WNBA playoff takeaways: Liberty alter starting lineup in easy win over Dream; Lynx, Aces toughen up down the stretch to win Game 1s

The No. 1 New York Liberty started Sunday’s slate of WNBA playoff games with an 83-69 win over the No. 8 Atlanta Dream. New York can sweep the series with a win Tuesday, while Atlanta will look to force a Game 3.

New York was dominant from start to finish, outscoring Atlanta 29-16 in the first quarter. Here’s what it took for the Liberty to win Game 1:

Leonie Fiebich saves best game for playoffs

This was the Liberty rookie’s first playoff game, and Leonie Fiebich made the most of it. She’s been a key contributor for New York all season, mostly coming off the bench, but coach Sandy Brondello opted to start Fiebich against Atlanta. She finished with a season-high 21 points and was 5-of-5 shooting in the first half. She’s averaging 6.7 points, 3 rebounds and 1.8 assists on the season.

Fiebich, who will likely earn All-Rookie honors this season, finished 7-of-8 from the floor, including 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. She is also just the seventh rookie to have her first 20-point game in the playoffs.

Fiebich started in place of 14-year veteran Courtney Vandersloot. But despite coming off the bench for the first time in her 32 appearances this season, Vandersloot still made history. The guard dished out her 365th assist, passing Sue Bird for the most assists in WNBA playoff history.

Liberty win 3-point and free-throw battle

New York got out to a hot start, going 5-of-10 from the 3-point line in the first half, while the Dream were 0-of-8. New York cooled off after halftime and finished the game 8-of-23 (34.8%), but Atlanta couldn’t close the 3-point shooting gap. The Dream were 3-of-16 (18.8%) from beyond the arc.

Fiebich scored 12 points from beyond the arc, and Sabrina Ionescu added 9, going 3-of-7 from distance.

The Liberty also won the free-throw battle, making 17-of-18 attempts to Atlanta’s 12-of-19.

Starters shine, while bench stays quiet

Of New York’s 83 points, all but four came from the starting five. Fiebich led with 21, Breanna Stewart had 20, Ionescu had 17, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton had 10 and Jonquel Jones added 9. Vandersloot had all the bench points.

The lack of bench scoring wasn’t an issue against Atlanta, and it likely won’t be for the remainder of the series, but New York will need production outside of its starting five as the playoffs progress.

Kayla Thornton, Kennedy Burke, Nyara Sabally and Vandersloot are all capable of contributing off the bench. Vandersloot typically scores 6.4 points per game, Thornton averages 5.5, Sabally contributes 4.9, and Burke averages 3.4. Meanwhile, Fiebich is usually New York’s biggest contributor off the bench, but if she continues to start, the Liberty will need to find a lift outside of their first five.

Lynx end game on 11-3 run to defeat Mercury

No. 2 Minnesota looked ready to run away from No. 7 Phoenix, leading by as many as 23 in the first half of their opening round-matchup Sunday. But the Mercury ended the second quarter on a 15-6 run that ignited a strong second half. Phoenix was able to regain the lead multiple times in the fourth quarter, but the Lynx stepped up when it mattered, ending the game on an 11-3 run for a 102-95 victory. Here’s how it all shook out:

Lynx weather storm in offensive battle

Minnesota led Phoenix 32-19 after the first quarter, but the Mercury outscored the Lynx in the remaining three frames to keep things interesting.

Both teams shot at a high clip, combining for 71 made field goals. Minnesota shot 49.3% from the field and 41.7% from beyond the arc, finishing with 10 made 3-pointers. Phoenix made 50% of its attempts from the field and 51.9% from the 3-point line. The Mercury knocked down 14 3-pointers, which helped propel the comeback.

The Mercury cut the lead to single digits with 2:55 left in the third quarter on a Sophie Cunningham 3-pointer and a Natasha Mack layup a few possessions later got Phoenix within five before Minnesota went on a mini run that got the lead back to 11. Natasha Cloud then hit a 3-pointer to end the quarter, which led to a Phoenix run in the fourth.

The Mercury took its first lead since it was 4-2 in the first quarter with 4:44 left to play on a Brittney Griner free throw. From there, the teams traded baskets in a high-scoring battle. It was an uncharacteristic game for the Lynx, who are second in the WNBA in scoring defense, allowing 75.6 points per game. They also lead the league field-goal percentage defense (41%) and 3-point defense (30.1%).

But Minnesota was able to secure the win with an 11-3 run in the last 1:49, thanks to a balanced attack. Myisha Hines-Allen, Napheesa Collier, Bridget Carleton and Kayla McBride all scored during the run.

Lynx share the ball

Eight players recorded a basket for Minnesota in the win. Collier led her team with 38 points, while Kayla McBride added 20. The duo had impressive scoring nights, but it was Minnesota’s passing that allowed it to defeat Phoenix. The Lynx constantly made the right passes and assisted on 30 of their 34 field goals. Seven players had at least three assists, while five players recorded four or more. Guard Courtney Williams led the charge with eight assists.

The Mercury, meanwhile, relied on more isolation ball, making 37 field goals, assisting on 19 of them.

Guard duos propel both teams

For the Lynx, Collier and McBride combined for more than half of their team’s points, finishing with 58. Collier’s 38 points were also a season high. The forward, who finished second in MVP voting this season, was 11-of-19 shooting and 13-of-14 from the free-throw line.

McBride continued her sharp-shooting ways — she’s making 40.7% of her long-range attempts this season — going 3-of-7 from the 3-point line, 5-of-11 from the field and 7-of-7 from the free-throw line.

Meanwhile, Phoenix had its own high-scoring guard duo as Natasha Cloud put up 33 points and Diana Taurasi finished with 21. Cloud had an excellent night from beyond the arc, making 4-of-8 3-pointers, which is far better than her season average. She’s shooting 30.8% from 3-point range on the season.

Taurasi may be hanging it up after this season (though she’s yet to say for sure), but the 20-year veteran still has plenty of scoring to give. She also had an efficient night from long range, making 5-of-10 3-pointers. Together, she and Cloud combined for 54 of their team’s 95 points.

Las Vegas turns back Storm

After defeating No. 5 Seattle 78-67 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series, No. 4 Las Vegas is one step closer to winning its third consecutive WNBA title. The Aces have a much more challenging path to the championship this season after they earned the No. 1 seed in the previous two seasons. Here’s how they got it done in game 1:

Aces shut down Storm in fourth quarter

Seattle had a one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but the Aces went on a 14-2 run to secure the opening victory. Seattle had just two points in the quarter on free throws from Skylar Diggins-Smith with 4:07 left to play. Seattle shot 0-of-12 in the final frame.

Kelsey Plum, who shot 1-of-8, made her only field goal to start the fourth quarter, kicking off her team’s run. A’ja Wilson, Tiffany Hayes, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young also scored during the run.

Prior to the fourth quarter, Seattle shot 44.6% from the field, a number that dropped to 36.8% for the game. Diggins-Smith led the way for the Storm with 16 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds, Gabby Williams added 14 points and 8 rebounds, and Nneka Ogwumike finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Jewell Loyd, Seattle’s leading scorer this season, finished with just 6 points on 2-of-8 shooting. She averaged 19.7 points during the regular season. The Storm will look for more from their star guard in Game 2 on Tuesday.

A’ja Wilson continues her MVP play, with an assist from Tiffany Hayes

On Sunday morning Wilson was named MVP in a unanimous vote, and on Sunday night, she led the Aces to the win. Wilson was the first player to be unanimously voted MVP since Cynthia Cooper in 1997. Cooper and the Comets won three WNBA titles in a row, something the Aces are trying to replicate this season. This is Wilson’s third MVP in her seven seasons in the league.

Wilson started slowly, scoring just 4 points in the first half, but she picked it up in the third quarter, with 15 points in the frame. Wilson finished with 21 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks. The performance marks Wilson’s 23rd game in a row with at least 15 points. The center is averaging 26.9 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game this season, leading the league in points and blocks and finishing second in rebounds.

Wilson came alive in the second half, but Hayes served as her team’s catalyst in the second quarter, helping the Aces come back from an 18-9 first-quarter deficit. She was 4-of-4 shooting in the second period, scoring 10 points. Hayes finished with 20 points, 5 steals and 4 rebounds. She was Las Vegas’ second-leading scorer behind Wilson.

Gabby Williams elevates Seattle

After her impressive run with the French national team in the Paris Olympics, the Storm added Williams on Aug. 21. The guard has brought a different level of skill and athleticism to Seattle since her signing, and Sunday’s playoff game was no different. Williams finished with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists.

With Williams starting, Jordan Horston, who had previously worked her way into the starting lineup, went back to the bench. But the Tennessee grad has continued her high-level play, competing in tandem with Williams. Horston had 10 points against Las Vegas, scoring Seattle’s only bench points.

The Storm will need similar efforts from the duo Tuesday if they want to force a Game 3.