The First Round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs presented by Google may have stress-induced some gray hairs, but the star power was fantastic. We saw early exits from Dream, Fever, and Mercury as the teams that defeated them inch one step closer to glory. The Liberty and Sun look focused on their goal for their franchises’ first championship. A’ja Wilson and the Aces continue their hunt for a three-peat. The Lynx looks to add to their team’s title trophy case for the first time since 2017. Wow, we are in for a treat. Let’s break down the Semi-Finals matchups and some key players who will make a monumental impact in this best-of-five series. 

(1) New York Liberty vs. (4) Las Vegas Aces

Game 1: Aces at Liberty: Sunday, Sept. 29, 3:00 pm ET, ABC

Game 2: Aces at Liberty: Tuesday, Oct. 1, Time TBD, network TBD

Game 3: Liberty at Aces: Friday, Oct. 4, 9:30 pm ET, ESPN2 

Game 4: Liberty at Aces: Sunday, Oct. 6, TBD (if necessary)

Game 5: Aces at Liberty: Tuesday, Oct. 8, Time TBD, ESPN2 (if necessary) 

Matchup Stats: Liberty vs. Aces | Aces vs. Liberty

It would be an understatement to say the Liberty has a sour taste from losing to the Aces (on their home floor!) in the Finals (by a single point!) last season. If last season taught us anything, there was a big difference in this match-up from the regular season to the playoffs. In 2023, each team had lopsided victories; New York defeated the Aces by 38 last August. That didn’t matter much come post-season. Las Vegas becomes shape-shifters when the lights are bright, and they’re doing it again. 

The Liberty swept the Aces in the regular season, but the first game was without Chelsea Gray, and the last game was a narrow victory without A’ja Wilson. Still, New York has had a different fierceness in its eye this season, especially in these playoffs so far. Both teams are 11-4 in their last 15 games post-Olympic break. The margin of error will be slim, and the superstars Breanna Stewart and Wilson need to be at their all-time best. After winning the regular-season MVP last year, Stewart didn’t have an outstanding playoff performance (she shot 35% from the field across ten games). I bet she’s been itching to run it back. 

Key Players: 

Sabrina Ionescu, Guard, New York 

Ionescu has dramatically improved her game since the last time these two teams met in the postseason. She’s attacking the basket more and not just settling for long-range 3-pointers. Then, when the post-defense helps, she’s added a pretty floater to her arsenal. We saw all this in her roaring 36-point performance in Game 2 of the first round, tying a franchise playoff record. “Spike Lee gave me a high five as I went to inbound the ball out of bounds, and I felt like New York was just injected into me,” Ionescu said after the game. (Hey, Spike, sit courtside for the rest of the season, yeah?) She pumped up the crowd in the win, got her team involved, and fed off Barclay’s energy. And she’ll need to do it again for at least three more games to earn another trip to the Finals. 

She’s a key player in this particular series because of her defense. In the Finals last season, the Aces purposefully put her in sets defensively to exploit her lack of on-ball guarding ability. Ionescu has stepped up her game on the offensive end, and now she’ll need to show that her defense has also elevated. 

Jackie Young, Guard, Las Vegas 

Now, for the player who will most likely be guarding Ionescu, Young will be key in limiting the drives by the Liberty guard. Her pressure on the perimeter for the Aces is an igniting factor for Becky Hammon’s entire defensive scheme. It also helps when you have the reigning Defensive Player in the Year as your help, just in case you get beat. Young is due for a breakout game. She’s struggled in spurts in the back half of the regular season. On offense, they will need her to knock down shots, be a playmaker if the ball gets stuck, and put pressure on the Liberty defense by attacking the rim. On defense, she has one job: stop Sabrina. 

(2) Minnesota Lynx vs. (3) Connecticut Sun

Game 1: Sun at Lynx: Sunday, Sept. 29, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Game 2: Sun at Lynx: Tuesday, Oct. 1, Time TBD 

Game 3: Lynx at Sun: Friday, Oct. 4, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN 2 

Game 4: Lynx at Sun: Sunday, Oct. 6, TBD (if necessary)

Game 5: Sun at Lynx: Tuesday, Oct. 8, Time TBD, ESPN 2 (if necessary) 

Matchup Stats: Lynx vs. Sun | Sun vs. Lynx

Thinking back to the regular-season penultimate game with these two teams gives me chills. The last four possessions were high-level players making high-level plays. With 24 seconds remaining, Alyssa Thomas made a free-throw line push shot. Then, a clutch turn-around jumper by Napheesa Collier. Then, a back-door cut from DeWanna Bonner. Then, a deep 3-pointer by Bridget Carleton sealed it with five seconds remaining. The Lynx won by two points. What a thrill! But it was Minnesota’s lone victory against the Sun in the regular season. Connecticut took the first two matches by a combined six points, which included an overtime win. The Sun and the Wings (surprisingly) were the only two teams to defeat the Lynx twice. 

In the semi-finals, that’ll be wiped clean. Coming into this second round, Collier and Thomas have been playing out of this world. Collier erupted for 42 points (70% from the field!!!) in Game 2 to defeat the Mercury after she scored 38 the prior game. She tied Maya Moore for the record for the most points in a playoff game. Thomas also knotted a record of her own. According to ESPN, with 26 assists in this series, it tied with Sue Bird in 2020 for the most assists over a two-playoff game span. Bird went on to win Finals MVP that season; I’m just saying. The best part? Phee and AT will be guarding each other. That’s a battle I can’t wait to see with a Finals spot on the line.

Key Players:

Kayla McBride, Guard, Minnesota Lynx

McBuckets quietly had one of her best regular seasons in her 11-year career. She became the first Lynx and the 13th WNBA player to make at least 100 threes in the regular season, finishing with 105. Her 40.7% from 3-point range on 6.6 attempts per game was her best to date. Earlier in the season, she matched a WNBA record for most made 3-pointers over a two-game span with 15. She’s averaging the second-most assists of her career (3.2 pg) and a career-best steals average per game (1.3). The latter is a nod to Minnesota’s sweltering defensive intensity all season long; they constantly battled the Sun for the top defensive team in the league. It’s a given this semi-final match-up will be defense first, and McBride has been dialed in on that end of the floor, but the Sun must also play defense on her. The knockdown shooter has gotten great, quick-trigger looks when Collier gets doubled inside. Minnesota’s league-best assist total is because they move the ball swiftly; McBride has been the beneficiary. She can set her feet, stay in rhythm, and knock it down. Combined with her partner-in-crime, Bridget Carleton, they are a whopping 48% from the 3-point line against Connecticut – with Carleton drilling 61.5% solo. 

Brionna Jones, Center, Connecticut 

Last season, the Sun knocked the Lynx out of the playoffs without Bri Jones as the anchor of their interior offense. Jones, who missed most of the 2023 season due to an Achille’s injury, will be key in the Sun getting past Minnesota again this postseason. In Game 1 of the first round against the Fever, the 2024 All-Star tied her career playoff high with four steals while defending Aliyah Boston inside. But she offset it by coughing up the ball five times, which set a new career playoff high. Jones seemed to hurt her right shoulder in the first half of Game 2, only scoring eight points in 13 total minutes. If she’s not 100%, Olivia Nelson-Ododa will have to step up and play substantial minutes in the semi-finals; her 6-foot-5 frame could help disrupt Collier’s looks inside the restricted area. But if Jones is a go, I can see Coach Stephanie White drawing up plays to feed her on the inside purposefully. Minnesota’s Alanna Smith will be tasked to guard Jones; she isn’t a true center and gives up over 30 pounds in the battle. In the Sun’s win over the Lynx in May, Jones tallied 19 points (60% from the field) while limiting Smith to only 10. Jones will have to dominate like this again for Connecticut to come out on top. 

WNBA reporter Jordan Robinson writes columns on WNBA.com throughout the season and can be reached on Twitter at @HeyJordanR. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its teams.