The expected rematch between the 2024 WNBA finalists materialized on Wednesday with the Minnesota Lynx’s victory over the New York Liberty, with a score of 100-93. The Lynx, conference leaders, consolidated their position with a 23-5 record, extending their lead in the standings. The Liberty, in second place (17-9), and the Phoenix Mercury (16-10), in third, suffered defeats on the same day. The atmosphere at the Target Center was electrifying, with an attendance of 10,824 fans. Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve compared the atmosphere to Games 3 and 4 of last year’s Finals in Minneapolis. Exactly what you would expect, no matter who was playing for them, no matter what time of the season it was. Reeve acknowledged the absence of Breanna Stewart, a key player for the Liberty, due to an injury. Despite this, he highlighted the intensity of the match and the enthusiasm of the fans to witness this confrontation. Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride, Lynx players, who scored a total of 54 points, downplayed the revenge aspect of this encounter, due to the advanced stage of the regular season, which began on May 16. For them, the focus was on the game itself, especially after the home loss against Atlanta the previous Sunday (90-86).
Liberty coach Sandy Brondello reported that Stewart is suffering from a bone bruise in her right knee, an injury sustained on Saturday. Stewart is expected to be back for the playoffs, although her return to the regular season is uncertain. Without Stewart, the Liberty had five players scoring in double figures, led by Sabrina Ionescu with 31 points. The team shot 48.6% from the field, and their 93 points surpassed the 75.4 points per game average that the Lynx had allowed their opponents before the game. However, New York’s defense failed to stop Minnesota, which had a 49.3% shooting efficiency and made 15 of 31 three-point attempts. The Lynx also had five players in double figures, and Courtney Williams, despite a difficult night (1 of 13 in shots), achieved 13 assists. The next Minnesota games will be against Las Vegas, Seattle, and Washington. Subsequently, the Lynx will face New York on three occasions: August 10, 16, and 19. The Liberty will also play against Los Angeles and Las Vegas during that period. This situation intensifies the direct competition between both teams. Collier suggested that questions about the schedule of the games between the Lynx and Liberty should be directed to the WNBA commissioner, Cathy Engelbert. For her part, McBride commented on the peculiarity of the schedule, pointing out that, while there are pros and cons, she would prefer that the games were more distributed. The 2024 WNBA Finals series was won by New York in the fifth overtime game last year. The WNBA Finals have been extended to a seven-game format for this season. Collier mentioned the upcoming addition of Emma Meesseman to the Liberty. Meesseman hasn’t played in the WNBA since 2022, but she has eight years of experience in the league, in addition to her success abroad and with the Belgian national team. Meesseman’s presence will be even more important for New York in the absence of Stewart.It’s fun to compete at a high level against the second-best team in the league. We didn’t need much motivation. We had just lost our last home game. The main thing was to protect our court first and foremost.
Kayla McBride, Lynx player
But just like last year, they are two really great teams. And if we make it to the Finals… first of all, we’re not thinking about that yet, we still have a lot of basketball to play. But [if we do] I think it will be really great basketball.
Napheesa Collier, Lynx player
