WNBA playoffs first-round openers: Sunday highlights, analysis

WNBA Playoff Continues. The best three first rounds on Sunday closes as the top seeded Minnesota Links A major game was opened with 1 house win.

Postson now turns into Atlanta, where Dream Host Indiana fever,

How to play the first round? Which game are we looking at the forefront, which players can move, and which matchup will have the most impact? What is expected that ESPN breaks – and on Sunday offers postgame analysis on every game.

More: Playoff predictions , Strength, flaws for every team , Top 25 players , Schedule

Sunday schedule

ET (ABC) at 3 pm: Number 6 seeds Indiana fever Number 3 on seed Atlanta dream

ET (ESPN) at 5 pm: Number 5 seeds New York Liberty On number 4 seeds Phoenix mercury

ET (ESPN) at 10 pm: Number 7 seeds Seattle Storm On number 2 seeds Las vegas ekka

Last: Minnesota 101, Golden State 72

What does victory mean for Minnesota: Links controlled in the second quarter. After retreating from six to the end of the first, Links opened the second quarter for 15–5 runs, out of this period 26–12 and led 47–40 in halftime.

Natasha hidmanA candidate for the sixth player of the year offers links a big spark from the bench, as he has done all the seasons. The speed changed as soon as the game was checked in the game with 3:43 in the first quarter. Hydeman finished the game with a career-high 18 points in 23 minutes.

Links never looked back, leaving 54–34 through the last two quarters to take a game away from returning to the semi-finals.

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What is a shot by Veronica Burton

What a shot by Veronica Burton, 09/14/2025

What is the loss for Golden State means: The series meet Velkiris 0–1 as they return to the Gulf region where they will play at SAP Center in San Jose instead of the Chess Center in San Francisco. It is a long task to slow down the links, but today it can steal the game of this series and a glimpse can be found in this series.

Golden State entered the playoffs at 12th position in the league at a 3-point percent, but Vulcaries was one of its best shooting periods of the season. He shot 5-8 (62.5%) beyond the arc and kept Minnesota from the floor at the other end to 8 -20. They were making a good look, not only hoisting the shots and expecting the best. Even for the series, they have to repeat such a crime and control the game again.

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Monica McCant explains why the WNBA MVP race of this season is so close between A’Ja Wilson and Naphesa Collier.

X factor for game 2: Bench production would be a major factor in vulciris that forces a game 3 or links to series. The second unit of the Golden State scored six points until the bench was left in the game with 3:37 – by all Kate MartinIts bench ended with 17, while Minnesota got 42 points from its second unit. Hydman near 18, while Jessica Shepard 12 points added Dijonai CarringtonThose who missed the last four matches with a shoulder injury ended with six points on two-made 3-pointers.

Valkyries require more than these bench minutes and if they want to make it before the first round, they cannot completely rely on their beginning. , Center Andrews

What personal matchup are you watching to see Sunday?

Kevin Pelton: New York Breena stewart Vs Phoenix Elisa ThomasThis matchup is nothing new in itself – Stewart’s Liberty defeated Thomas’ Connecticut sun In 2023 semi -finals – but Mercury’s vacancy presents a different challenge for New York in slowing Thomas.

Center Andrews: I am watching the same game as Pelton, but a different matchup: Thomas vs. New York Zoncl JonesBoth have size, but one plays with a little more clever and the other reduces with great power and low. I think how New York coach Sandy Brondelo and Nat Tibbets of Phoenix deployed these players – and how they perform – will direct the Games.

Alexa Philipo: There are some big in the dream-face. In the battle of backcourt, Kelsey michelle There is a historical season for Indiana, while Atlanta Alma Gray An all-WNBA is the first-team caliber season-and former number 1 pick Rhine Howard One or two guards of Dream completes the punch. Brona jones (And Britney Grinner) Vs. Aliah Boston A fun fight is also less. This is a rematch with the first round of last year (when Jones was still played for the Sun), when Boston had the upper hand.

In other places, the frontcourt talent will be seen in the storm-functions, with the appointment, A’aza Wilson Playing at another level and stacked with Seattle’s choice Nanka Ogwumike, Easy Magbegor And up and coming Dominic goodsWill the storm be able to slow Wilson?

Which game are you the most excited to watch on Sunday?

Pelton: New York vs. Phoenix. Both these teams were expecting a deep playoff run in all the season, but one would face an elimination game 2. Neither wants to live in that position, especially with a hard journey between each game in this series.

Andrews: Star Power alone in Phoenix-Nuyorke should look at basketball. The roster of the defending champion has Breanna Stewart facility, Sabarina EonacuJones, Emma miseman And Natasha cloud (to name a few). The mercury has Thomas, Satou sabally, Kahlih Copper And Devanna boneerThe fact is that there is a lot at stake makes the series even more complicated.

Philippou: Las is very familiar between Vegas and Seattle, which were also faced in 2020, 2022 and 2024 playoffs. And he was earlier Jewel Lloyd When his tenure in Emerald City did not end in the best words, the storm was traded in this previous offsen due to the storm. Las Vegas has been red in August and September, while Seattle has been remarkably inconsistent. Can the storm be desperate to win his first Postsen when Suu Birds retired, Vegas and can make things interesting in this series?

Which storyline do you encourage the most to see this postsen?

Michael Vopel: The possibility of a dream feels unseen between playoff teams, but they should not be. They are aggressively better teams compared to the previous season, when they an average of league-lo 77.0 ppg, especially from the back of the arc. So it will be interesting to see how well the dream plays in the poston when his crime can take him beyond 2018. Their series with Indiana is complicated as teams have divided their four regular sessions game.

Philippou: I am fascinated to see what Liberty looks in the playoffs. their The bid to repeat is spicyIn large parts due to injuries, but it is appropriate to say that they have decreased this season.

Now his road is incredibly difficult to return to a final and it will not come with the benefits of the house for Postsen. Will the Mix look like a major team seen at the beginning of the Liberty season with his big three healthy, and Meesman – or will they get out quickly? And what would be the initial exit to move beyond 2026 and beyond?

Pelton: I am fascinated by Aces. They have no meaning. Accepting the regular season, now there are 44 games, other teams that keep the long win lines together, like the Las Vegas, had a loss of solo-papers rather than starting a streak on 500. (For example, 2014 WNBA champion Phoenix Mercury, won 16 consecutive games in a regular session, where they were 29-5.) And due to loss of 53 points to Links, ACES still only had the fifth best point difference of WNBA, behind fever. I believe that Las Vegas has improved a championship contender, but we will not really even know the playoffs.

First round playoff predictions