Jonquel Jones had 21 points and 13 rebounds and the No 8 seed New York Liberty beat the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx 87-71 in Game 2 of their WNBA playoff series on Tuesday night to advance to the semi-finals. Breanna Stewart added 21 points and Sabrina Ionescu had 18 to help the Liberty become the first No 8 seed to eliminate a No 1 seed in the league’s 30-year history. The WNBA has undergone a number of different playoff formats, and in many of them, it wasn’t possible for those seeds to match up. However, in 2022 the league changed to the current iteration in which the top-eight teams play in the quarter-finals.
После игры Джонкел Джонс заявила: «Мне кажется, за счёт роста у нас было преимущество перед ними, и я хотела проявить себя с первых минут. Если кто-то бросает по кольцу, я чувствовала, что должна быть в трёхсекундной зоне и задавать тон на весь вечер».
Now, New York await the winner of the Atlanta-Washington series. The Dream are up 1-0 and play at Washington on Wednesday night. The semi-finals begin Sunday. A year after losing in the first round to Phoenix after going up 1-0 in that series, New York were determined to avoid a repeat.
New York Liberty play Minnesota Lynx at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center
The No. 8 seed New York Liberty won their first WNBA Playoff game against the No. 1-ranked Minnesota Lynx on Sunday in Minneapolis, and they’ll play Game 2 on their home court at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Tuesday night. Despite their loss on Sunday, the Lynx may be riding high, though, thanks to coach Cheryl Reeve being named Coach of the Year and Olivia Miles earning the Rookie of the Year title on Monday.
Minnesota Lynx eliminated from the 2026 WNBA playoffs
The No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx were eliminated from the 2026 WNBA playoffs in stunning fashion Tuesday with an 87-71 loss to the No. 8 seed New York Liberty, who complete a two-game sweep. The Lynx are the first No. 1 seed to lose a first-round series to a No. 8 seed. Despite Game 1 at home on Sunday, and needing a response to keep their season alive, the Lynx immediately fell behind 9-1 on Tuesday, and were down double digits within five minutes. Though they worked their way back into the game at various points, they never led in what turned into an emphatic victory for the Liberty. There were few performances to write home about for the Lynx, who shot 38.2% from the field as a team. Courtney Williams led the way with 18 points, but needed 17 shots to get there, while Napheesa Collier needed 14 shots for her 14 points. Unanimous Rookie of the Year Olivia Miles, meanwhile, scored just five points on 1 of 8 from the field, and was benched in the middle of the third quarter after committing an (unintentional) flagrant foul on Breanna Stewart. The Lynx finished 33-11 to claim the top seed.
While the future looks bright for Minnesota with four of the team’s five starters set to return next season — point guard Olivia Miles unanimously won Rookie of the Year and Cheryl Reeve a record fifth Coach of the Year — questions remain about Napheesa Collier’s future with the franchise. Miles is still on her rookie contract and Kayla McBride, Courtney Williams and Natasha Howard are all signed through 2027.
Las Vegas Aces eliminate Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever
Elimination was on the table Tuesday during a pair of Game 2s in the 2026 WNBA playoffs. First, the Las Vegas Aces had an opportunity to eliminate Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever after winning the first contest at home. Then, the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx had their backs against the wall after dropping the first game to the New York Liberty.
Clark wasn’t ready to go home. The three-time All-Star was unstoppable and led the Fever to a 99-89 victory over A’ja Wilson and the Aces to even the series at a game apiece. She made history as the first WNBA player to record a double-double with points and assists in a playoff half and finished with 27 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds. While she was the star, Kelsey Mitchell (26 points) and Aliyah Boston (22 points) provided important support and helped counter an incredible performance from Jackie Young (31 points, five assists and four rebounds).
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