Another WNBA Finals game between the No. 1-seed New York Liberty and No. 2-seed Minnesota Lynx means another nail-biting finish.
In Game 3, Sabrina Ionescu was a hero, hitting a logo 3-pointer to win. Game 4 featured Bridget Carleton knocking down a pair of free throws to give the Lynx the 82-80 win, protecting their home floor and forcing a Game 5 in New York on Sunday.
The last baskets were the biggest but Carleton had been a factor the entire night, scoring 12 points, hitting two 3-pointers and adding a steal and a rebound. Courtney Williams has been an integral part of Minnesota’s scoring around the perimeter and she had a solid game, scoring 15 points. Kayla McBride led the team with 19 points, while Napheesa Collier was quieter overall but still flirted with a double-double with her 14-point and nine-rebound performance.
Jonquel Jones had her best game of the Finals for the Liberty with 21 points and eight rebounds. Breanna Stewart struggled, going 5-for-21 from the field, scoring just 11 points while grabbing 11 boards. Ionescu scored 10 points but went 0-for-5 from deep.
Unstoppable force meets immovable object
By now, these two teams are familiar with each other’s games. There are no surprises, and as these four games have demonstrated, not much separates the two.
Throughout the opening quarter, both teams matched each other basket for basket, and by the end of the first, it was an even 23-23 game. In the second quarter, it was more of the same. Williams continued to be a pest for the Liberty, scoring 11 points in the frame. Leonie Fiebich matched that energy for the Liberty, contributing seven points herself. With 56 seconds left in the half, McBride scored a basket and was fouled, giving the Lynx a one-point advantage heading to the break.
In the third, Alanna Smith, a player who is battling injuries, gutted it out and scored eight points in the quarter. To start the second half, she was perfect from the field, making all three of her field goal attempts, including two 3-pointers.
This contest became about which team would outdo the other in the areas in which they excel. The Lynx were getting great guard play; the Liberty were using their bigs to dominate the paint and clean up the glass. To end the third, Carleton scored back-to-back free throws—a foreshadowing of things to come—to help the Lynx maintain the slimmest of margins.
Crunch time was where the game was decided once again, just like it has been in most games during this series. Jones had a strong finish with 1:10 left and was fouled by Collier, resulting in a 3-point play that tied things at 80.
Both teams failed to score on their following possessions, and the Lynx had a chance to go ahead with 18 seconds left. Minnesota took a timeout, and after Williams’ long two-point heave missed, Carleton got the biggest rebound of the night and was fouled while shooting by Ionescu. She converted on the game-winning free throws, but New York still had a couple of seconds to pull off a miracle.
Courtney Vandersloot inbounded it to Ionescu, but the Stewart screen was a bit high and created no separation. Ionescu turned her body towards the basket and threw a prayer that barely hit the backboard. The white-out crowd in Minnesota went berserk, and the Lynx celebrated enthusiastically. Williams was yapping at anyone who would listen, and her father high-fived everyone in the crowd.
Closing thoughts
The only reason the Lynx won Game 4 is because basketball games are not allowed to end in a tie. Both teams went 9-for-23 from deep. New York shot 43 percent from the field, and Minnesota shot 44 percent. There were 14 lead changes, and the game was tied 13 times.
Three of the four games in this series have been decided by three points or less, and with Game 5 being the winner-take-all moment in New York, expect this cinematic event to end with some fireworks.
It’ll come down to who makes their shots, as silly as that sounds. New York will need its stars to get it done. Stewart and Ionescu combined for 10-for-36 from the field, and that’s atrocious, even if the opposing team has an elite defense. Minnesota needs Collier not to get dwarfed by Jones, in addition to more excellent guard play from Williams and McBride. The team that executes best will be crowned champion, while the other will think about all the other games that could’ve gone differently.