Game 5 between the Minnesota Lynx and the Connecticut Sun was highly anticipated, but the actual game was anticlimactic.
The Lynx left no doubt they were the better team on Tuesday, beating the Sun 88-77. The scoreboard doesn’t reflect just how dominant Minnesota was; they led by as many as 24 points and were up double digits for the majority of the contest.
Napheesa Collier rose to the challenge of a winner-take-all game and made it clear that the gap between her and the second-best player on the floor was huge. She ended the night with 27 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four blocks. Courtney Williams also came up big for the Lynx, scoring 24 points. Her ability to outplay the Sun guards was a huge factor in the win.
On the Sun side, the starters were good, but not great. DiJonai Carrington was a bright spot and scored 17 points, while Marina Mabrey scored eight off the bench. It just wasn’t enough in a must-win game on the road.
Minnesota’s hot-shooting first half
The opening minutes of Game 5 went in Connecticut’s favor, starting out on a 9-2 run. After that, though, it was all Minnesota. The Lynx scored 10 unanswered points until Mabrey ended the drought for the Sun.
For every action, however, there is an equal or opposite reaction, and the Lynx got hot from deep, with Kayla McBride hitting back-to-back triples. Following a few more Williams baskets (as part of a perfect 4-for-4 start from the Lynx guard) and Collier finishes near the rim, the Lynx ended the opening frame on top 31-18.
After the game, Sun head coach Stephanie White talked about how tough that start was for her team, noting:
They came out and knocked us in the mouth today. And I’m proud of our team for continuing to fight, continuing to battle, to try to position ourselves to come back in this bal game, but it’s a lot to overcome, a deficit like that in the first quarter.
The Lynx piled on the rest of the half. This series was tight throughout all four games, but when Minnesota extended the lead to 17 points after a Natisha Hiedeman 3-pointer, it was the biggest advantage either team had for the series. The lead grew as high as 21 points, and we entered the halftime break with Minnesota up 53-34.
The Lynx didn’t let up
In a huge hole, the Sun needed a fast start in the third quarter to make it a game again. Carrington did her part, scoring five-consecutive points, part of a Sun 7-0 run to start the second half. Alanna Smith then ended the scoring drought for the Lynx with a 3-pointer, and Minnesota was back in business.
The Lynx scored 12-straight points, extending their lead to 24, the largest advantage of the game. This essentially ended all hope the Sun had of getting back into this game. In the fourth, there were more Williams buckets and Collier finishes near the rim, and soon, it was just a matter of looking at the clock to see how much time was left on the Sun’s season.
It was a complete game from the Lynx, and they celebrated on their home floor as they returned to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2017.
In her post-game availability, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve beamed with pride when discussing her team’s performance on Tuesday, saying:
I just overwhelmingly felt proud, proud for how we played. We played Lynx basketball tonight, and it was nice to get back to that. I d–n near guaranteed you that we would play the defense that we played. We’re now 180-6 since 2011 when we hold our opponents below 40 percent. To do that to this team was special, and it was necessary for us to close them out.
The Minnesota Lynx will now strive for five against the New York Liberty, who are vying for their first WNBA title. The WNBA Finals will begin on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.