The Indiana Fever fought off elimination. The top-seeded Minnesota Lynx weren't as fortunate.
Indiana, playing at home at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, beat the No. 3 seed Las Vegas Aces 99-89 on Tuesday, forcing their first-round series of the 2026 WNBA playoffs back to Las Vegas for Game 3 on Thursday.
But the No. 8 seed New York Liberty eliminated the Lynx in Tuesday's nightcap. After stealing Game 1 in Minnesota on Sunday, the Liberty ran over the Lynx 87-71 at Barclays Center. New York is the first 8-seed to knock off a No. 1 seed.
Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart each had 21 points and Sabrina Ionescu added 18 for the Liberty, who became the first team to advance to the WNBA semifinals. Lynx guard Olivia Miles, unanimously named WNBA Rookie of the Year on Monday, finished with five points.
In Indiana, Caitlin Clark finished with 27 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds, despite fouling out with 2 minutes, 45 seconds remaining and the Fever up 92-83. She shot 9-for-18 from the field and 5-for-11 on 3-pointers. Kelsey Mitchell added 26 points and Aliyah Boston 22.
Jackie Young led Las Vegas with 31 points, while MVP front-runner A'ja Wilson had 22 points and nine rebounds.
ESPN was courtside for all the action. Here's how both games were won.
JUMP TO: How the Fever won | Relive Tuesday's action
(8) New York Liberty 87, (1) Minnesota Lynx 71
How the game was won: New York players spoke before the game about having fresh in their minds how they, in Stewart's words, got "smoked" at home in Game 2 of last year's first-round series before dropping the decisive Game 3 in Phoenix. The Liberty played with an urgency from the tip on Tuesday, suggesting they fully understood they couldn't let that happen again. They jumped to an early 10-point lead, and even though Minnesota hung around, it never felt like they completely lost the control of the game. It was an all-around complete performance from the Liberty, who got huge nights from Sabrina Ionescu (18 points, seven assists) and Jonquel Jones (21 points, 13 rebounds) after Breanna Stewart carried the team in Game 1. Though Stewart wasn't too shabby herself, finishing with 21 points, five rebounds and four assists on the night.
What it means for New York: After a 13-12 start to the season and ending up with the No. 8 seed, the Liberty advance to the semifinals, keeping them in the hunt for their second championship in three years. They showed why they could never be viewed as a true eight seed in the playoffs. Minnesota only led for 3 minutes and 23 seconds this series, all of which were in Game 1.
What it means for Minnesota: A third straight heartbreaking playoff finish for the Lynx, who became the first No. 1 seed in WNBA playoff history to be swept in their opening series. Hard to imagine this won't result in some real questions internally in Minnesota as the Lynx collapse in epic fashion now two years in a row. -- Alexa Philippou
Minnesota-New York by the numbers
Courtesy of ESPN Research
The Minnesota Lynx are the first 1-seed in WNBA history to be swept in their opening series.
This is the first time that Minnesota has lost consecutive games by 15 or more points since a two-game streak between Sept. 10-13, 2023. This is their first time ever losing consecutive playoff games by 15 or more points.
Minnesota's 16-point elimination loss is the third-worst in franchise history.
Minnesota led for just 3 minutes, 23 seconds this entire series -- those leads came in Game 1.
The New York Liberty have won their last five playoff games when leading by 10 or more points at the half. The last time they lost despite a 10-plus point lead was Sept. 27, 2025 against the Indiana Fever.
Conversely, the Lynx are now 3-11 all-time in playoffs when trailing by 10 or more points at the half.
Liberty rookie Pauline Astier had a huge defensive impact on the floor in Game 2: Minnesota was just 4-19 (21%) when she was the primary defender.
The Liberty took full advantage of open looks throughout this series: They were 30-46 from the field (65%) and 14-27 from 3 (52%).
New York's Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones & Sabrina Ionescu together scored or assisted on 70 points. The Lynx had 71 points as a team.
Stewart now has 31 career 20-point playoff games, third-most in WNBA history behind Diana Taurasi (44) and A'ja Wilson (33).
(6) Indiana Fever 99, (3) Las Vegas Aces 89
How the Fever stopped the Aces' high-powered offense: The Fever defense showed up Tuesday night. As a unit, the Fever seemed a split-second quicker than Las Vegas. They double-teamed more often than in Game 1. They cut off diving lanes. Help defense seemed to be in the right spots consistently. Nothing came easy inside, particularly for A'ja Wilson, who wasn't quite as decisive with the ball as she was Sunday. Also, shots that fell for Vegas in Game 1 clanked away in Game 2. Those Chelsea Gray fadeaways from the elbow weren't hitting. Jackie Young didn't seem to have her touch, though she ended up finishing with a game-high 31 points. After a 26-point first quarter, the Aces cooled as an entire team. Once again, nothing came easy, particularly in the half court, like so much did in Game 1. -- Kareem Copeland
What went wrong for the Aces: Wilson wasn't really herself for a lot of the game, and credit goes to the Fever defense. It's ultra-rare for Wilson to not even take a shot in a quarter, but that's what happened in the third period. Wilson's frustration showed in the fourth quarter when she was assessed a technical foul in a confrontation with a fan behind the basket. Wilson still finished with 22 points and nine rebounds. The Aces defense wasn't as strong as it was in Game 1, either, as the Fever shot 52% from the field. Overall, it wasn't the same Aces team as the one that had won its last eight games. -- Michael Voepel
