After nearly a full week off since their last game, the Minnesota Lynx were finally back in action Saturday afternoon at Target Center in downtown Minneapolis. For the second straight game, they matched up against the New York Liberty, looking to grow their 6.5-game lead atop the WNBA standings.
Each team was again missing a key player as both Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart did not play in the game. The Lynx did get good news regarding Collier’s ankle injury, as she was listed as doubtful on the injury report, which may mean her return to the court is right around the corner.
The Lynx defense to start the game was outstanding, making every rotation flawlessly and allowing very few, if any, easy shots for the Liberty. The Lynx forced misses on 13 of the Liberty’s first 18 shots, along with forcing four turnovers.
Early in the second quarter, Minnesota took its largest lead of the first half at 15 points after a forced turnover and a “StudBudz” assist of Natisha Hiedeman to Courtney Williams in transition.
The game flipped on its head midway through the second quarter. Right as the Liberty’s offense was starting to find its groove, the Lynx offense went on an extended cold streak, missing 14 of their next 17 shots while turning it over seven times along the way.
The result was a 31-11 Liberty run over about 12 minutes of play that took the sizeable Lynx lead and turned it into a 5-point deficit early in the third quarter. The defense in the third quarter was equally an issue as they forced only six stops of New York the entire frame.
The Lynx were able to get themselves back into the game, going on a 9-4 run, including six points from Alanna Smith, to tie the game up at 71-71 with less than six minutes left in the game.
As it often does with these two teams, the game remained close down the stretch. With less than two minutes left and the Lynx down one, Williams got into the lane with a pretty step-through move to give the Lynx their first lead of the second half.
As it often does with these two teams, the game remained close down the stretch. With less than two minutes left and the Lynx down one, Williams got into the lane with a pretty step-through move to give the Lynx their first lead of the second half.
With a little more than 30 seconds left, Kayla McBride knocked down a wide-open 3-pointer to put the Lynx up by four points. Target Center exploded when the ball went through the hoop, as fans went into a euphoric state with HOT TO GO playing over the speakers during the subsequent timeout.
The Lynx went on to win by a final score of 86-80. Minnesota now leads New York by eight games in the loss column, clinching the tiebreaker with today’s win. Their lead over the Atlanta Dream, who are currently in second place, stands at seven games, with the Lynx needing just five more wins to clinch the number one seed.
Williams was sensational in this one, controlling the Lynx offense from start to finish. She led all players with 26 points on 10-18 shooting, including three 3-pointers, to go along with five rebounds and five assists. McBride and Jessica Shepard, who has joined the starting lineup in Collier’s absence, each scored 17 points.
The win for the Lynx was their sixth straight and fourth in a row without Collier since she injured her ankle two weeks ago against the Las Vegas Aces. They’ve taken a commanding lead at the top of the standings despite playing without their best player, something that other teams, specifically the Liberty, have not been able to do.
Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve spoke after the game about the importance of playing well and winning games while Collier is out of the lineup.
“When we were in Vegas, at that time, we had the toughest schedule remaining or at least one or two of the toughest schedules. And so to do this, in the stretch that we’re playing against really good teams, I’m super proud of us. I’m super proud of those that had Phee’s back because it makes Phee feel better.”
When Collier went down, the Lynx could have gone on autopilot, just winning games here and there, knowing they had enough wins in the bank to keep in front of the rest league until Phee got back. Instead, all they’ve done is just kept winning and doing it against some of the other top teams in the WNBA.
That resilience, along with Minnesota’s 28-5 record, shows just how special this team is and that the bar for success the rest of this season is incredibly high. Reeve gave her thoughts about those expectations on the podium postgame.
“We’ve got it. I can’t guarantee that we’re going to win a championship, but having been around a lot of high-quality teams, we have the special things those teams had.”
Not all wins are built the same. Sure, they all count for the same in the standings, but emotionally, anyone can tell that today’s victory and the other two against the Liberty just mean more to this Lynx team.
Last year in the WNBA Finals, the Lynx came as close to winning a championship without actually doing so as a team can get. The loss came with controversy and frustration. The anger from that series still lingers. Even a year later, the Lynx’s feelings about the Liberty from that series have not changed.
After the game, Williams shared her feelings about the rivalry with the Lynx and the trash-talking that can go back and forth during the game.
“They know we don’t like them. The same way they don’t like us. I mean, I would think they don’t like us, so it’s like, I’m gonna talk. It’s not gonna change. I don’t care if they like our team. They shouldn’t like our team cause we don’t like their team. Like, we know that they gonna come out and give us their best punch, same way we will. So for me talking trash didn’t change nothing. Whatever.”
Williams elaborated that the feelings of dislike are only on the court and not personal, but the message is clear. The Lynx don’t like the Liberty, and the feeling is likely mutual. The Lynx only have one goal now: to win the championship. If a rematch of last year’s WNBA Finals were to occur during this year’s playoffs, one thing is clear: the Lynx believe with every bone in their body they are the better team.
And at least from what we’ve seen during the regular season, they’re right.
For the third straight game, the Lynx take on the Liberty, this time back in New York. The game on Tuesday, August 19, will tip off at 6:00 PM CT, airing on FanDuel Sports Network along with NBA TV.