The 2025 WNBA playoffs are already delivering drama. The opening round features a new 1-1-1 format — with the higher seed hosting Games 1 and 3, and the lower seed hosting Game 2 — and the best-of-three setup is leaving no margin for error.
Top seeds Minnesota, Las Vegas and Atlanta looked strong out of the gate with convincing Game 1 wins, while New York needed overtime to escape Phoenix. But Tuesday night flipped the script: the Seattle Storm and Indiana Fever both staved off elimination at home. Seattle snapped the defending champion Las Vegas Aces’ 17-game winning streak with an 86–83 comeback, powered by 50 combined points from Skylar Diggins and Nneka Ogwumike. The Fever, meanwhile, leaned on their home crowd to beat the Atlanta Dream 77–60, extending an injury-plagued season that many thought was finished.
Elsewhere, the Liberty hold a 1–0 edge over the Mercury heading into Wednesday’s Game 2, while the top-seeded Lynx can eliminate expansion Golden State that same night. The Lynx remain the title favorites after a dominant 44-game regular season and will have home-court advantage throughout.
The semifinals begin Sunday, Sept. 21, under a best-of-five format, with the Finals expanding to a best-of-seven for the first time. With Minnesota seeking a fifth championship and Las Vegas chasing a three-peat, the road to October is already rockier than expected.
