Lynx force WNBA Finals Game 5 in nail-biting win over Liberty: Key takeaways

MINNEAPOLIS — The first three games of the 2024 WNBA Finals threatened to turn into laughers at the start, with one team racing out to a double-digit lead.

On Friday, with the finals trophy in the building and the prospect of elimination in the air, the game’s tenor was far less one-sided. Neither the Minnesota Lynx nor the New York Liberty led by more than six points, and there were 14 lead changes and 13 ties.

And after watching New York make every big play down the stretch on its home court Wednesday, Minnesota was the better-executing team in Game 4, tying the series 2-2 and forcing a decisive Game 5 in Brooklyn on Sunday with an 82-80 victory.

On the Lynx’s final offensive possession, Bridget Carleton secured an offensive rebound on an errant Courtney Williams jumper and was fouled on the play. She sank both free throws to put Minnesota up two and secure the win.

Bridget Carleton gets fouled on the put back and sinks both free throws to secure the Game 4 WIN for Minnesota 🚨#WNBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/kXgWlpEu2Z

— WNBA (@WNBA) October 19, 2024

Carleton, who Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve called a “hustle-play player” finished with 12 points, scoring five in the last 3:30 of the contest. Kayla McBride led the Lynx with 19 points, but Minnesota’s balanced scoring attack helped the team emerge victorious.

Liberty coach Sandy Brondello called this the highest-level WNBA Finals series in league history for the quality of play, and both teams rose to meet the bar. New York and Minnesota made clutch shot after clutch shot, with the Lynx ultimately having the final answer.

Friday’s Game 4 had a different feel than the three prior finals games as neither team could pull away from the other. The contest was tied after the first quarter and the Lynx only led by a point after the second and third quarters. Reeve said at this point in the series, there are “no secrets.”

Instead, basket after basket seemed like a grind, and the slightest of margins (at the free throw line, in second-chance points and via points off turnovers) were the difference. Both teams finished the contest shooting the same percentage from 3-point range (39.1 percent).

Liberty star Breanna Stewart struggled, missing her first eight shot attempts, tying the most consecutive misses she has ever had to start a game. And though Jonquel Jones added 21 points and eight rebounds, it turned out for naught.

“Minnesota did what they needed to do here to tie it up, and now we go back home,” Brondello said.

Game 5 is set for Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.

Carleton’s two free throws will be the difference in the scoreline, but she made timely plays on both ends in the lead-up to her final two points. She went to the free-throw line after grabbing an offensive rebound. Carleton’s 3-pointer with 3:14 remaining stretched Minnesota’s lead to five points, tying its biggest lead of the night.

Reeve relied on reserve center Dorka Juhász for the first time this series, while reserve wing Cecilia Zandalasini also saw the court for 16 minutes, tying her most of the postseason.

Cecilia Zandalasini spins through the lane, capping off an 11-2 run for the Lynx 🔥#WNBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/IyoUZe9QPy

— WNBA (@WNBA) October 19, 2024

Only 48 hours removed from scoring a game-high 30 points, Stewart struggled in Game 4. Her first 3-pointer rolled in and out and some of Stewart’s struggles resulted from excellent defense from Collier, whose length and athleticism frustrated Stewart. Stewart said afterward she was rushing at times.

Foul trouble also did not help her get into a rhythm as she picked up her fourth foul with 3:15 to go in the third quarter and was forced to the bench. Stewart finished with an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double, but she will rue the missed opportunities, including a contested layup with 30 seconds left and a missed 9-foot jumper with 18.9 seconds to play.

In addition to the double-digit lead changes, Friday’s contest marked the closest game of the series. The Liberty had 16 turnovers that led to 19 points for the Lynx, while Minnesota had 13 turnovers that led to 10 New York points. Though the Lynx missed five free throws, they attempted 11 more shots at the free throw line — much to Brondello’s dismay — and made six more free throws.

The key to Minnesota’s victory was how it closed quarters. The Lynx struggled mightily in that area in Game 3, but the two teams couldn’t pull away from each other during any of Friday’s four quarters.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, WNBA

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