Golden State Valkyries advance to WNBA semifinals after defeating Dallas Wings in Game 3
Quick Look
- The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Dallas Wings 77-73 in Game 3 of the first round to advance to the WNBA semifinals, where they will face the Las Vegas Aces.
- The Valkyries overcame a 16-point deficit in the second half, led by Gabby Williams' 19-point fourth quarter.
- In the other semifinal, the Atlanta Dream will play the New York Liberty, both series starting Sunday.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The 2026 WNBA playoffs began after a historic labor battle that increased the salary cap from $1.5 million in 2025 to $7 million in 2026, leading to multiple regular-season records being broken.
The first round of the 2026 WNBA playoffs concluded on Friday night, with the Golden State Valkyries defeating the Dallas Wings 77-73 in a deciding Game 3 of their first-round series. The No. 2 seed Valkyries now advance to the semifinals, where they will face the No. 3 seed Las Vegas Aces in a best-of-five series. In the other semifinal series, the No. 4 seed Dream will take on the No. 8 seed New York Liberty. Both series will tip off on Sunday, in San Francisco and Atlanta, respectively.
The Valkyries were down 16 points in the second half, but came back thanks in large part to a strong fourth quarter by Gabby Williams, who only had two points in the first half but finished with 19 points, four boards, two assists and two steals. After being blown out in Game 1, the Wings bounced back in Game 2, with Arike Ogunbowale scoring a playoff-record 45 points in a 108-100 overtime win. Ogunbowale had 30 points in Game 3, but it wasn't enough.
On Thursday night, the Aces booked their ticket to the semifinals with a 94-83 victory over the Fever in their winner-take-all Game 3 showdown. The Fever kept their season alive with a home win in Game 2 on Tuesday -- the first playoff win in Caitlin Clark's career -- but could not recapture that magic on the road, thanks primarily to another MVP performance by A'ja Wilson, who was 11 of 18 for 36 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks.
Earlier in the week, the top-seeded Lynx were ousted by the Liberty in a two-game sweep. The Lynx entered the postseason as the heavy title favorites and instead became the first team eliminated. The Liberty, meanwhile, became the first No. 8 seed in WNBA history to knock off a No. 1 seed. The Dream joined the Liberty by sweeping the Mystics and advancing to the semifinals for the first time since 2018.
The thrilling start to the playoffs is fitting, since the 2026 WNBA season has been groundbreaking, on and off the court. It launched on the heels of a contentious and extended labor battle that resulted in a historic raise for the players (the salary cap increased from $1.5 million in 2025 to $7 million in 2026), and in return, the players raised the bar on a weekly basis. Multiple regular-season records fell this year, from Clark becoming the first player in WNBA history with a 40-point, 10-assist game, to Angel Reese breaking the single-game rebounding record with 26 to Kelsey Mitchell passing A'ja Wilson's single-season points record.
Here's how you can follow the playoffs.
2026 WNBA playoff bracket
2026 WNBA playoff schedule
First-round scores
Sunday, Sept. 27
Game 1: No. 8 Liberty 91, No. 1 Lynx 75
Game 1: No. 3 Aces 102, No. 6 Fever 85
Game 1: No. 4 Dream 92, No. 5 Mystics 77
Game 1: No. 2 Valkyries 104, No. 7 Wings 80
Tuesday, Sept. 29
Game 2: No. 6 Fever 99, No. 3 Aces 89
Game 2: No. 8 Liberty 87, No. 1 Lynx 71 (New York wins 2-0)
Wednesday, Sept. 30
Game 2: No. 4 Dream 93, No. 5 Mystics 75 (Atlanta wins 2-0)
Game 2: No. 7 Wings 108, No. 2 Valkyries 100 (OT)
Thursday, Oct. 1
Game 3: No. 3 Aces 94, No. 6 Fever 83 (Las Vegas wins 2-1)
Friday, Oct. 2
Game 3: No. 2 Valkyries 77, No. 7 Wings 73 (Golden State wins 2-1)
Semifinals
(All times ET)
Sunday, Oct. 4
Game 1: Dream vs. Liberty, 2 p.m., ABC/fubo
Game 1: Valkyries vs. Aces, 4 p.m., NBC/fubo
Wednesday, Oct. 7
Game 2: Dream vs. Liberty, 7:30p.m., ESPN/fubo
Game 2: Valkyries vs. Aces, 9:30 p.m., NBCSN
Friday, Oct. 9
Game 3: Dream vs. Liberty, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2/fubo
Game 3: Valkyries vs. Aces, 9:30 p.m., NBCSN
Sunday, Oct. 11
Game 4*: Dream vs. Liberty, TBD, ABC/fubo
Game 4*: Valkyries vs. Aces, TBD, NBC/fubo
Wednesday, Oct. 14
Game 5*: Dream vs. Liberty, TBD, ESPN/fubo
Game 5*: Valkyries vs. Aces, TBD, NBCSN
WNBA Finals
Saturday, Oct. 17
Game 1: TBD vs. TBD, 3:30 p.m. ET | NBC/fubo
Monday, Oct. 19
Game 2: TBD vs. TBD, 3:30 p.m. ET | USA/fubo
Thursday, Oct. 22
Game 3: TBD vs. TBD, 8 p.m. ET | USA/fubo
Saturday, Oct. 24
Game 4: TBD vs. TBD, 3:30 p.m. ET | NBC/fubo
Monday, Oct. 26
Game 5*: TBD vs. TBD, 8 p.m. ET | USA/fubo
Thursday, Oct. 29
Game 6*: TBD vs. TBD, 8 p.m. ET | USA/fubo
Saturday, Oct. 31
Game 7*: TBD vs. TBD, 8 p.m. ET | USA/fubo
* - denotes if necessary
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The Valkyries vs. Aces and Dream vs. Liberty semifinal series will begin on Sunday, October 4
Very likely · Within days
Games 4 and 5 of both semifinal series may be necessary if series are tied
Possible · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Will the Valkyries be able to defeat the Aces in the semifinals?
- Can the Dream continue their upset run against the Liberty?
- Which teams will advance to the WNBA Finals?
- How will the increased salary cap impact team rosters moving forward?
