2025 WNBA playoffs winners and losers: Lynx, Aces score huge wins; Liberty lose Breanna Stewart to injury

The 2025 WNBA playoffs are underway. The month-long sprint to crown a new champion began on Sunday with a quadruple-header featuring Game 1 of all four first-round series. The Minnesota Lynx, Las Vegas Aces, Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty all jumped out to 1-0 leads. The Liberty were the only lower seed to win on the road. 

Here are Sunday’s results: 

Now that all four games have wrapped up, let’s take a closer look at the action with the winners and losers from these pivotal Game 1 matchups. As a reminder, first-round series in the WNBA playoffs are best-of-three, which means every team that lost on Sunday is now on the brink of elimination.

Winner: Lynx

The Lynx are the title favorites, so simply winning Game 1 in the first round against the No. 8 seed wasn’t particularly notable. But putting up 101 points against one of the league’s top defenses to record the largest playoff win in franchise history? Well, that’s another story. 

After shaking off a sleepy start, the Lynx were pretty much perfect over the final three quarters. For the game, they held the Valkyries to 33.9% shooting and forced 16 turnovers, which they turned into 16 points on the other end. Offensively, the Lynx had five players in double figures, led by Napheesa Collier with 20, shot 51.5% and assisted on 25 of their 35 field goals.

The Lynx were the best team in the league by a wide margin during the regular season, and their dominant victory on Sunday afternoon was a clear statement that they plan to maintain those standards in the postseason. — Jack Maloney

Winner: Aces’ defense

A’ja Wilson and the Aces certainly made a statement in Game 1. They set the tone early and entered halftime with a 45-25 advantage, which was the largest halftime lead in their franchise playoff history. Meanwhile, the Storm’s 25 points were tied for the fewest points after two quarters in their postseason history.

Things did not get any better for Seattle after the break. Although Seattle was able to score more points, the Aces never took their foot off the gas. As a team, Las Vegas had 10 steals and six blocks and scored 21 points off Seattle’s 13 turnovers. Wilson, a three-time MVP and two-time Defensive Player of the Year, had a lot to do with her team’s dominance. The Storm’s bigs were simply no match for her as she put up 29 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks. — Isabel Gonzalez

The Fever only got 13 games from Caitlin Clark this season, and while their offense was noticeably worse without her — 108.6 offensive rating with Clark on, 104.4 offensive rating with Clark off — Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston ensured that it didn’t fall off a cliff.  

The playoffs are a different beast, however, and the Fever felt Clark’s absence more than ever on Sunday. While Mitchell got loose for 27 points on 9 of 18 from the field, the rest of the team combined for just 41 points on 13 of 45 shooting (28.8%). Odyssey Sims, who chipped in 10 points, was the only player besides Mitchell in double figures. 

Clark’s ability to create shots for her teammates is largely unmatched, and without her it’s a real grind for the Fever to find good looks against a tough Dream defense. — Jack Maloney

The Liberty gave up two first-round picks to get Natashsa Cloud in the offseason, and while that may have been a steep price for a player who has never made an All-Star Game, it’s hard to imagine where this Liberty team would be without her. Cloud’s defense, playmaking and energy, both on and off the court, have been immense, especially given the Liberty’s injury problems.  

In Game 1 against the Mercury — who traded Cloud to the Connecticut Sun this offseason before she was re-routed to New York — Cloud put together not only her best game yet for the Liberty, but one of the best performances of her career. All night long, she delivered on both ends of the floor.

Cloud finished with 23 points — 10 of which came in the fourth quarter and overtime — six rebounds, five assists and four steals on 9 of 12 from the field, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range. She played 39 of a possible 45 minutes, and the Liberty were plus-11 when she was on the court. — Jack Maloney

Loser: Mercury’s overtime performance

The Liberty versus Mercury game was far from pretty, but it was dramatic — at least in regulation. Alyssa Thomas had a chance to win it for Phoenix with two seconds left on the clock, but her layup attempt was unsuccessful and we got five more minutes of basketball. Unfortunately, that’s also when the excitement died. 

The Mercury’s offense disappeared with poor shot selection, and they didn’t make a field goal until there were fewer than two minutes remaining. Meanwhile, the Liberty rose to the occasion and outscored their opponents 11-4 in the extra period — despite Breanna Stewart exiting with a knee injury. Phoenix had a good opportunity to win at home but instead fell down 1-0 in this best-of-three first-round series and is now facing elimination. — Isabel Gonzalez

Hillmon was one of the top candidates for Sixth Player of the Year this season, and on Sunday she proved she can be just as impactful in the playoffs. Hillmon added 3-point shooting to her game during the offseason and it has certainly paid off. She hit two of them in Game 1 against the Fever while registering 16 points and nine rebounds, along with three assists, one steal and three blocks. She was particularly effective in the second half, which helped the Dream pull away from the Fever. — Isabel Gonzalez

Loser: Liberty’s health situation

The Liberty got off to a 9-0 start this season, but went 18-17 the rest of the way because they could not keep their key players on the court together. Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Nyara Sabally missed significant time, while Sabrina Ionescu, Leonie Fiebich, Kennedy Burke and Isabelle Harrison all missed at least seven games.

Breanna Stewart injury: Liberty star (knee) leaves Game 1 vs. Mercury in overtime, will be evaluated ‘soon’

Jack Maloney

Their Big Three of Stewart, Ionescu and Jones only started and finished 13 of 44 games together; the Liberty won all 13. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to add another tally to either column on Sunday. Even though they escaped with an overtime win, Stewart left with an apparent left knee injury with two minutes to play in the extra frame. 

Liberty coach Sandy Brondello did not provide an update on Stewart after the game, and it’s unclear if she’ll miss any time. The last thing the Liberty need right now is another injury to their best player. Stewart, who underwent a minor procedure on her right meniscus prior to the season, missed a month late in the campaign with a right knee bone bruise. — Jack Maloney