The Minnesota Lynx entered the WNBA playoff opener as the No. 1 seed, with home court advantage and a matchup against the eighth-seeded New York Liberty. It was a game many expected the home side to win, but their night unraveled quickly. A lot went wrong in what turned out to be a blowout loss, with guard Olivia Miles at the center of one of the game’s most viral moments after her defensive assignment, Sabrina Ionescu, was left hurting.
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Ionescu was driving toward the basket, attempting to finish a layup, when the Rookie of the Year tried to make a play on the ball. Miles swung her right arm and caught the Liberty star in the head with full force while she was still in the air, landing the blow as Ionescu completed the motion.
Ionescu staggered backward after landing but stayed on her feet. She immediately put both hands to her head after taking the blow. Thankfully, she avoided a serious injury and still finished the first half with seven points.
New York asserted itself early at Target Center on Sunday, creating history by becoming the first team to record a 15-0 scoring run in the first quarter of a postseason opener, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. That came even after the Lynx opened the game with a quick 6-0 burst.
The Liberty responded immediately, taking the opening quarter 25-18 before the Lynx fought back in the second quarter to take a 44-40 lead into halftime.
Minnesota showed in the second quarter that it had no intention of giving up, and that defensive intensity continued into the third. But the Liberty eventually regained control, taking a five-point lead into the fourth. From there, the game slipped away from the Lynx. New York pulled away in the final quarter to secure a 91-75 victory and make a statement in Game 1.
This was the first time an eighth-seeded team won Game 1 on the road since the WNBA introduced the best-of-three format at this stage of the season in 2022.
Breanna Stewart was the difference-maker for New York. The Liberty forward led all scorers with 34 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists in 38 minutes, while shooting 11-of-18 from the field, 2-of-3 from three, and 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. She also became the first player in Liberty playoff history to record 26 points, seven rebounds, and five assists through the first three quarters of a game. It was a dominant all-around performance that showed why Stewart remains part of the MVP conversation.
Three-time WNBA champion Candace Parker took to X to acknowledge Stewart’s greatness, saying, “Stewie like….. y’all forgot I do this…….”
There were plenty of other records and defining moments in New York’s historic win. Jonquel Jones recorded her 50th playoff assist with the Liberty, passing Cappie Pondexter (49) for the ninth-most in franchise postseason history.
Pauline Astier also made history. She became the first rookie since Caitlin Clark in 2024 to record at least five points, three rebounds, and three assists in a single playoff quarter. Astier is also the only player in WNBA history to reach those numbers in the first quarter of her playoff debut.
She added another milestone to her debut, joining Rebecca Lobo as the only rookies in Liberty history to record at least six rebounds and three assists in a postseason debut.
Han Xu, who returned to New York from Perth earlier this year, also got on the board with a smooth mid-range jumper. She finished with five points.
Ionescu also recovered from her first-half scare involving Miles to finish with 13 points, six assists, and two steals in 28 minutes. Miles, meanwhile, had a mixed night that reflected both the difficulty of the moment and the growing pains of a rookie playing in a pressure postseason game. She finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, shooting 3-of-12 from the field, and 1-of-4 from three.
The Minnesota Lynx did, however, have some individual highlights. Nia Coffey led the Lynx with 16 points on impressive 6-of-7 shooting, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Kayla McBride added 14, and Napheesa Collier contributed 12 points, five rebounds, and three assists. But the Lynx could not match New York’s collective efficiency across the full 40 minutes.
The contrast in team shooting told the story clearly. The Liberty shot 50.8 percent from the field and a blistering 52.0 percent from three-point range, converting 13 of 25 attempts from deep. On the other hand, Minnesota shot 41.8 percent overall and just 34.6 percent from three. New York also dominated the rebounding battle 38-23 and recorded 25 assists to Minnesota’s 20.
The Lynx will now look to regroup quickly. After letting a four-point halftime lead slip away entirely, they head to Barclays Center in Brooklyn for Game 2, needing a win to keep the series alive.