The Minnesota Lynx are three wins away from their fifth championship, aiming for a league record with a completely new team compared to their previous successes. Napheesa Collier is leading this group.
Collier scored 27 points, shooting 10-for-16, and grabbed 11 rebounds. Courtney Williams added 24 points and played well on both offense and defense to help the Lynx beat the Connecticut Sun 88-77, making it to the WNBA Finals for the first time in seven years on Tuesday night.
Collier, who is the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, also had four blocks in a strong all-around performance.
“She’s improved every season. She’s just been incredible. Every game, it’s more than scoring how she helps our team,” coach Cheryl Reeve said. “When she plays like the MVP, we’re tough to beat.”
After the game ended and the crowd was cheering, Collier went to hug Lindsay Whalen, a Hall of Famer and former Lynx star who played on the first four championship teams. “I definitely want to do her proud,” Collier said.
Kayla McBride scored 10 of her 19 points in the first quarter for the Lynx, who will now face the top-seeded New York Liberty in Game 1 on Thursday night. The best-of-five series continues with Game 2 in New York on Sunday afternoon, and Minnesota will host Game 3 on October 16.
The Lynx finished second in the league, just two games behind the Liberty during the regular season, and they have won three out of four games against New York this year, including the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup on June 25.
For the Sun, DiJonai Carrington scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while Brionna Jones had 16 points and 10 rebounds. However, the Sun only shot 38.5% from the field (25 for 65) and made 19 turnovers, which the Lynx turned into 22 points.
“They just kind of punched us in the face, and we got shellshocked and then we couldn’t fight back,” said DeWanna Bonner, who scored 14 points on 4-for-13 shooting.
The Sun were eliminated in the semifinals for the fourth time in six years. They lost in the finals in the other two seasons, 2019 and 2022, when Williams was part of the team that still hasn’t won the franchise’s first title.
Williams, who is in her first year with Minnesota, was determined to make an impact from the start. The passionate ninth-year point guard played a key role on both offense and defense, driving to the basket, pushing the pace during fast breaks, and bothering the Connecticut ball-handlers. Williams scored her highest points in a playoff game since 2019 and also contributed seven assists, five rebounds, and two steals.
She was 6 for 6 in the first half.
“When you start a game like that, you kind of know the hoop’s feeling big, you’ve got the super green light,” Williams said. “I think that’s the confidence that Cheryl gives us.”
The Lynx built a lead as large as 21 points in the second quarter, which was six points more than their biggest lead in any of the first four games.
They had a slow start to the second half, but the Sun’s poor shooting helped keep the Lynx in front, until Alanna Smith hit a 3-pointer to break a 4:22 scoring drought.
Then, Williams stole the ball from Bonner as she drove toward the basket and quickly scored a layup, increasing the lead to 58-41. Collier followed with a 3-pointer to finish a 12-0 run.
Connecticut had eliminated Minnesota in the decisive Game 3 of the first round last season. Since winning Game 5 of the WNBA Finals in 2017 for their fourth championship in seven years, the Lynx had a record of just 1-4 in winner-take-all playoff games.
The atmosphere at Target Center matched the importance of the moment, with a lively crowd that included Whalen, Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones, and two members of the state’s congressional delegation, Rep. Angie Craig and Sen. Tina Smith.
