The New York Liberty entered Monday night’s game versus the Atlanta Dream at the Barclays Center with the possibility of securing home court advantage for the opening round of the WNBA playoffs, which begin on Sunday. Three days earlier, the Liberty arguably had their best win of the season, defeating the league’s No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx 93-81 on the road last Friday.
Yet, turnovers and sub-par defense in losing 95-84 to the Dream ensured New York will play on the road this weekend, regardless of the outcome of their final regular season game last night (Wednesday) in Brooklyn, hosting the Dream again. The Dream had seven steals in forcing 11 Liberty turnovers overall while holding New York to 42.3% shooting, including 24.1% (7-29) on 3-point attempts. The Dream closed out the second quarter on a 10-3 run to take a 41-38 halftime lead, then exploded for 32 third-quarter points to extend their advantage going into the fourth.
Guard Jordin Canada led the Dream with 19 points and center Angel Reese posted 18 points and 10 rebounds. Liberty superstar Breanna Stewart, who was named the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Most Valuable Player (MVP) as the United States brought home their fifth straight gold on September 13, had game highs of 27 points and 14 rebounds, while center Jonquel Jones added 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Liberty point guard Sabrina Ionescu, a four-time WNBA All-Star, was just 3-12 from the field (2-7 from 3-point range) while committing two turnovers and fouling out in 29 minutes of playing time. At the start of the league’s games on Tuesday night, the seedings were still fluid. The Liberty were 26-17 and the eighth and final seed in the playoff standings. The 26-17 Dallas Wings were the No. 7 seed, holding the head-to-head tie breaker over the Liberty, due to a 2-1 record against them this season, despite an identical record having taken two of three games from the Liberty during the season.
The Washington Mystics were No. 6 at 26-16 and could fall below New York with two losses and a Liberty win last night. The Mystics’ last regular season game is tonight versus the Chicago Sky. The Indiana Fever were 27-15 and in the fifth spot, but close out their schedule with back-to-back games against the Lynx Tuesday and tonight, and could drop below the Mystics. The Fever caught a break on Tuesday as Summit, N.J.-born Olivia Miles, a lock to be named the WNBA Rookie of the Year and likely to finish top 3 in the MVP voting, sat out the game due to a left calf injury.
The Golden State Valkyries were No. 2 with a mark of 31-11 and one game behind Minnesota, which was 32-10 going into their game against the Fever. The Las Vegas Aces, the defending WNBA champion, with A’ja Wilson as the prohibitive favorite to win her fifth league MVP award, were 29-13 and the No. 3 seed. The Dream, at 29-14, is holding the No. 4 seed.
