WNBA · Playoffs 2026updated 00:59 UTC

Minnesota vs New York

First round of the 2026 WNBA playoffs: the series, and each team's eight main players, how they are playing, against this opponent and in past playoffs.

First round · Best of 3 · first to 2 wins

Minnesota Lynx against New York Liberty

Seed 1Minnesota LynxMinnesota0 wins
Seed 8New York LibertyNew York2 wins

New York won 2⁠–⁠0

Head to head

2026 regular season: Minnesota 1, New York 2 (games won)

Earlier playoff meetings

2024 Finals: New York won 3⁠–⁠2

The betting market before each game

Before game 1: Minnesota 73⁠–⁠76% to win the series (34 betting sites)
Before game 2, New York leading 1⁠–⁠0: Betting prices for this game are unavailable right now.

Each from that game's last prices before it started. The market's view, not our pick.

Our picks in this series

9 won, 11 lost

Game 1

Won Jonquel Jones over 2.5 assists
Lost Jonquel Jones over 15.5 points
Lost Leonie Fiebich under 13.5 points + rebounds + assists
Lost Leonie Fiebich under 7.5 points
Won Breanna Stewart over 34.5 points + rebounds + assists
Lost Marine Johannes over 5.5 points
Won Pauline Astier over 0.5 3-pointers

Game 2

Won Napheesa Collier under 17.5 points
Lost Breanna Stewart over 24.5 points
Won Leonie Fiebich under 5.5 rebounds + assists
Won Pauline Astier under 14.5 points + rebounds + assists
Won Leonie Fiebich under 11.5 points + rebounds
Lost Kayla McBride over 3.5 rebounds
Lost Natasha Howard over 14.5 points + assists
Won Leonie Fiebich under 7.5 points
Lost Natasha Howard over 20.5 points + rebounds + assists
Lost Natasha Howard over 11.5 points
Lost Breanna Stewart over 37.5 points + rebounds + assists
Lost Courtney Williams under 20.5 points + rebounds + assists
Won Leonie Fiebich under 14.5 points + rebounds + assists

The players

Each team's eight main players, by minutes played in this series; an injured regular keeps her place. Tap a player for her last ten games, her record against this opponent and her past playoff series.

Numbers are averages per game: Min = minutes played, Pts = points, Reb = rebounds, Ast = assists. The change row compares this series with her regular season; “same” means within about a tenth.

Minnesota Lynx

Kayla McBrideGuardMinPtsRebAstSeries38.214.02.55.0Season32.017.63.02.2ChangeupdowndownupPlayed 2 of 2 games in this series.
Courtney WilliamsGuardMinPtsRebAstSeries36.513.55.55.0Season29.813.84.84.3ChangeupsameupupPlayed 2 of 2 games in this series.
Napheesa CollierForwardMinPtsRebAstSeries33.113.06.02.0Season29.316.86.92.6ChangeupdowndowndownPlayed 2 of 2 games in this series.
Olivia MilesGuardMinPtsRebAstSeries23.78.05.01.0Season31.019.84.76.0ChangedowndownsamedownPlayed 2 of 2 games in this series.
Nia BrodieForwardMinPtsRebAstSeries21.413.01.51.0Season22.36.34.21.8ChangesameupdowndownPlayed 2 of 2 games in this series.
Natasha HowardForwardMinPtsRebAstSeries16.95.03.51.5Season28.414.87.63.3ChangedowndowndowndownPlayed 2 of 2 games in this series.
Maya CaldwellGuardMinPtsRebAstSeries10.50.01.51.5Season14.34.12.41.1ChangedowndowndownsamePlayed 2 of 2 games in this series.
Dorka JuhaszForwardMinPtsRebAstSeries9.40.00.00.5Season15.23.63.11.4ChangedowndowndowndownPlayed 2 of 2 games in this series.

New York Liberty

Breanna StewartForwardMinPtsRebAstSeries38.827.58.55.0Season33.120.68.23.3ChangeupupsameupPlayed 2 of 2 games in this series.
Leonie FiebichForwardMinPtsRebAstSeries31.811.55.52.0Season28.78.83.02.1ChangeupupupsamePlayed 2 of 2 games in this series.
Pauline AstierGuardMinPtsRebAstSeries31.15.56.54.0Season23.49.42.73.3ChangeupdownupupPlayed 2 of 2 games in this series.
Sabrina IonescuGuardMinPtsRebAstSeries30.615.52.06.5Season29.814.63.84.7ChangesamesamedownupPlayed 2 of 2 games in this series.
Jonquel JonesCenterMinPtsRebAstSeries28.714.59.02.5Season28.314.69.22.6ChangesamesamesamesamePlayed 2 of 2 games in this series.
Han XuCenterMinPtsRebAstSeries10.15.51.50.0Season13.56.32.50.7ChangedowndowndowndownPlayed 2 of 2 games in this series.
Marine JohannesGuardMinPtsRebAstSeries9.15.00.52.0Season19.98.01.92.4ChangedowndowndownsamePlayed 2 of 2 games in this series.
Rebecca AllenForward/GuardMinPtsRebAstSeries8.30.01.00.0Season18.25.82.60.6ChangedowndowndowndownPlayed 2 of 2 games in this series.