WNBA locks in first-round playoff bracket

LA said goodbye to a legend last night, throwing Nneka Ogwumike an epic send-off.

Indiana locks playoff clash with Las Vegas

No. 6 Indiana is facing a tough road, setting a WNBA postseason date with No. 3 Las Vegas after Thursday’s 86-66 blowout loss to No. 1 Minnesota.

• Only guard Kelsey Mitchell reached double-digit scoring for the Fever, while Lynx guard Kayla McBride smoked Indiana’s defense with six 3-pointers.

• “We kinda came out and got punched in the mouth,” said Caitlin Clark, after being held to a career-low two points. “We have to have the mentality in the playoffs of… one game at a time.” (Watch full highlights)

Scouting report: The Fever now shifts focus to the reigning champion Aces, as Las Vegas carries a seven-game winning streak into the best-of-three first round.

• The Aces capped their regular season with a 100-82 win over No. 10 Phoenix, as four-time MVP A’ja Wilson readies another deep playoff run.

• “Obviously [Indiana] has a high-powered offense,” said Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon. “But coming in, we know that defense is a game-changer.” (Watch full highlights)

Tune in: Las Vegas hosts Indiana on Sunday at 4 PM ET (ABC).

Washington sets showdown with Atlanta

No. 5 Washington is ready for primetime, securing a first-round showdown with No. 4 Atlanta after Thursday’s 101-93 season-ending win over No. 11 Chicago.

• Second-year guard Sonia Citron led the Mystics with 22 points, as the back-to-back All Star gears up for her postseason debut.

• “Just to see the growth from last year to this year is incredible,” Citron said of her team. “The sky’s the limit.” (Watch full highlights)

Scouting report: Washington faces a challenging first-round battle with the Dream, as Atlanta leans on marquee addition Angel Reese to better its 2025 semifinal run.

• Reese leads the WNBA with 12.1 rebounds per game, while averaging a career-high 16.4 points and 1.8 steals per game in her first year down South.

• “Everybody can see the growth that she’s had from the beginning of the season to the end of the season,” coach Karl Smesko said of Reese. “I’m really proud of the improvement that she’s made.” (See full stats)

Tune in: Atlanta takes on Washington on Sunday at 7 PM ET (Prime).

Golden State invites Dallas to Ballhalla

No. 2 Golden State clinched the home stand, notching home-court advantage in last night’s 76-75 comeback win over No. 10 LA after conceding No. 1 to Minnesota.

• The Valkyries overcame a 13-point deficit to avoid a WNBA standings slip, as forward Gabby Williams sealed the deal with a game-winning 3-pointer.

• “In our second year, we’ve learned a lot from our mistakes,” Golden State coach Natalie Nakase said. “What I have to do is build the confidence within our team and make sure we’re highly, highly connected.” (Watch full highlights)

Scouting report: Golden State opens the postseason against No. 7 Dallas, after pulling off a regular-season sweep of the Wings and dropping just five home games all year.

• Dallas bettered its 2025 win total by 17 games — a record turnaround — fueled in part by playoff debutant Paige Bueckers.

• “Paige has an unbelievable trust in her teammates,” said Dallas coach Jose Fernandez. “That’s just a credit to who she is.”

Tune in: Golden State hosts Dallas on Sunday at 9 PM ET (USA).

The 2026 WNBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel have arrived, as the season’s top eight finishers tip off the highly anticipated best-of-three first round on September 27th — with a ticket to the October 17th best-of-seven WNBA Finals on the line.

• Whether you’re rooting for Minnesota, Golden State, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Indiana, New York, Washington, or Dallas, keep up with all the latest postseason news and standings shifts in the WNBA app.

Tune in: The WNBA playoffs tip off with a Sunday doubleheader on ABC, starting at 2 PM ET.

Utah hunts momentum against North Carolina

No. 4 Utah is hanging tough, as this season’s surprise success story searches for consistency before October’s international break pauses NWSL competition.

• Fresh off picking up two red cards in last Sunday’s 3-0 drubbing by Angel City, the Royals haven’t strung together two consecutive wins since July.

• “The second you get a red card, you’re not in control of it anymore, but you control what you do next,” said Utah manager Jimmy Coenraets. “I think we reacted quite well.” (Watch full highlights)

Back in action: The Royals have a chance to right the ship against No. 7 North Carolina, though player suspensions could come back to haunt them against a Courage attack led by Golden Boot leader Ashley Sanchez.

• Defenders Paige Cronin and Ana Tejada will sit out Sunday’s match, with the NWSL disciplinary committee serving Tejada one additional suspension. (See full report)

Tune in: Utah faces North Carolina on Sunday at 7 PM ET (Roku Channel).

Arsenal & Chelsea battle for an early-season edge

Two UK heavy hitters are squaring off, as No. 3 Chelsea and No. 6 Arsenal face each other for the first time this season in Sunday’s WSL headliner.

• While both clubs remain unbeaten, early draws have the Blues and the Gunners trailing reigning champion No. 1 Man City and No. 2 Tottenham.

• “As much as I know my job is to win many games and to win trophies and I’m desperate for that — it also takes time for the squad to gel,” said Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor. (See full report)

Stocking up: Arsenal locked down a key part of its lineup this week, signing USWNT defender and UWCL champion Emily Fox to a three-year contract extension.

• “This has felt like home since the moment I joined, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to continue to represent this club and compete for titles,” Fox said. (See full release)

Tune in: Arsenal takes on Chelsea on Sunday at 11:30 AM ET (Paramount+).

Quote of the day

Sun President Jen Rizzotti
thanking the crowd after last night’s emotional final game at Mohegan Sun Arena.