Lynx and Fever face elimination after Game 1 defeats
Minnesota and Indiana must win Game 2 to keep their first-round series alive, after losses to New York and Las Vegas.
The Minnesota Lynx and Indiana Fever face elimination in Tuesday’s Game 2s after opening the 2026 WNBA playoffs with defeats. The New York Liberty beat Minnesota 91–75, while the Las Vegas Aces defeated Indiana 102–85, according to CBS Sports.
For the Lynx, CBS Sports points to Napheesa Collier’s role as a key question. She scored 12 points in Game 1, with foul trouble limiting her impact in the second half. The article reports that Collier missed the first 28 games of the season after two ankle surgeries and has estimated she is about 80 per cent fit.
Indiana’s concerns span scoring, defence and ball security. Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell combined for 27 points against Las Vegas. The Fever also conceded 28 points off turnovers, compared with 18 for the Aces.
Clark had 15 points and 10 assists, but committed six turnovers, four of them in the first half. CBS Sports reports she led the league in turnovers during the regular season, averaging 4.6 per game.
The article’s assessment is that Minnesota needs a more assertive contribution from Collier, while Indiana needs to reduce turnovers and improve its scoring and defence. No Game 2 results are reported in the source.
