WNBA Scores September 27, 2026: Liberty Stun Lynx as Playoffs Open

The WNBA scores for September 27, 2026 opened the playoffs with one major upset and three commanding home victories.

Breanna Stewart powered eighth-seeded New York past top-seeded Minnesota. Meanwhile, A’ja Wilson dominated Indiana with 38 points and 16 rebounds. Atlanta used a decisive third quarter to beat Washington, while Golden State buried 18 three-pointers in a rout of Dallas.

Every first-round series is now one game from elimination.

WNBA Playoff Scoreboard — September 27, 2026

• New York Liberty 91, Minnesota Lynx 75 — New York leads series 1-0
• Las Vegas Aces 102, Indiana Fever 85 — Las Vegas leads series 1-0
• Atlanta Dream 92, Washington Mystics 77 — Atlanta leads series 1-0
• Golden State Valkyries 104, Dallas Wings 80 — Golden State leads series 1-0

New York Liberty 91, Minnesota Lynx 75

Stewart Leads No. 8 Liberty to Game 1 Stunner

New York delivered the biggest result of the opening day. The eighth-seeded Liberty beat top-seeded Minnesota 91-75 at Target Center and moved within one victory of the semifinals.

Breanna Stewart produced a complete playoff masterpiece. She finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks. Stewart shot 11-for-18 from the floor and 10-for-12 at the free-throw line.

Leonie Fiebich added 16 points and made four three-pointers. Overall, New York went 13-for-25 from behind the arc.

Nia Brodie led Minnesota with 16 points off the bench. Kayla McBride scored 14. However, Napheesa Collier and Natasha Howard both fouled out. Rookie Olivia Miles also struggled in her playoff debut, scoring 11 points on 3-for-12 shooting.

Turning Point

Minnesota led 44-40 at halftime after winning the second quarter 26-15. New York responded immediately. The Liberty outscored the Lynx 51-31 in the second half and closed the game with a 25-16 fourth quarter.

Stewart controlled the decisive stretch. At the same time, New York’s defense forced Minnesota away from its preferred rhythm and put the Lynx frontcourt into foul trouble.

Star of the Game: Breanna Stewart

34 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks

Stewart dominated every phase of the game and carried the lowest seed in the field to a convincing road victory.

Las Vegas Aces 102, Indiana Fever 85

Wilson Overwhelms Fever in Historic Performance

A’ja Wilson looked unstoppable as Las Vegas opened its title defense with a 102-85 victory over Indiana.

Wilson matched her playoff career highs with 38 points and 16 rebounds. She also blocked four shots, recorded two steals and shot an extraordinary 15-for-19 from the field.

Jackie Young added 21 points and 10 assists. Chelsea Gray contributed 14 points, five rebounds and eight assists. As a team, Las Vegas shot 59.4% from the floor and 47.4% from three-point range.

Aliyah Boston led Indiana with 18 points and eight rebounds. Caitlin Clark posted 15 points and 10 assists, but she committed six turnovers. Raven Johnson scored 14 off the bench, while Kelsey Mitchell finished with 12 on 4-for-16 shooting.

Turning Point

The teams were tied at 36 with 7:20 remaining in the second quarter. Then Las Vegas exploded. The Aces closed the half on a 26-11 run and carried a 62-47 lead into the locker room.

Wilson scored 11 points during the decisive surge. Indiana never recovered and trailed by as many as 27 in the second half.

Star of the Game: A’ja Wilson

38 points, 16 rebounds, 4 blocks, 15-for-19 shooting

Wilson combined overwhelming efficiency with elite rebounding and rim protection. It was the most dominant individual performance of the opening day.

Atlanta Dream 92, Washington Mystics 77

Dream Flip Game With Ferocious Third Quarter

Atlanta erased an 11-point deficit and overwhelmed Washington after halftime to win 92-77.

Rhyne Howard led the Dream with 26 points and five steals. Allisha Gray added 22 points. Angel Reese recorded 13 points and 12 rebounds in her playoff debut, while Jordin Canada finished with 10 points and 10 assists.

Sonia Citron paced Washington with 25 points. Kiki Iriafen added 15 points and 14 rebounds, and Shakira Austin collected 12 points and 16 rebounds.

Washington dominated the glass 50-31. Nevertheless, the Mystics matched a season high with 22 turnovers. Atlanta converted those mistakes into 27 points.

Turning Point

Washington led 41-36 at halftime. Atlanta then won the third quarter 29-12.

The Mystics committed seven turnovers during the period, leading to 14 Dream points. DeWanna Bonner provided an important scoring spark, while Howard and Gray increased the defensive pressure. Washington later cut the margin to seven, but Gray answered with a three-point play to end the threat.

Star of the Game: Rhyne Howard

26 points, 5 steals

Howard supplied the game’s best scoring total and led the aggressive defense that changed the series opener.

Golden State Valkyries 104, Dallas Wings 80

Valkyries Set Franchise Scoring Record in Playoff Rout

Golden State turned its first true home playoff game into a celebration. The Valkyries beat Dallas 104-80 and set a franchise record for points.

Cecilia Zandalasini scored 22 points on 7-for-11 shooting, including four three-pointers. Tiffany Hayes added 21 points off the bench, while Gabby Williams scored 20. Veronica Burton contributed 10 points.

Paige Bueckers led Dallas with 21 points and six rebounds. She shot 9-for-10 overall and scored 17 in the first half. However, the Wings received too little help around her.

Golden State made 18 of 36 three-pointers. In contrast, Dallas finished just 6-for-20 from deep.

Turning Point

Golden State led only 21-20 after the first quarter. Then the Valkyries buried Dallas with a 37-11 second quarter.

Kayla Thornton’s three-pointer pushed the lead to 32-24 and forced a Dallas timeout. Golden State kept attacking and entered halftime ahead 58-31. The game never became competitive again.

Star of the Game: Cecilia Zandalasini

22 points, 7-for-11 shooting, four three-pointers

Zandalasini led a balanced attack and set the tone for Golden State’s record-setting offensive night.

Updated WNBA Playoff Standings After September 27

The first-round matchups are best-of-three series. The following list shows each seed, regular-season record and current series record:

1. Minnesota Lynx — 33-11 regular season; 0-1 vs. New York
2. Golden State Valkyries — 32-12 regular season; 1-0 vs. Dallas
3. Las Vegas Aces — 31-13 regular season; 1-0 vs. Indiana
4. Atlanta Dream — 30-14 regular season; 1-0 vs. Washington
5. Washington Mystics — 28-16 regular season; 0-1 vs. Atlanta
6. Indiana Fever — 28-16 regular season; 0-1 vs. Las Vegas
7. Dallas Wings — 27-17 regular season; 0-1 vs. Golden State
8. New York Liberty — 26-18 regular season; 1-0 vs. Minnesota

Every Series Moves to an Elimination Game

New York now returns home with the chance to eliminate the league’s top seed on Tuesday. Minnesota must win in Brooklyn to force a deciding Game 3.

Indiana faces the same situation when it hosts Las Vegas on Tuesday. The Fever must slow Wilson and reduce the 59.4% shooting rate that powered the Aces in Game 1.

Washington and Dallas will host their respective Game 2 matchups on Wednesday. Both teams need major corrections. The Mystics must protect the basketball, while the Wings must defend the three-point line.

Sunday’s WNBA scores for September 27, 2026 therefore created immediate postseason pressure. New York delivered the upset, but Las Vegas, Atlanta and Golden State also moved one victory from the semifinals.

Sources

• Official WNBA schedule and scores
• Official WNBA standings
• WNBA: Liberty vs. Lynx Game 1 recap
• CBS Sports: Fever vs. Aces Game 1
• CBS Atlanta: Mystics vs. Dream Game 1
• CBS Sports: Wings vs. Valkyries Game 1

Featured image: Illustrative basketball photograph by Simon Kessler via Unsplash, used under the Unsplash License. The image does not depict a September 27 WNBA playoff game.