The Indiana Fever fought off elimination. The top-seeded Minnesota Lynx weren’t as fortunate.
Indiana, playing at home at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, beat the No. 3 seed Las Vegas Aces 99-89 on Tuesday, forcing their first-round series of the 2026 WNBA playoffs back to Las Vegas for Game 3 on Thursday.
But the No. 8 seed New York Liberty eliminated the Lynx in Tuesday’s nightcap. After stealing Game 1 in Minnesota on Sunday, the Liberty ran over the Lynx 87-71 at Barclays Center. New York is the first 8-seed to knock off a No. 1 seed.
Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart each had 21 points and Sabrina Ionescu added 18 for the Liberty, who became the first team to advance to the WNBA semifinals. Lynx guard Olivia Miles, unanimously named WNBA Rookie of the Year on Monday, finished with five points.
In Indiana, Caitlin Clark finished with 27 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds, despite fouling out with 2 minutes, 45 seconds remaining and the Fever up 92-83. She shot 9-for-18 from the field and 5-for-11 on 3-pointers. Kelsey Mitchell added 26 points and Aliyah Boston 22.
Jackie Young led Las Vegas with 31 points, while MVP front-runner A’ja Wilson had 22 points and nine rebounds.
ESPN was courtside for all the action. Here’s how both games were won.
JUMP TO: How the Liberty won | How the Fever won | Relive Tuesday’s action
How the game was won: New York players spoke before the game about having fresh in their minds how they, in Stewart’s words, got “smoked” at home in Game 2 of last year’s first-round series before dropping the decisive Game 3 in Phoenix. The Liberty played with an urgency from the tip on Tuesday, suggesting they fully understood they couldn’t let that happen again. They jumped to an early 10-point lead, and even though Minnesota hung around, it never felt like they completely lost the control of the game. It was an all-around complete performance from the Liberty, who got huge nights from Sabrina Ionescu (18 points, seven assists) and Jonquel Jones (21 points, 13 rebounds) after Breanna Stewart carried the team in Game 1. Though Stewart wasn’t too shabby herself, finishing with 21 points, five rebounds and four assists on the night.
What it means for New York: After a 13-12 start to the season and ending up with the No. 8 seed, the Liberty advance to the semifinals, keeping them in the hunt for their second championship in three years. They showed why they could never be viewed as a true eight seed in the playoffs. Minnesota only led for 3 minutes and 23 seconds this series, all of which were in Game 1.
What it means for Minnesota: A third straight heartbreaking playoff finish for the Lynx, who became the first No. 1 seed in WNBA playoff history to be swept in their opening series. Hard to imagine this won’t result in some real questions internally in Minnesota as the Lynx collapse in epic fashion now two years in a row. — Alexa Philippou
Breaking down how Minnesota was eliminated
What happened to the Lynx?
Kendra Andrews: Overnight, the team that sat atop the WNBA standings throughout the majority of the regular season looked like a shell of itself through both first-round games. Olivia Miles missed the last two games of the regular season with a calf injury, and she admitted to being nervous in Game 1 — her playoff debut. But the unanimous Rookie of the Year scored just two points in the first game and five on Tuesday (she also sat for the final six minutes of the game).
A rookie is going to be inexperienced in these types of moments, but it doesn’t explain what happened to the veterans. The Lynx were hopeful Napheesa Collier would hit her peak by the start of the postseason. Instead, she looked uncomfortable, combining for 26 points in the two losses. Kayla McBride scored 14 in both matches, and Courtney Williams had just nine points in Game 1. Simply put, as soon as the playoffs started, the Lynx lost all the spark that made them so dangerous for the past four months.
What was the biggest factor in the 1-seed being eliminated?
Andrews: The Liberty are no ordinary 8-seed. And lucky for them, their championship experience got the job done against the Lynx. In Game 1, Breanna Stewart proved why she is one of the best winners in women’s basketball, finishing with 34 points and 12 rebounds. In Game 2, the Liberty’s big three — Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones — took over. For as much inconsistency and identity searching New York had to do under first-year head coach Chris DeMarco, both games of the first round looked like vintage Liberty basketball.
Their takedown of the Lynx in Game 2 was surgical and was a gentle reminder of how good this core is, but also what playoff experience — and championship experience — can accomplish on this stage.
Meanwhile, Minnesota looked disjointed. Collier, McBride and Williams have competed together at the highest level but didn’t look like it at key moments. After Game 1, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve challenged Collier to be more assertive — something a coach doesn’t want to have to urge their star player to do in the playoffs. New York knew exactly what it needed to do to not let Game 2 get away from it and allow the series to head back to Minnesota.
Minnesota-New York by the numbers
Courtesy of ESPN Research
The Minnesota Lynx are the first 1-seed in WNBA history to be swept in their opening series.
This is the first time that Minnesota has lost consecutive games by 15 or more points since a two-game streak between Sept. 10-13, 2023. This is the Lynx’s first time losing consecutive playoff games by 15 or more points.
Minnesota‘s 16-point elimination loss is the third worst in franchise history.
Minnesota led for just 3 minutes, 23 seconds this entire series — those leads came in Game 1.
The New York Liberty have won their past five playoff games when leading by 10 or more points at the half. The last time they lost despite a 10-plus point lead was Sept. 27, 2025, against the Indiana Fever.
Conversely, the Lynx are now 3-11 all-time in playoffs when trailing by 10 or more points at the half.
Liberty rookie Pauline Astier had a huge defensive impact on the floor in Game 2: Minnesota was just 4-for-19 (21%) when she was the primary defender.
The Liberty took full advantage of open looks throughout this series: They were 30-for-46 from the field (65%) and 14-for-27 from 3 (52%).
New York’s Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu together scored or assisted on 70 points. The Lynx had 71 points as a team.
Stewart now has 31 career 20-point playoff games, third most in WNBA history behind Diana Taurasi (44) and A’ja Wilson (33).
How the Fever stopped the Aces’ high-powered offense: The Fever defense showed up Tuesday night. As a unit, the Fever seemed a split-second quicker than Las Vegas. They double-teamed more often than in Game 1. They cut off diving lanes. Help defense seemed to be in the right spots consistently. Nothing came easy inside, particularly for A’ja Wilson, who wasn’t quite as decisive with the ball as she was Sunday. Also, shots that fell for Vegas in Game 1 clanked away in Game 2. Those Chelsea Gray fadeaways from the elbow weren’t hitting. Jackie Young didn’t seem to have her touch, though she ended up finishing with a game-high 31 points. After a 26-point first quarter, the Aces cooled as an entire team. Once again, nothing came easy, particularly in the half court, like so much did in Game 1. — Kareem Copeland
What went wrong for the Aces: Wilson wasn’t really herself for a lot of the game, and credit goes to the Fever defense. It’s ultra-rare for Wilson to not even take a shot in a quarter, but that’s what happened in the third period. Wilson’s frustration showed in the fourth quarter when she was assessed a technical foul in a confrontation with a fan behind the basket. Wilson still finished with 22 points and nine rebounds. The Aces defense wasn’t as strong as it was in Game 1, either, as the Fever shot 52% from the field. Overall, it wasn’t the same Aces team as the one that had won its last eight games. — Michael Voepel
1:14
Caitlin Clark drops 27 points, 15 assists as Fever tie series with Aces
What are the keys to Game 3? The Fever played much better defense in Game 2, and that made a difference in their offense, too. The Aces shot 59% from the field and scored 102 points in Sunday’s Game 1, which was not much of a contest. But from the start Tuesday, the Fever were locked in defensively and were able to keep Wilson in check for key stretches of the game. A lot of her 22 points came while the Aces were trying to rally. Indiana didn’t let that happen.
And while Young hurt the Fever with 31 points, the overall defensive job by Indiana was very good. Now, the Fever have to try to repeat that Thursday, which won’t be easy. But at least they know the formula.
“It’s always starting in practice — that’s all they talk about, ‘Defense, defense, defense,'” said Fever rookie guard Raven Johnson, who played nearly 22 minutes off the bench, of the Indiana coaches.
Johnson said they especially emphasized “low I” defense, which is when two defenders on the weak side can help protect the paint and the passing lanes.
“I feel when we go back to film, they’ll be very proud of us,” Johnson said. “Everybody was on it. We were scrambling.” — Voepel
This series has been all about which team has the mightier triumvirate. The Aces’ combination of Wilson, Gray and Young were so in sync in Game 1 that they made everything look easy. Wilson was decisive with the basketball and quick into her actions. On the other end, she looked like the best defensive player on the planet. Gray ran the offense with precision and buried those timely fadeaways that have become her trademark. Young’s 21 points came on just 14 shots, and she handed out 10 assists. The trio combined for 93 of the Aces’ 102 points. On Tuesday, they combined for 63 points on 15-for-41 shooting.
Things went in reverse for the Fever. Clark and Mitchell were held to 10-for-33 shooting in Game 1 as neither looked particularly comfortable. Boston shook off her recent slump with 18 points as Indiana’s brightest spot Sunday. All that changed Sunday as Clark (27 points, 15 assists) became the first player in league history to record 25 points and 15 rebounds. Mitchell scored 26 and Boston added 22 as the team shot 52.1% as a whole. These two teams are built similarly with a dynamic backcourt and a No. 1 pick at center out of South Carolina. Both teams will go as far as their big three takes them. — Copeland
