we want to flow more, then we got to get stops.
… we know we can control our defense," Nakase said.
Nakase noted that defense remains the team's anchor regardless of shooting variance.
"We don't know sometimes if we're going to shoot a high percentage, so we rely on that physicality, that lock-in, and then we're going the other way," Nakase said.
The first-round playoff series continue on Tuesday, Sept. 29, with Game 2 matchups featuring Minnesota visiting New York and Indiana visiting Las Vegas.
