The Las Vegas Aces walked off their home floor at Michelob ULTRA Arena on a Saturday afternoon in August 2025 after losing to Minnesota by 53 points. The 111-58 defeat dropped them to 14-14 and put their playoff spot in doubt.
"There was a lot of doubt besides us in that locker room," Chelsea Gray told the Las Vegas Sun.
Las Vegas did not lose again in the regular season. The Aces won their final 16 games and, on Oct. 10, they finished a sweep of the Phoenix Mercury with a 97-86 win in Phoenix to take the first best-of-seven Finals in league history. A'ja Wilson was named MVP of both the regular season and the Finals.
Every team in this year's field has a weakness to some degree. The Golden State Valkyries struggles to score inside, the Indiana Fever struggles to keep opponents out of the paint, and Las Vegas is the weakest rebounding team remaining. In a best-of-three series, drawing the wrong opponent can turn a flaw like that into a season-ending problem in just two games.
The playoffs open Sunday. First-round series are best-of-three, with the higher seed hosting Game 1 and, if necessary, Game 3. The best-of-five semifinals begin Oct. 4, and the best-of-seven Finals open Oct. 17. Top-seeded Minnesota hosts New York, and second-seeded Golden State hosts Dallas. Las Vegas, the No. 3 seed, opens against Indiana, and fourth-ranked Atlanta hosts Washington.
Here is the biggest question each playoff team has to answer.
Minnesota Lynx: Can the Lynx Stop Their Late Slide?
Minnesota (33-11) clinched the top seed Tuesday night despite a 96-77 loss to Indiana, but it's safe to say this team isn't playing its best basketball right now. The Lynx lost four of five before Thursday's 86-66 win over the Fever, with the only other win in that stretch coming against the Connecticut Sun. Napheesa Collier called the way the starters played Tuesday "embarrassing."
Olivia Miles missed Tuesday's game with a left calf injury. The rookie point guard averages 19.8 points and 6.0 assists, and her availability for Sunday's Game 1 has not been announced.
NEXT STOP, POSTSEASON. 💃 pic.twitter.com/vE7UM5EtDe
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) September 25, 2026
Minnesota has also had its full frontcourt together for only a portion of the season. Collier has played in 15 of the Lynx's 44 games after offseason surgery on both ankles, averaging 17.5 points. Natasha Howard, who started at center in her absence, is shooting 59.2% from the field. She had 21 points in 21 minutes Thursday.
The full-season profile is still strong. Minnesota's offensive rating of 112.3 ranks third in the league. Its defensive rating of 104.0 ranks fourth. The Lynx also shoot 38.3% from three-point range, second in the league, and Kayla McBride made six triples in Thursday's win.
Golden State Valkyries: Can Golden State Score Enough?
Golden State's defense is the best in the league. The Valkyries have a defensive rating of 99.1 and hold opponents to a league-low 47.8% effective field-goal percentage.
Only Connecticut matches Golden State's 42.3% shooting from the field, and the Sun won 11 games. But he Valkyries score 108.5 points per 100 possessions and, among playoff teams, only Washington, at 104.2, scores fewer.
The Valkyries (32-12) take a league-high 30.6 3-point attempts per game and make 34.5% of them. They score a league-low 30.8 points in the paint.
Gabby Williams leads the Valkyries in scoring at 14.4 points, on 40.3% shooting. Veronica Burton logs the most minutes on the roster, 28.6 per game.
In the Valkyries' penultimate regular season, Carla Leite, who played for Golden State last season, scored the go-ahead basket with 1:57 left in overtime Tuesday as Portland came back from a 17-0 deficit to win 90-82. The Valkyries shot 26-of-66 from the field and 8-of-31 from 3-point range.
Two nights later, Golden State trailed the Los Angeles Sparks 71-59 with under four minutes left, then went on a 17-1 run and won 76-75 to clinch the No. 2 seed. Kaitlyn Chen scored 14 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter, and Williams had 8 points in the final 90 seconds.
Las Vegas Aces: Can the Aces Hold Up on the Glass Without NaLyssa Smith?
Las Vegas (31-13) lost NaLyssa Smith for the season to a non-contact left leg injury on Aug. 23 against the Toronto Tempo. She started all 38 games she played, averaging 11.7 points and 6.4 rebounds, 2.2 of them offensive.
𝐇𝟑𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 👏✨
— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) September 25, 2026
A'ja Wilson is the first player to lead the WNBA in scoring and blocks for three seasons in a row.@wnba // #ALLINLV pic.twitter.com/AXIuIPOm5B
Las Vegas has collected 49.4% of available rebounds this season. Golden State, at 50.0%, is the only other playoff team close to that line. The Aces also grab 27.1% of their own misses, better than only Chicago, which won 16 games. Minnesota scores 13.8 second-chance points a game. Las Vegas gets 10.7.
Wilson averages 26.0 points and 9.4 rebounds. Behind her, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus plays 11.3 minutes per game and averages 3.0 rebounds. Brianna Turner plays 13.2 minutes and averages 2.3.
The Aces closed the regular season on a seven-game winning streak, beating Phoenix 100-82 on Thursday behind 34 points from Wilson. Jewell Loyd added 25 off the bench.
Atlanta Dream: Will Atlanta's Jump Shots Fall?
Atlanta (30-14) averages 43.6 points in the paint, the most in the league. On the offensive glass, the Dream and Washington share the league lead at 35.4%.
The Dream make 32.5% of their 3-point attempts. Washington is the only playoff team with a lower mark and it takes eight fewer attempts per game than Atlanta's 27.5.
Rhyne Howard takes 8.8 of those attempts and makes 35.5%. Allisha Gray shoots 33.9% on 5.4 attempts. Naz Hillmon is at 30.6% on four attempts attempts a game and Jordin Canada is at 29.2%.
Angel Reese leads the league at 12.1 rebounds per game and has 32 double-doubles. She took a hit to the face just before halftime of Wednesday's 83-65 win at New York and did not return for the second half.
Atlanta has lost in the first round in each of the last three seasons, falling to Dallas, New York, and Indiana in the last trio respectively.
Washington Mystics: Can Washington Take Care of the Ball?
Washington's defense and rebounding are among the best in the league. The Mystics' defensive rating of 103.1 ranks second. They lead the league at 37.6 rebounds per game.
The offense is the lowest-rated among the playoff teams. Washington's offensive rating of 104.2 ranks 12th in the league overall and its net rating of 1.1 is the lowest in the playoff field.
Turnovers are a large part of that. The Mystics turn the ball over on 19.3% of their possessions, the highest rate in the league. Opponents score 18.3 points per game off those turnovers, also tops.
Washington leads the league with 24.7 free-throw attempts per game. It makes 73.2% of them, the lowest rate among playoff teams. Kiki Iriafen shoots 65.1% at the line and fellow interior threat Shakira Austin shoots 72.0%.
The Mystics (28-16) beat Chicago 101-93 on Thursday for a franchise-record 28th win.
Indiana Fever: Can Indiana Get Enough Stops?
No team scores like Indiana. The Fever lead the league at 96.7 points per game, and their offensive rating of 115.8 is also first. Their 56.6% effective field-goal percentage and 61.1% true shooting percentage likewise pace the group of 15.
The defense, however, is the lowest-rated in the playoff field. Indiana's defensive rating of 108.3 is the worst among the eight postseason teams. The Fever (28-16) allowed just under 43.0 points in the paint per game and 10.3 fast-break points a contest, both most among the competing eight.
Kelsey Mitchell in year 9:
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) September 25, 2026
▪️ 1,086 total points this season (No. 1 in WNBA)
▪️ 24.7 PPG (No. 2 in WNBA)
▪️ 135 3PM (No. 1 in WNBA)
▪️ 45.0 3P% (No. 1 in WNBA)
▪️ 27 straight games with 20+ PTS, WNBA record
▪️ 9 games with 30+ PTS
▪️ WNBA record for three-pointers made in a… pic.twitter.com/yXQLMpVaKX
0
Kelsey Mitchell averages 25.0 points, Caitlin Clark is right behind her at 22.8, and Aliyah Boston puts up 16.4. Clark also averages 8.5 assists ... and 4.7 turnovers.
Indiana beat Minnesota 96-77 on Tuesday before to the Lynx by 20 two nights later to fall to the sixth seed. Boston left in the second quarter with a right lower leg injury that Fever coach Stephanie White called a flare-up. Reserve guard Tyasha Harris was carried off in the third quarter with a left ankle injury.
Dallas Wings: Where Does Dallas' Outside Shooting Come From?
Azzi Fudd was Dallas' most prolific three-point shooter before the Wings lost her for the season Aug. 19. The first overall pick made over two triples a game on 5.2 attempts, shooting 39.7% over 30 games.
Dallas (27-17) averages 8.3 made 3-pointers per game on 23.8 attempts. That is tied with Minnesota for the second-fewest attempts among playoff teams, ahead of only Washington.
Paige Bueckers makes 1.9 per game and shoots 41.0% from deep. Arike Ogunbowale makes 1.7 per game on 5.3 attempts at 32.5%. Maddy Siegrist shoots 42.2% on 2.0 attempts per game, and Awak Kuier shoots 39.0% on 2.0. Alanna Smith, who has missed time recently, is shooting 26.1% from three-point range.
Dallas takes care of the ball as well as anyone, as the Wings lead the league with a 1.84 assist-to-turnover ratio and turn it over on 15.0% of their possessions. They also lead the league at an average of 12.1 fast-break points.
New York Liberty: Can Sabrina Ionescu Find Her Shot?
Sabrina Ionescu has played 31 games this season and is averaging 14.6 points and 4.7 assists. She is shooting 38.8% from the field and 29.5% from 3-point range on 6.5 attempts per game.
Breanna Stewart leads New York at 20.8 points per game on 47.4% shooting. She is at 25.4% from deep on 2.9 attempts.
SABRINA IONESCU DAGGER 3 🔥
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 1, 2026
NEW YORK LIBERTY ARE 2026 COMMISSIONER'S CUP CHAMPIONS 🏆 pic.twitter.com/IqLMVjId0T
The Liberty take 29.3 3-point attempts per game, third-most in the league, and make 34.8%. In Monday's 95-84 loss to Atlanta, they went 1-of-13 from 3-point range in the first half.
Jonquel Jones, who shoots 39.2% from three-point range on 4.6 attempts per game, left Wednesday's 83-65 loss to Atlanta in the third quarter with a left ankle injury. She had tweaked the same ankle Aug. 18 against Chicago.
New York forces turnovers on 14.6% of opponent possessions, the lowest rate in the league. Minnesota, their first round foe, turns it over on 16.3% of its possessions.
