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Top 10 Plays of the Week

First Round Top Plays

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Top Plays of the Day, 9/14/25

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard scored 20 points apiece to help the Atlanta Dream beat the Indiana Fever 80-68 on Sunday in Game 1 of the best-of-three first-round playoff series.
Naz Hillmon, who was the AP Sixth Person of the Year, added 16 points and nine rebounds for the third-seeded Dream. Atlanta can advance to the semifinals with a win in Game 2 on Tuesday in Indianapolis.
Brionna Jones made a tiebreaking layup and Gray hit a pull-up jumper before Howard hit a 3-pointer that gave Atlanta a 47-40 lead almost four minutes into the second half and the Fever trailed the rest of the way.
Kelsey Mitchell led No. 7 seed Indiana with 27 points. Odyssey Sims scored 10 points and Aliyah Boston grabbed 12 rebounds to go with eight points and five assists. The Fever were missing Caitlin Clark, who is sidelined for the playoffs with a groin injury she suffered in the middle of July.
Indiana was also missing Sophie Cunningham (knee), Aari McDonald (foot) and Sydney Colson (knee).
Mitchell made a free throw that cut Indiana’s deficit to 10 points with 3:32 left in the fourth quarter but Hillmon, who scored 14 second-half points, answered with a three-point play and Atlanta led by double figures there on.
The Dream, under first-year coach Karl Smesko, doubled their win total from last year, shattered the club record for wins in a season (30) and finished with their highest win percentage (.682) in franchise history.
Mitchell hit a fast-break 3-pointer to cap a 9-0 run that gave Indiana a 15-6 lead with 4:55 left in the first quarter.

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Game Recap: Indiana Fever vs. Atlanta Dream (First Round, Game 1)

First Round Game Recap

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Game Recap: Fever vs. Dream (9/14/25)

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Allisha Gray with 20 Points vs. Indiana Fever

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Rhyne Howard with 20 Points vs. Indiana Fever

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Naz Hillmon with 16 Points vs. Indiana Fever

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Atlanta Dream vs. Indiana Fever - Game Highlights

2025 Playoffs

After the first 44-game season in WNBA history, the playoff field is set with eight teams vying for the 2025 WNBA championship.
The field features seven of the eight teams from the 2024 playoffs, including the defending champion Liberty, the top-seeded Lynx and the scorching-hot Aces, who bring a 16-game win streak into the playoffs.
The one new addition to the playoff field is historic as the Valkyries became the first expansion team to reach the postseason in their inaugural season.
Before we dive into each team and series, a few reminders on changes for the 2025 playoffs. After two decades of the WNBA Finals being decided in a best-of-five, the series will now feature a best-of-seven to determine the champion. The opening round remains a best-of-three, but will feature a 1-1-1 format, guaranteeing all teams will host at least one playoff game. <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/2025-wnba-postseason-faq">Playoff Schedule &amp; FAQ</a>
<hr />
<h2>(1) Minnesota Lynx vs. (8) Golden State Valkyries</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-203744" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/GettyImages-2234255339.jpg" alt="Napheesa Collier #24 of the Minnesota Lynx drives toward the hoop against Janelle Salaun #13 of the Golden State Valkyries" width="960" height="640" />
Minnesota (34-10): After losing in the 2024 Finals in heartbreaking fashion on the road, the Lynx played the 2025 season with a chip on their shoulder as they rolled to the best record in the league, securing home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Led by MVP candidate Napheesa Coller – who just posted the second-ever 50-40-90 season in league history – the Lynx are seeking their record fifth championship and first since 2017.
Golden State (23-21): In a season full of historic moments, the Valkyries will make more on Sunday when they tip off their first-ever playoff game in their inaugural season. Golden State has defied the odds all season long thanks to breakout seasons from players like Veronica Burton, Ilana Rupert and rookie Janelle Salaün along with veteran Tiffany Hayes, who brings a team-high 33 games of playoff experience but has been ruled out for Game 1 (knee).
Season Series: Lynx 4-0
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">June 1: Lynx 86, Valkyries 75</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">July 5: Lynx 82, Valkyries 71</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Sept. 6: Lynx 78, Valkyries 72</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Sept. 11: Lynx 72, Valkyries 53</li>
</ul>
The Matchup: In an ironic twist of fate, this 1 vs. 8 matchup was solidified in the final week of the regular season as the Valkyries lost two games to the Lynx as part of a three-game losing streak that dropped Golden State from the sixth to the eighth seed. Now, the Valkyries will try to find a way to solve the Lynx with the stakes at their highest. This matchup features two of the top three defenses in the WNBA, but Minnesota also touts the league’s top offense, while Golden State ranks 10th.
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<h2>(2) Las Vegas Aces vs. (7) Seattle Storm</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-203745" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/GettyImages-2229161472.jpg" alt="A'ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces shoots a layup against Dominique Malonga #14 of the Seattle Storm " width="960" height="751" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/GettyImages-2229161472.jpg 4508w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/GettyImages-2229161472-300x235.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/GettyImages-2229161472-768x601.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" />
Las Vegas (30-14): No team in WNBA history has come into a postseason run on a hotter streak than the Aces, who won their final 16 regular season games (by an average of 12.4 points) to earn the No. 2 seed. Sitting at .500 (11-11) at the season’s midpoint, Las Vegas went 19-3 behind the extraordinary play of A’ja Wilson, the two-way brilliance of Jackie Young, the addition of NaLyssa Smith and Jewell Loyd thriving in a reserve role. And don’t forget about the Point Gawd – former Finals MVP Chelsea Gray – running the show.
Seattle (23-21): With Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins, Gabby Williams and trade deadline addition Brittney Sykes, the Storm feature a league-high four 2025 All-Stars, but needed a win in their final regular season game to secure a playoff berth after going just 9-12 following the All-Star break – the lowest win percentage of any playoff team. The Storm boast a top-four defense and led the WNBA in steals and points off turnovers. That defense will be tested as Vegas, which has averaged 88.6 points per game during their win streak.
Season Series: Tied 2-2
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">May 25: Storm 102, Aces 82</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">June 1: Aces 75, Storm 70</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">June 20: Storm 90, Aces 83</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Aug. 8: Aces 94, Storm 90</li>
</ul>
The Matchup: These teams meet in the first round for the second straight postseason after Las Vegas eliminated Seattle 2-0 a year ago. That Storm team featured Loyd, who requested and was granted a trade in the offseason after spending her first decade (and winning two titles) in Seattle. The teams split their season series 2-2 with three of the four games decided by seven points or less. While both teams finished with a league-high 14 wins in games featuring clutch time – score within five points in final five minutes – the Aces went 14-5 in such games compared to the Storm’s 14-15 mark.
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<h2>(3) Atlanta Dream vs. (6) Indiana Fever</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-203746" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/GettyImages-2224200674.jpg" alt="Allisha Gray #15 of the Atlanta Dream passes the ball during the game against the Indiana Fever" width="960" height="640" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/GettyImages-2224200674.jpg 3500w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/GettyImages-2224200674-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/GettyImages-2224200674-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/GettyImages-2224200674-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" />
Atlanta (30-14): The Dream doubled their win total from last year, shattered the team record for wins in a season (30) and finished with their highest win percentage (.682) in franchise history. Powered by the All-Star trio of Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard and Brionna Jones, the Dream are the hottest team outside of Vegas entering the postseason – winning 15 of their last 18 games, including their final six games. Under first-year coach Karl Smesko, the Dream finished second in both offensive and defensive efficiency – after finishing 12th and 6th, respectively, last season.
Indiana (24-20): The Fever earning the No. 6 seed is a testament to the team’s ability to overcome adversity all season long. Indiana saw Caitlin Clark limited to just 13 games (she last played on July 15), the midseason departure of DeWanna Bonner and five players with season-ending injuries that forced the Fever to sign and incorporate multiple players at the end of the season. Helping keep Indy afloat were All-Stars Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston, who will each have to continue to play a major role if the Fever hope to advance.
Season Series: Tied 2-2
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">May 20: Dream 91, Fever 90</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">May 22: Fever 81, Dream 76</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">June 10: Dream 77, Fever 58</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">July 11: Fever 99, Dream 82</li>
</ul>
The Matchup: One of these two teams will win their first playoff series in a decade – the Dream last won a series in 2016, while the Fever’s last series win came during their 2015 run to the Finals. Atlanta and Indy split their season series, but Sunday’s Game 1 will be their first meeting in over two months – that July 11 game featured four of the five players Indy lost to season-ending injuries. This matchup features the second- and third-ranked offenses in the WNBA in Atlanta (108.2) holding a slight edge on Indy (106.2), which means this series may come down to which defense steps up the most.
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<h2>(4) Phoenix Mercury vs.  (5) New York Liberty</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-203747" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/GettyImages-2232368341-1.jpg" alt="Satou Sabally #0 of the Phoenix Mercury looks to pass the ball as Breanna Stewart #30 of the New York Liberty plays defense during the game" width="960" height="640" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/GettyImages-2232368341-1.jpg 3803w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/GettyImages-2232368341-1-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" />
Phoenix (27-17): After being swept by the Lynx in last year’s first round, the Mercury underwent a roster overhaul – returning only two players in Kahleah Copper and Natasha Mack, while adding MVP candidate Alyssa Thomas, former No. 2 pick Satou Sabally and nine more new players. In early July, they added former Mercury champion DeWanna Bonner following her exit from Indiana. With Thomas orchestrating the offense (racking up a league-high eight triple-doubles) and a top-five defense, the Mercury enjoyed their best season (.614 win percentage) since their last title run in 2014.
New York (27-17): The Liberty opened their first title defense by going 9-0 out of the gate, looking like a well-oiled machine. But injuries struck – first to Jonquel Jones and followed by Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Natasha Cloud – which disrupted the team’s flow and saw New York drop to fifth in the standings. One silver lining has been the addition of Emma Meesseman, who was signed to help fill the void left by Stewart, giving New York three former Finals MVPs (Stewart in 2018 and 2020, Meesseman in 2019, Jones in 2024). With everyone healthy to open the playoffs, can the Liberty make another title run?
Season Series: Mercury 3-1
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">June 19: Mercury 89, Liberty 81 </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">June 27: Mercury 106, Liberty 91</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">July 25: Liberty 89, Mercury 76</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Aug. 30: Mercury 80, Liberty 63</li>
</ul>
The Matchup: The Mercury and Liberty finished with matching 27-17 records, with Phoenix earning home-court advantage by winning the season series 3-1. Between the matching records and the tale of the tape – NY fifth in offense and sixth in defense, Phoenix seventh in offense and fifth in defense, both teams top four in pace – this is shaping up to be a tight series. One key person in this matchup won’t be in uniform. It’s Liberty coach Sandy Brondello, who returns to Phoenix, where she led the Mercury to eight straight playoff appearances, including the 2014 title run and 2021 Finals run – the latter includes Phoenix’s last playoff victory.
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<h2>Playoff Power Rankings</h2>
Each week throughout the regular season, I power ranked all 13 teams to go beyond the simple win-loss record and give a more complete look at each team’s overall strength and performance at that time in the season.
I’ll do the same throughout the playoffs at the beginning of each round. With the opening round tipping off today, the red-hot Aces take over the top spot after closing the regular season on a 16-game win streak. Las Vegas has not lost a game since Aug. 2.
The other team to get a bump up from their playoff seed is the Liberty, who will begin their title defense with something they haven’t had for months – a healthy roster. After opening the season 9-0, New York was hit by the injury bug as Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Natasha Cloud all missed significant time.
The Liberty enter their title defense with the most playoff experience of any team in the field. How much will that experience come into play this postseason?
<ol>
<li> Las Vegas Aces</li>
<li> Minnesota Lynx</li>
<li> Atlanta Dream</li>
<li> New York Liberty</li>
<li> Phoenix Mercury</li>
<li> Indiana Fever</li>
<li> Seattle Storm</li>
<li> Golden State Valkyries</li>
</ol>

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First Round Series Preview: 2025 WNBA Playoffs

Several players are entering the 2025 WNBA Playoffs presented by Google bringing a wealth of postseason history to their teams, and their leadership could be the difference-maker in tight matchups. Here&#8217;s a look at the most postseason-tested active players and teams in this year&#8217;s run in the Playoffs.
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<h3 id="topindividualplayoffappearances">Top Individual Playoff Appearances</h3>
Leading the pack is DeWanna Bonner of the Phoenix Mercury, who has made 15 playoff appearances. Following her is Natasha Howard of the Indiana Fever with 11 appearances.
A three-way tie for third place with 10 playoff appearances includes:
<ul>
<li>Brittney Griner (Atlanta Dream)</li>
<li>Nneka Ogwumike (Seattle Storm)</li>
<li>Chelsea Gray (Las Vegas Aces)</li>
</ul>
Other notable names include:
<ul>
<li>Alyssa Thomas (Phoenix) and Jewell Loyd (Las Vegas) with 9 appearances</li>
<li>A large group tied with 8 appearances, including stars like Breanna Stewart, Natasha Cloud, Jonquel Jones, and Emma Meesseman.</li>
</ul>
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<h3 id="championshippedigree">Championship Count</h3>
Among this year’s postseason participants, three players stand out with three WNBA championships each:
<ul>
<li>Natasha Howard (Indiana)</li>
<li>Chelsea Gray (Las Vegas)</li>
<li>Breanna Stewart (New York)</li>
</ul>
Several others have won two titles, including:
<ul>
<li>DeWanna Bonner, Sami Whitcomb, Kiah Stokes, A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, Jewell Loyd, Jordin Canada, and Sydney Colson.</li>
</ul>
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<h3 id="teamplayoffexperiencebygamesplayed">Team Playoff Experience by Games Played</h3>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-203734" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/playoff-exp-2025_4x5.png" alt="" width="700" height="905" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/playoff-exp-2025_4x5.png 1170w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/playoff-exp-2025_4x5-792x1024.png 792w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/09/playoff-exp-2025_4x5-768x993.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
When it comes to collective playoff experience, the New York Liberty lead all teams with 252 games played by players on their active roster. Close behind are the Las Vegas Aces with 249 games, followed by the Minnesota Lynx (211) and Indiana Fever (197).
Here’s the full breakdown:
<ol>
<li>New York Liberty – 252 GP</li>
<li>Las Vegas Aces – 249 GP</li>
<li>Minnesota Lynx – 211 GP</li>
<li>Indiana Fever – 197 GP</li>
<li>Phoenix Mercury – 195 GP</li>
<li>Atlanta Dream – 149 GP</li>
<li>Golden State Valkyries – 129 GP</li>
<li>Seattle Storm – 107 GP</li>
</ol>

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