Games to Watch — Sunday, October 4: Valkyries host Aces in WNBA semifinals

The expansion Valkyries host A'ja Wilson and the Aces in WNBA semifinals Game 1 (1 p.m. PT, NBC). Also today: Padres-Brewers and Braves-Dodgers NLDS Game 2s, and Jets-Bears on FOX.

Games to Watch — Sunday, October 4: Valkyries host Aces in WNBA semifinals
The Valkyries host the Aces in Game 1 of the 2026 WNBA semifinals at Chase Center. (Golden State Valkyries / WNBA)

Editor's note: until our watch picks model ships, only the marquee game below carries a Vegas line. The rest of the slate is picked for storylines, not odds.

The headline today is in the Bay Area, where a first-year franchise with the best regular-season record in the WNBA is two wins away from the Finals. Everything else on the board is either a playoff elimination game or a full Sunday of NFL window-shopping.

Marquee: Aces at Valkyries, WNBA Semifinals Game 1

Golden State opens its first-ever trip to the semifinals as a 1.5-point home underdog to Las Vegas, per ESPN (moneyline: Aces -115, Valkyries +105; total 161.5). The Valkyries just won the first playoff series in franchise history, beating Dallas 2-1, with Gabby Williams averaging 25 points and 4.3 rebounds across the round, according to the team's own recap. A'ja Wilson and the Aces, the No. 3 seed, know exactly what a short Chase Center series feels like from the regular season split. Tip is 1 p.m. PT on NBC and Peacock.

Also today

  • Liberty at Dream, WNBA Semifinals Game 1 (noon PT, ABC). New York opens the other semifinal on the road against a Dream team that finished 30-14, four games up on the Liberty in the standings.
  • Padres at Brewers, NLDS Game 2 (4 p.m. ET, FS1). Milwaukee can push San Diego to the brink after taking Game 1; a loss here flips all the pressure back to the Padres' bullpen for the rest of the series.
  • Braves at Dodgers, NLDS Game 2 (8 p.m. ET, FS1). Los Angeles is defending its spot as the favorite out of the NL; Atlanta needs a road split here to have a real shot at the upset.
  • Jets at Bears (1 p.m. ET, FOX). Two rebuilding rosters, but Chicago at home is the more interesting watch with its young core finding its footing.
  • Patriots at Bills (1 p.m. ET, CBS). Buffalo is favored at home in an AFC East game that still matters more to New England's trajectory than Buffalo's.

Source: ESPN WNBA odds, Golden State Valkyries

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