NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA playoffs will have a star-studded matchup between A'Ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark, thanks to a massive comeback by Golden State.
Golden State's win and Indiana's loss to Minnesota sets up a best-of-three series between the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces and the Fever.
The series beginning Sunday in Las Vegas will be a showcase between Wilson, the four-time WNBA MVP, and Clark, the 2024 rookie of the year and three-time All-Star.
The Aces, who have won three of the past four WNBA championships, beat the Phoenix Mercury 100-82, but dropped to the No. 3 seed with Golden State's win. Indiana fell to the No. 6 seed with its 86-66 loss to Minnesota on Thursday.
Golden State plays the No. 7 seed Dallas Wings and star Paige Bueckers in the opening round. Minnesota clinched the top seed for the second straight season and will face eighth-seeded New York.
The Atlanta Dream are the four seed after beating New York on Wednesday night and will face No. 5 seed Washington. The Mystics beat the Chicago Sky 101-93 Thursday night and earned the fifth seed with Indiana's loss to Minnesota.
“Everybody in the playoffs are capable of winning on the road and stealing a series,” Atlanta coach Karl Smesko said. “I definitely think it’s an advantage to have to play in front of your home crowd.”
The Minnesota-New York series will be a rematch of the 2024 WNBA Finals, won by the Liberty in seven games. The Lynx played without star point guard Olivia Miles the final two games of the regular season due to a left calf injury.
“You have to have a healthy dislike for one another and I think that exists,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. “But also at the same time, a lot of respect. So it makes for great cinema and hopefully some great games for us, particularly at Target Center.”
The Liberty also have two key players dealing with injuries.
Star Breanna Stewart missed Wednesday’s game with knee soreness and Jonquel Jones went down with an ankle injury in the third quarter.
“The margin for error throughout this regular season is incredibly small and you’ll see that in the playoffs,” Stewart said. “Like one through eight you don’t know who will be playing at the end of October, which is exciting. I feel like for us we’re going to get a fresh start when it comes Sunday.”
With New York finishing at 26-18, this is only the second time in league history that all the playoff teams have won at least 59% of their games. The 1998 playoffs, which only had four teams, had all four teams at 60% or better.
In the four major sports it’s rare to find the last place team in the playoffs with such a high win rate.
See AP’s full WNBA coverage here
Phoenix Mercury guard-forward Kahleah Copper, left, drives to the basket against Las Vegas Aces forward-center Brianna Turner (21) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game, in Phoenix, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Minnesota Lynx guard Aari McDonald looks to shoot during the second half of a WNBA basketball game against the Indiana Fever, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Once the Atlanta Falcons finally reached the red zone, they kept coming back again and again.
Bijan Robinson rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns as the Falcons capitalized on the return of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and trounced the punchless Green Bay Packers 35-14 on Thursday night.
Atlanta (1-2) erased an early 7-0 deficit by scoring 27 straight points to take control amid a chorus of boos at Lambeau Field. The Falcons outrushed the Packers 242 yards to 17.
It was a stunning turn of events for an Atlanta offense that hadn't run a single play inside an opponent's 20-yard line during the first two weeks of the season.
“That was the weight off the shoulders — just getting back to the red zone,” Robinson said. “And we knew we had to punch it in every opportunity we get when we get down there. That was the main focus — to get the ball down there and let's put the ball in the end zone. When we scored, it was definitely something we enjoyed, and we kept on doing it.”
Penix went 18 of 25 for 256 yards with one touchdown and an interception in his first action since tearing the ACL in his left knee during a loss to Carolina on Nov. 16.
“I'm proud of him,” Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said. “It's not easy to rehab from injuries. That's a tough thing to do, that he's put himself through — the extra workouts in the weight room, the extra treatments in the training room, all those times that he's out in the field and he's running when no one's watching.”
Atlanta had struggled to produce any offense whatsoever in two games with Cooper Rush at quarterback. The Falcons became the first team since the 2008 Rams not to run any plays in the red zone through the first two weeks of a season.
That wasn’t a problem Thursday.
Robinson and Drake London became the first teammates to each compile at least 190 yards from scrimmage in a road game since Lawrence McCutcheon and Ron Jessie did it for the Rams at Miami on Oct. 3, 1976. London caught nine passes for a career-high 194 yards.
“Me and Drake, that's my real-life brother," Robinson said. "I call him my blood brother. We do everything together.”
Green Bay (1-2) lost a home opener for the first time since falling 30-22 to the San Francisco 49ers in 2012. The Packers had won 13 straight home openers from 2013-25 to share the NFL record with the Miami Dolphins, who also won 13 in a row from 1976-88.
“We’ve got a couple extra days here, and everybody’s got to take a long, hard look at themselves,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “We’ve got to find solutions and just come back ready to work.”
Green Bay's Jordan Love went 28 of 53 for 312 yards with two touchdowns — one to Christian Watson and another to Matthew Golden — and an interception. MarShawn Lloyd and Kaleb Johnson combined for 17 yards on eight carries.
Love was working behind an offensive line missing left guard Aaron Banks and right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele, who tore his patellar tendon Sunday and will miss the rest of the season. Banks was dealing with a toe injury.
Jager Burton, a rookie fifth-round pick from Kentucky, made his first career start at left guard, and 2025 second-round selection Anthony Belton started at right tackle.
The lack of discipline that hindered Green Bay in its first two games cropped up again Thursday.
Green Bay led 7-0 and had forced an apparent third-and-11 incompletion late in the first quarter when Brenton Cox Jr. was called for roughing the passer. Robinson delivered a 55-yard carry on the next play to set up his own 3-yard touchdown run.
The Packers had committed an NFL-high 26 penalties through the first two weeks of the season.
Atlanta dominated the rest of the first half and led 17-7 at the break.
Nick Folk put Atlanta ahead by hitting a 44-yard field goal with 4:48 left in the second quarter. After Atlanta’s Zach Harrison blocked Trey Smack’s 47-yard field-goal attempt, Penix threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Austin Hooper on third-and-goal with 59 seconds left in the half.
Green Bay wasted a red-zone opportunity on its first drive of the second half when Love couldn’t connect with Watson in the end zone on fourth-and-1 from the 7. Atlanta poured it on from there.
“It felt great to get a win. It felt great to come out of there healthy. Just blessed, just blessed,” Penix said.
Falcons: CB A.J. Terrell (groin) didn't play after getting placed on injured reserve this week.
Packers: LB Edgerrin Cooper was evaluated for a concussion in the second half. G Jacob Monk hurt his quadriceps late in the fourth quarter.
Falcons: At New Orleans on Monday, Oct. 5.
Packers: At Tampa Bay on Oct. 4.
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
Atlanta Falcons' Michael Penix Jr. throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay, Wis., Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)
Green Bay Packers' Edgerrin Cooper, left, and Evan Williams , right, stop Atlanta Falcons' Bijan Robinson, center, during the second half of an NFL football game in Green Bay, Wis., Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Atlanta Falcons' Bijan Robinson runs during the second half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay, Wis., Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Atlanta Falcons' Drake London catches a pass in front of Green Bay Packers' Keisean Nixon during the second half of an NFL football game in Green Bay, Wis., Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Atlanta Falcons' Bijan Robinson runs for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay, Wis., Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)
Atlanta Falcons' Bijan Robinson runs for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay, Wis., Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)
