The WNBA semifinals just kicked off, and if you thought winning experience meant anything, think again. Game 1 of the best-of-five series saw both the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty, winners of the last two championships, fall flat on Sunday. This ain’t your grandma’s playoff bracket, folks, because the challengers are showing up ready to play for keeps.
Valkyries Stun Aces in San Francisco, Gabby Williams Shines
Talk about making a statement! The No. 2 seeded Golden State Valkyries marched into the Chase Center in San Francisco and flat out beat the Las Vegas Aces, 71-60. Yeah, you read that right. The Aces, one of the teams that’s owned the championship hardware lately, just got handed an 11-point loss right out of the gate. And who was leading that charge? None other than Gabby Williams, who was an absolute force, dropping 25 points and snagging 11 rebounds. That’s a double-double that screams “we’re here to win a title,” and it’s making everyone take notice. Game 1 went to the squad looking for their first title, not the reigning champs. Wild.
Dream Take Down Liberty, Angel Reese Honored
Over in Atlanta, it was more of the same story for the defending champs. The No. 8 seed New York Liberty found themselves on the losing end against the No. 4 seed Atlanta Dream, falling 92-82 at State Farm Arena. The Dream are another team hungry for their first title, and they definitely showed it, putting up a big win against a team with recent championship pedigree. Before the game even started, Angel Reese of the Atlanta Dream was honored for winning the WNBA Kia Defensive Player of the Year award. That’s some serious momentum to carry into a playoff game, and it clearly paid off. With players like Pauline Astier, Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu, and Breanna Stewart all on the court for the Liberty, you’d expect a tighter game, but the Dream pulled out the win.
What a start to the semifinals, right? We’re only one game deep in these best-of-five series, and both reigning champions are already playing from behind. You know they’re not going to roll over, but the Dream and the Valkyries have shown they’re not intimidated one bit. It’s going to be a wild ride to see how the Aces and Liberty respond in Game 2. Get ready, because these playoffs just got seriously interesting.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply