Minnesota Lynx advance to WNBA Finals after 88-77 win over Sun

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The Minnesota Lynx are headed to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2017.

The Lynx beat the Connecticut Sun 88-77 in a win-or-go-home Game 5 of the WNBA Semifinals Tuesday night at Target Center, and will advance to face the New York Liberty for the WNBA title. The Lynx haven’t won a championship in six years.

They leaned on their best player in Game 5, and arguably the best player in the WNBA. Napheesa Collier had 27 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and four blocks. She became the first player in WNBA history to get 25 points and 10 rebounds in three straight playoff games.

“When Phee is the MVP, plays like the MVP, we’re a hard team to beat,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said after the win.

“It feels amazing. The best part about it is how much fun we’re having as a team. We genuinely like each other so much, it just makes it all the sweeter. We want to keep playing because we want to stay together,” Collier said.

How it happened

The Lynx raced out to a 31-18 lead after one and led 53-34 at half. They had 14 assists on 21 made shots, and forced the Sun into nine first half turnovers. The Lynx forced 18 turnovers on the night.

The Sun cut the lead to 12 in the third quarter, but the Lynx answered immediately with a run to get the lead over 20 points. The Lynx led by double digits the entire second half. The Lynx are now 180-6 since 2011 when they hold opponents to under 40 percent from the field. The Sun shot 38.5 percent Tuesday.

“Proud. I can’t tell you how badly our staff wanted this for them. Proud for how we played, we played Lynx basketball tonight,” Reeve said. “Their belief in themselves and each other is off the charts, and it never wavers. They don’t care who gets the credit. It’s really, really special. I’m so happy they get to experience being in the finals. But we’re not just happy to be there.”

The X factor

The Lynx know what they’re going to get out of Collier, but it’s the other pieces around her that can step up. Courtney Williams had 24 points, five rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Kayla McBride added 19 points and four assists.

Williams was 6-of-6 from the field in the first half, and 3-of-3 from the perimeter for the game.

“When you start a game like that, you kind of know the hoop is feeling big, got the super green light and I think that’s the confidence Cheryl gives us. When you got it going, keep it going,” Williams said.

What’s next

The Lynx will face the New York Liberty in a best-of-five series for the WNBA championship. Game 1 is set for 7 p.m. Thursday in Brooklyn. The Lynx beat the Liberty three times in four games this season. The Lyns are making their fifth WNBA Finals appearance.