The WNBA play-offs opened with a stunner as the New York Liberty pulled away for a 91-75 victory over top-seeded Minnesota on Sunday to suddenly push the 33-win Lynx to the brink of elimination in their best-of-three first-round series.

Breanna Stewart led the way for the Liberty, tallying 34 points on 11-of-18 shooting to go with 12 rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks.

Leonie Fiebich added 16 points while making 4 of 5 3-point attempts and Sabrina Ionescu chipped in 13 points for New York, which shot 50.8 per cent from the field and made 13 of 25 shots from beyond the arc (52.0 per cent).

The Lynx were led by Nia Brodie’s 16 points and Napheesa Collier contributed 12 points before fouling out. Rookie sensation Olivia Miles had an uneven play-off debut. She grabbed a team-high eight rebounds but missed 9 of 12 shots to finish with 11 points.

Things looked promising for Minnesota early, as they scored the game’s first six points, but the Liberty then reeled off 15 in a row to grab a 15-6 lead. New York later opened the third period on an 11-2 run to go up 51-46, and would build its advantage to as many as 19 points.

Game 2 is Tuesday at the Barclays Center, where the Liberty went 14-8 in the regular season.

Wilson ties play-off career high, Aces take Game 1

A’ja Wilson made her case as the WNBA’s best player, providing an MVP-calibre performance.

Wilson had 38 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots as the Aces earned a 102-85 Game 1 victory over the Indiana Fever in their first-round play-off series.

Wilson was named the Associated Press WNBA Player of the Year earlier in the day for an unprecedented third year in a row.

Wilson, who was 15 of 19 from the floor, matched her career postseason high.

Aces guard Chelsea Gray had 14 points and eight assists, moving up to second in WNBA history in postseason assists with 397.

The Aces also received strong contributions from Jackie Young, who totalled 21 points and 10 assists, and Jewell Loyd, who scored 10 points. 

Caitlin Clark and the sixth-seeded Fever will face elimination in Indiana on Tuesday night, looking to force a Game 3 in Las Vegas.

Aliyah Boston finished with 18 points and eight rebounds for the Fever, despite being hampered by a lower leg injury. Clark had 15 points and 10 assists, and Kelsey Mitchell, who put together a record 27-game streak with at least 20 points, scored 12 points on 4-of-16 shooting.

Howard helps lift Dream over Mystics

Rhyne Howard had 26 points and five steals, Angel Reese added 13 points and 12 rebounds in her first career playoff game, and the Atlanta Dream beat the Washington Mystics 92-77 to take a 1-0 lead in their first-round series.

Game 2 is Wednesday in Washington.

The No. 5-seeded Mystics committed 22 turnovers which Atlanta converted into 27 points. The Dream, who rallied from an 11-point deficit, set the franchise's play-off record with 16 steals, two shy on the WNBA mark of 18 held by Indiana from 2009.

Allisha Gray scored 22 points and Jordin Canada had 10 points and 11 assists for the fourth-seeded Dream.

Howard was 7-of-18 shooting but hit 10 of 10 from the free-throw line and Reese made just 4 of 15 from the field.

Sonia Citron led the Mystics with 25 points. Kiki Iriafen had 15 points and 14 rebounds, including nine offensive boards, and Shakira Austin added 12 points and 16 rebounds.

Valkyries claim advantage over Wings

Cecilia Zandalasini scored 22 points, Gabby Williams added 20, and the second-seeded Golden State Valkyries ran away from the Dallas Wings for a 104-80 win in the teams' playoff opener Sunday night.

Paige Bueckers had 21 points on 9-for-10 shooting and six rebounds for Dallas, which won seven of eight to end the season to earn the seventh seed and will now try to stave off elimination at home.

Game 2 in the best-of-three series is Wednesday in Dallas and, if necessary, Game 3 would be Friday back at Chase Center.

 Tiffany Hayes had 21 points off the bench, and Veronica Burton contributed 10 points. Zandalasini shot 7 for 11 and buried four 3-pointers.

The Valkyries outscored Dallas 37-11 in the second quarter and went 10 for 20 from 3-point range in the first half on the way to a 58-31 advantage at the break.