WNBA Recap & Results | October 4, 2026
The semifinals opened with two Game 1 wins for the higher seeds, and both were built on the same thing: the team without the ball doing more damage than the team with it. Atlanta turned 21 New York turnovers into 32 points and a decisive third quarter. Golden State shot 37.7% and still beat the defending champions by 11, because it won the offensive glass 17 to 2. Here's how it all went down, plus a look at how the preview predictions held up, and where each series stands.
Dream's Third-Quarter Surge Buries Liberty in Game 1
New York Liberty 82, Atlanta Dream 92
New York had every reason to arrive confident. The eighth seed had just swept the No. 1 seed by 16 points twice, and for a half it looked like the run would continue: the Liberty led 24-21 after the first quarter and 40-37 at the break, with Sabrina Ionescu carrying the offense. Then Atlanta did what Atlanta does. A 13-0 run left the Dream up 52-43, and by the end of the third quarter a 32-15 Atlanta frame had turned a three-point halftime deficit into a 14-point lead. The Liberty won the fourth 27-23 but never got close enough to matter. Final: 92-82, Atlanta leads the series 1-0.
Jordin Canada was the engine, going 9-of-14 from the field (4-of-6 from three) for 25 points at 81.6% true shooting with five steals, 15 points off turnovers, and 11 in transition. DeWanna Bonner added 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting with nine rebounds, and Angel Reese posted 17 points, seven rebounds, four steals, three blocks, and eight fouls drawn. Rhyne Howard shot 5-of-20 but still filled the box score with eight assists and eight rebounds, and Allisha Gray went 1-of-5 for seven points. It did not matter. Atlanta forced 21 turnovers with 14 steals, turned them into 32 points to New York's 14, won the fast-break battle 18-0, and got 27 bench points to New York's six.
New York's stars produced and the Liberty still lost the possession game. Ionescu scored 27 on 10-of-20 shooting but committed five turnovers. Breanna Stewart added 19 points on 6-of-13 with a perfect 6-of-6 from the line, three steals, and three blocks, and Jonquel Jones posted a double-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and five blocks. But Leonie Fiebich turned it over four times, and the Liberty's 21 giveaways were one more than the 20 they gave away in the regular-season finale in this building. New York shot 39.3% from three and a perfect 15-of-15 from the free throw line and still lost by 10, a reminder of how little that matters when the ball keeps going the other way.
ATL 92 · NYL 82
Valkyries Win the Glass, and Game 1, Over the Defending Champions
Las Vegas Aces 60, Golden State Valkyries 71
Neither offense had much to celebrate, but Golden State found the one edge that mattered. The Valkyries shot just 37.7% and made seven of 24 three-pointers, and still won comfortably because they dominated the offensive glass 17 to 2 and turned those extra possessions into a 20-5 advantage in second-chance points. Golden State led 22-18 after the first quarter, Las Vegas won the second 13-12 to cut it to 34-31 at the half, and the Valkyries pulled away with a 22-17 third, leading by as many as 13. Las Vegas never led by more than three. Final: 71-60, Golden State takes the first semifinal game in franchise history and leads the series 1-0, after losing all three regular-season meetings with the Aces.
Gabby Williams led the way with 25 points and 11 rebounds on 9-of-18 shooting, including four of seven from three, with five assists. Kiah Stokes did not score but grabbed 14 rebounds, seven of them offensive, and blocked four shots. Kayla Thornton added 11 rebounds, five offensive, to go with eight points, Kaitlyn Chen scored 11, and Aminata Gueye added nine off the bench on 4-of-5 shooting. The supporting cast was cold, with Veronica Burton going 1-of-6 and Tiffany Hayes 1-of-4, but Golden State's 27 bench points and its work on the boards covered for it.
Las Vegas could not answer. A'ja Wilson scored 24 points but needed 21 shots to get there, finishing 8-of-21 with only four rebounds, though she drew nine fouls and went 8-of-11 at the line. Chelsea Gray added 16 points on 5-of-14. Jackie Young was 4-of-15 for 11 points, and Jewell Loyd missed both of her attempts and went scoreless. Las Vegas turned the ball over only six times and still shot 33.9% overall, got seven bench points, and did not have Stephanie Talbot in the box score. With just two offensive rebounds all night, the Aces gave Golden State possession after possession.
GSV 71 · LVA 60
ATL & GSV Take Game 1.
Atlanta stole the ball 14 times. Golden State grabbed 17 offensive rebounds to Las Vegas's two. Both higher seeds won by playing the possession game, and both series now move to Wednesday for Game 2 in the same buildings.
Star of the Night: Jordin Canada, Atlanta Dream
25 points | 9-of-14 FG | 4-of-6 from three | 5 steals | 81.6% TS
Canada was the player who made the Liberty uncomfortable, personally producing 15 of Atlanta's 32 points off turnovers in a game decided by Atlanta's pressure. Gabby Williams's 25-point, 11-rebound night for Golden State was the other standout, but Canada's two-way control of the game's deciding stretch gives her the edge.
Dud of the Night: Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces
11 points | 4-of-15 FG | 26.7% field goal percentage | 36.7% TS | 5 assists
Young went 1-of-8 on two-pointers in a game where Las Vegas needed a second option beside Wilson, and the Aces scored just 60. Rhyne Howard's 5-of-20 for Atlanta was in the conversation, but her eight assists and eight rebounds kept her in the game. Young's cold night was the clearer drag on a team that never found its offense.
How We Did: Checking the Preview Predictions
Sunday's picks went 1-for-2 on sides and 0-for-2 on totals, with one total missing by half a point.
New York @ Atlanta: The preview leaned Atlanta -3.5 (Coin flip) with the under at 173.5 (Lean), projecting an 85-82 Dream win between two elite defenses. Atlanta won by 10, comfortably covering, but the total came in at 174, over the number by half a point. The side hit, and the under missed by the narrowest margin possible as Atlanta's 32-point third quarter and 21 forced turnovers pushed the scoring just past the line.
Las Vegas @ Golden State: The preview leaned Las Vegas +1.5 (Lean) with the over at 161.5 (Lean), projecting an 84-80 Aces win built on Wilson's dominance of this matchup. Golden State won by 11, so the side missed, and the total came in at 131, more than 30 points under the number. Both calls missed: Wilson shot 8-of-21, and a 37.7% Golden State offense and a 33.9% Las Vegas offense turned the game into the grind our total did not expect.
The headline takeaway: the Atlanta side call was right on the winner and the under was half a point from a clean sweep, but the Golden State game went the opposite way from the preview on every count. The preview's key stat, Las Vegas's 3-0 regular-season sweep of Golden State, was exactly the trend the Valkyries broke.
Playoff Predictions Record
Tracking every graded pick against the spread and total from the preview articles, updated through October 4:
Spread / Side: 8-4
Total (Over/Under): 5-7
Twelve games graded so far across six playoff preview articles. The side calls sit at 67%, while the totals sit at 42%. We'll keep this tally updated through the postseason.
Where the Bracket Stands
Semifinals, best-of-five: No. 4 Atlanta leads No. 8 New York 1-0. No. 2 Golden State leads No. 3 Las Vegas 1-0.
Game 2s are Wednesday, October 7: New York at Atlanta at 6:30 p.m. CT, then Las Vegas at Golden State at 8:30 p.m. CT. Both series then shift to the lower seed's building for Game 3 on Friday, October 9, with Game 4 on Sunday, October 11 and a Game 5 on Wednesday, October 14 if needed. The winners meet in the WNBA Finals, which open Saturday, October 17.