The 2026 WNBA semifinals tipped Sunday with two entertaining Game 1s, with wins for the higher seed in each series.
In the first one, No. 4 Atlanta defeated No. 8 New York 92-82 despite losing All-Star Allisha Gray late in the first half to a hand injury.
Later, No. 2 Golden State hung on to win a semifinal game for the first time in franchise history, beating reigning champion and No. 3 seed Las Vegas 71-60.
Both best-of-five series will continue Wednesday in Atlanta (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) and San Francisco (9:30 p.m. ET), respectively.
ESPN's Alexa Philippou and Kendra Andrews break down how both Game 1s were won, as well as keys for the rest of the semifinal series.
MORE: Keys to the semifinals | Strengths, flaws for every team |
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(2) Golden State Valkyries 71,
(3) Las Vegas Aces 60
How the game was won: Golden State dominated the boards, outrebounding the Aces 51-23 and outscoring them 20-3 on second-chance points. This is the only the third time in franchise history Las Vegas have been outrebounded by more than 20 in the playoffs. The Valkyries' dominance there kept the reigning champions at an arm's length the entire game. They built as much as an 11-point lead, and fended off every push the Aces made, never letting them get to within five points. Gabby Williams picked up right where she left off in the first-round series against Dallas, finishing with 25 points on 9-of-18 shooting. Golden State held Las Vegas to 33.9% shooting from the field.
What the win means for the Valkyries: They entered this series knowing how important the bench minutes would be: That group stepped up with 27 points to the Aces' five. Kaitlyn Chen was the team's second-leading scorer with 11 points. Aminata Gueye, who signed with the team on Sept. 20, had a breakout performance, finishing with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting and taking on the defensive assignment of guarding A'ja Wilson. Gueye played ony 10 minutes in the first round, but because of Las Vegas' length could play a more critical role in this series. The second unit's performance -- especially Chen -- was particularly crucial for Golden State after Veronica Burton checked out with 7:30 left in the third quarter and did not return.
Who needs to step up for the Aces? The biggest concern currently is the health of Jewell Loyd, who sustained a left leg injury in the first two minutes of the third quarter and by the end of the period was ruled out for the rest of the game. Loyd attempted only two shots and made neither. But with no NaLyssa Smith, whose season ended at the end of August because of a left leg injury, the Aces need Loyd to be healthy in this series. Before the game, Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase had said Loyd was mentioned less in talks about Vegas' big three but should not be discounted for what she means to the team. Loyd scored 11 points in the Aces' series-clinching game in the first round, and they still need her. -- Kendra Andrews
(4) Atlanta Dream 92,
(8) New York Liberty 82
How the game was won: The Dream came out of halftime like a bat out of hell defensively, completely putting the Liberty on their heels. New York had a decent amount of success on the offensive end in the first half, but Atlanta forced turnovers continuously, and converted them into easy buckets. At the half, the Liberty already had 10 turnovers, with the Dream scoring 13 points off them; in the third quarter alone, Atlanta came away with nine steals and scored 16 points off them -- tied for a WNBA playoff record in any quarter. Angel Reese, the recently crowned defensive player of the year, and Jordin Canada led the effort, accounting for three steals apiece, with Canada scoring 12 points in the frame.
New York, which trailed by as many as 16 points early in the fourth, would get back to within five late, but struggled to get the requisite stops down the stretch to pull closer.
What it means for the Dream: This is as good a result as they could ask for, especially given Allisha Gray's injury. A lot has been made of Atlanta's (lack of) depth this season, which could have caused issues with the four-time All-Star being ruled out late in the first half with a left hand injury. But DeWanna Bonner (off the bench) and Canada (playing through foul trouble) showed their veteran experience with a combined 48 points to lead the way. Atlanta took care of business by protecting home court in Game 1, and it will look to do it again on Wednesday for a commanding 2-0 lead when the series shifts to Brooklyn later this week.
Who needs to step up for New York? First and foremost, New York needs to take care of the ball more. Sabrina Ionescu and Leonie Fiebich had five and four turnovers, respectively -- though they were far from the only ones with multiple turnovers. Ionescu also had only one assist -- an area she pointed to for improvement. Jonquel Jones dominated the glass and did a good job facilitating, but the Liberty are at their best when she is aggressive down low, and she finished with just 12 points on 4-9 shooting on the day. New York also had only six total bench points, a fraction of what Bonner scored singlehandedly for Atlanta. -- Alexa Philippou