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The No. 5 Liberty defeated the No. 4 Mercury 76-69 in overtime on Sunday at PHX Arena to take a 1-0 lead in the series and steal homecourt advantage

The New York Liberty narrowly avoided putting their backs against the wall in this first-round series as they attempt to repeat as WNBA champions.

The New York Liberty face the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025 (9/14/25) in Game 1 of the first round of the WNBA playoffs at PHX Arena in Phoenix, Ariz.

Tune in at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN as the fourth-seeded Mercury face the fifth-seeded defending champions, with streaming options available

The 2025 WNBA playoffs are underway. The month-long sprint to crown a new champion began on Sunday with a quadruple-header featuring Game 1 of all four first-round series. The Minnesota Lynx, Las Vegas Aces , Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty all jumped out to 1-0 leads. The Liberty were the only lower seed to win on the road.

The Phoenix Mercury are one of the original teams of the WNBA, and as time goes on, they remain one of the league's top teams. The Mercury have won three championships in their history, and before winning one, they went through highs and lows.

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The Liberty struggled to take care of the ball in the regular season, and that continued on Sunday with 19 turnovers