Lynx 88, Liberty 79: Minnesota Decisively Win a Potential Finals Preview

Bridget Carleton and Napheesa Collier combined for 37 points on 65% shooting, leading the way to another big win in New York as they continue to jostle for playoff seeding.

On a busy Sunday where all 12 WNBA teams took to the court, the top two teams in the league faced off with big playoff implications. The New York Liberty welcomed the Minnesota Lynx to Barclays Center as the powerhouses clashed in a potential Finals preview. Our familiar voice, Michael Grady was on call for some high quality hoops.

Photo by Catalina Fragoso/NBAE via Getty Images

The Start — Beautiful Ball Movement Leads to Hot Start

If you’ve watched any Minnesota Lynx game this season, you’re likely familiar with their game. An unselfish brand of basketball, moving the roundball swiftly and decisively. To the surprise of few, Coach Cheryl Reeve had her team firing on all cylinders in a big-time matinee game. The Liberty struck first with a few corner triples, but the Lynx held serve by hitting from all the floor as well. A five-point possession capped off a 9-0 Minnesota run, ripping open a double-digit lead. They shortly followed that up with another 9-0 spurt on the back of suffocating ball pressure on the defensive end, yielding five Liberty turnovers.

Minnesota held a 13-point advantage heading into the second quarter and quickly built off of that with five more unanswered points. Just when things looked dire for the Liberty, Jonquel Jones, who was held scoreless without a field goal attempt in the first, burst onto the scene. The 2021 WNBA MVP scored at all three levels, accounting for all eight of her team’s points to start the quarter. Myisha Hines-Allen was able to convert on a trio of wild finishes to keep pace with Jones.

Jones was still able to buy enough time for the 2023 MVP, Breanna Stewart, to arrive. Stewart notched eight straight points of her own, briefly pulling her team within striking distance again. It felt as though Minnesota had an answer for every New York run though. Carleton cashed in her fourth three-pointer of the half, maintaining a 13-point lead heading into the break. The Lynx bench outscored the Liberty’s 15 to 0, punctuating the biggest halftime lead any team has held over New York this season.

The Middle — Welcome to the Third-Quarter Lynx™

Again, if you had the pleasure of watching any Lynx games this season, you’ll know that they usually come out like gangbusters out of the halftime break. In fact, they had a lead-best +141 third quarter margin this season.

That number has now increased to +152 after today.

Carleton continued her shooting exhibition, tying her career-high with a fifth made trey to open things up. Alanna Smith and Napheesa Collier also chipped in with offensive rebounds and putbacks while Courtney Williams kept knocking in mid-range jumpers. That 11-0 Lynx run pushed them ahead by 24 as a frustrated Liberty team had no answers. Everything they shot looked rushed and was firmly contested, as the Minnesota defense fed their offense.

The game could be summarized by a sequence at the end of the quarter where Sabrina Ionescu had three straight looks from three, but bricked all of them. The Lynx held a 74-50 lead with 10 minutes left to go in the game. Smooth sailing, right?

Photo by Catalina Fragoso/NBAE via Getty Images

The Finish — Liberty Comeback Attempt Falls Short

Minnesota’s bench had done a great job earlier in the game, but struggled in the final quarter. The Liberty, who had the majority of their stars still in the game minus Jones, scored seven unanswered points which quickly prompted a Reeve timeout. The visiting Lynx were overcooking a ton of their passes, resulting in a myriad of turnovers. Things didn’t get much better after the timeout, as New York nearly doubled their run to the tune of 13-0. Stewart was dominant during this stretch, nearly leading her team to a miraculous comeback.

The box score might only show two missed shots and three turnovers for Minnesota to start the fourth period, but it certainly felt worse. Williams was able to break the seal off a gorgeous cut, then drill another classic midrange pull-up jumper. The Liberty had a shot to get within single-digits, but Collier had a big stop on Stewart in transition and scored a layup on the ensuring fastbreak. That four-point swing was a huge momentum killer, briefly silencing a raucous New York crowd.

Stewart continued to bomb away, at one point successfully pulling her team within eight points off a made triple and 4:39 still to play. They had one last gasp off a pair of lazy Minnesota turnovers again, but as a team, New York missed their next four three-point attempts. Williams showed off her vertical, swatting a Stewart layup into the front row from the weakside, slamming the door shut.

It was all academic from there, as a Kayla McBride triple and pair of Hines-Allen free throws re-grew the lead to 13 with 2:12 remaining. The Liberty, with all due respect, fought until the final buzzer, making the final score look closer than the game actually was. They had expended too much energy trying to push their car up the hill, simply running out of gas by the end of it.

It was a messy finish for Reeve’s team which will surely be addressed in the film room soon. Regardless, this was a big statement win, as Minnesota has technically won three of four matchups against the top team in the league if you include the Commissioner’s Cup final. Carleton’s team-high 19 points on 7 of 10 shooting was huge. Collier did it all as usual, with 18 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and a block on great efficiency. Williams was huge in the clutch, pouring in 15 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and a highlight block. Both McBride and Hines-Allen notched double-digit scoring and made big plays all night as well.

A total team effort.

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Up Next

The road gauntlet continues as the Lynx fly out to visit the third place Connecticut Sun on Tuesday, 9/17 at 6:00 PM CT. This will be the biggest game of the season for Minnesota, as it will have huge implications on the final playoff seedings. The Sun are currently 2.0 games behind the Lynx and would have to win this game if they even want a shot a leapfrogging them for the two spot. They’re the only team to have won all of their matchups (two) against Minnesota this season. In the first matchup, the Lynx lost a heartbreaker by only two points off a questionable call. In the second, they were defeated once again by just five points on July 4th, the game where Collier suffered her foot injury.

If Minnesota wins this, it will lock in the second overall seed and they will likely face the Phoenix Mercury in the first round of the playoffs. The third seed will likely face the surprising and young Indiana Fever team.