Lynx defeat Liberty in anticipated Finals rematch

The agelong hold for the archetypal gathering this play of the 2024 WNBA Finals teams ended Wednesday with a 100-93 victory by the Minnesota Lynx implicit the New York Liberty. The first-place Lynx are present 23-5, gaining much crushed successful the standings connected a nighttime erstwhile the second-place Liberty (17-9) and third-place Phoenix Mercury (16-10) lost.

The Target Center assemblage of 10,824 was energized throughout, and Lynx manager Cheryl Reeve said it reminded her of Games 3 and 4 of the Finals past twelvemonth successful Minneapolis.

"Exactly what you'd expect, careless of who was playing for them, careless of however acold into the play it was," Reeve said, an acknowledgment that two-time league MVP Breanna Stewart of the Liberty was retired injured. "Fans were excited to spot this matchup, and I thought they were treated to a heck of a hoops game."

That said, Lynx players Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride, who combined for 54 points, said it didn't consciousness arsenic overmuch similar a Finals rematch due to the fact that it was truthful heavy into this regular season, which started May 16.

To them, it was astir this 1 game, particularly coming aft a 90-86 nonaccomplishment to Atlanta astatine location Sunday.

"It's amusive to vie astatine a precocious level against the second-best squad successful the league," McBride said. "We didn't request a batch of motivation. We had conscionable mislaid our past location game. The main happening was protecting our location tribunal earlier anything.

"There's truthful galore broadside stories that everybody keeps talking about. I consciousness similar this squad has truly bully heads connected our shoulders. It could person been anybody walking successful here; we conscionable weren't going to suffer 2 location games successful a row. It was New York, and everybody has this communicative astir it, and we tin consciousness that, too. But astatine the extremity of the day, we were retired determination competing 40 minutes. And it could person been anybody."

New York manager Sandy Brondello told reporters earlier the crippled that Stewart, who was wounded Saturday successful a nonaccomplishment to Los Angeles, has a bony bruise successful her close knee. The Liberty expect her backmost astatine slightest by the playoffs, but it's uncertain erstwhile she mightiness instrumentality successful the regular season.

Without Stewart, who is averaging 18.3 points and 6.5 rebounds, the Liberty inactive had 5 players people successful treble figures, led by defender Sabrina Ionescu with 31 points. The Liberty changeable 48.6% from the tract and their 93 points was good supra the league-best 75.4 points per crippled the Lynx had allowed opponents coming into the contest.

But New York's defence couldn't dilatory down Minnesota, which changeable 49.3% wide and made 15 of 31 3-point attempts. The Lynx besides had 5 players people successful treble figures, and Courtney Williams -- contempt a unsmooth 1 of 13 shooting nighttime -- had 13 assists.

Minnesota's adjacent 3 games are against Las Vegas, Seattle and Washington. Then the Lynx play New York 3 times successful a row: Aug. 10, 16 and 19. That's breached up a spot for the Liberty, who besides person games Aug. 12 successful Los Angeles and Aug. 13 successful Las Vegas successful that stretch. Either way, it's a batch of head-to-head contention betwixt the Liberty and Lynx.

Collier suggested questions astir the docket of Lynx-Liberty games request to spell to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, portion McBride said, "It's unusual wherefore it's similar that. There's pros and cons successful everything. I'd conscionable similar it a small much dispersed out."

The 2024 WNBA Finals bid was won by New York successful overtime successful Game 5 past year. The WNBA Finals person been extended to best-of-7 for this season.

Collier brought up the information New York volition beryllium adding guardant Emma Meesseman soon. Meesseman has not played successful the WNBA since 2022 but has 8 years of acquisition successful the league positive her occurrence overseas and with the Belgian nationalist team. The 6-foot-4 Meesseman's beingness volition beryllium adjacent much important to New York with Stewart sidelined.

"But conscionable similar past year, it's 2 truly large teams," Collier said. "And if we hap to beryllium successful the Finals ... archetypal of all, we're not looking astatine that yet, we inactive person a batch of hoops to play. But [if we do] I deliberation it's going to conscionable beryllium truly large basketball."