WNBA Playoffs Open Sunday With Lynx-Liberty Leading First-Round Slate

OriginalGlobal Sportscast deskSep 27, 2026 · 10:16 UTC

The short version

2026 WNBA playoffs begin Sunday with four best-of-three first-round series.
No. 1 Minnesota hosts No. 8 New York; New York won the season series 2-1, and Olivia Miles is returning from a calf injury.
No. 2 Golden State, which swept Dallas 3-0, faces a Wings team missing Azzi Fudd and likely Alanna Smith.
No. 3 Las Vegas faces No. 6 Indiana, which won the season series 2-1.
Liberty at Lynx tips off Sunday at 2:00 PM EDT on ABC from Target Center.

The 2026 WNBA postseason begins Sunday, with top-seeded Minnesota hosting New York while Golden State and Las Vegas open at home in the best-of-three first round.

The 2026 WNBA playoffs begin Sunday after a regular season that went down to the final moments to settle the playoff seeding. Four best-of-three first-round series are set, with Game 1 in each matchup scheduled for Sunday, September 27.

The top-seeded Minnesota Lynx face the No. 8 New York Liberty. New York won the season series 2-1, and Game 2 is set for Tuesday, September 29 in New York, with a potential Game 3 on Thursday, October 1 in Minnesota.

Minnesota's biggest concern is the health of rookie point guard Olivia Miles, who sat out the final two games of the regular season with a calf injury. Coach Cheryl Reeve described the absence as precautionary. Per HerHoopStats, Miles has accounted for 34 points per game this season, a figure trailing only Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers but ahead of A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. She has struggled against New York specifically, shooting 32 percent versus the Liberty compared with 49 percent overall, though she still averaged 19 points per game in those matchups.

Napheesa Collier missed the first two meetings between the teams, which they split. Yahoo Sports also noted that Reeve's Lynx have advanced in seven of eight first-round best-of-three series, and its expert panel predicted Minnesota to win the series in three games.

New York dealt with injuries to key players all season and lost nearly half of its first 25 games before clinching the final playoff seed. Breanna Stewart sat out the regular-season finale against Atlanta with a left knee injury that coach Chris DeMarco also called precautionary. Stewart has averaged nearly 26 points per game against Minnesota this season, five above her season average, and the Liberty averaged 92.3 points per game against the Lynx — a total only Indiana exceeded against Minnesota.

The No. 2 Golden State Valkyries meet the No. 7 Dallas Wings after sweeping the season series 3-0. Golden State finished with the league's best net rating but enters the playoffs on shaky form, having blown a 17-point lead in a loss to Portland before rallying from 10 points down in the final three minutes to beat Los Angeles. The Wings are without Azzi Fudd and likely Alanna Smith, and shot poorly in the season series, with Paige Bueckers hitting under 30 percent from three and recording 11 turnovers against 12 assists. Yahoo Sports predicted Golden State to win in two games.

The No. 3 Las Vegas Aces host the No. 6 Indiana Fever in the third series. Indiana took the season series 2-1. Game 1 is Sunday in Las Vegas, Game 2 is Tuesday in Indiana, and a potential Game 3 would be Thursday in Las Vegas.

The Lynx and Liberty open the postseason Sunday, September 27 at 2:00 PM EDT at Target Center in Minnesota, with the game airing on ABC.