WNBA playoffs: 3 key takeaways from Lynx’s Game 2 win over Sun

It was a battle of physicality between Connecticut and Minnesota in Game 2 of their semifinals series, but the victory came down to the little things. The Lynx evened the series at 1-1 with a 77-70 win Tuesday night.

Minnesota won the defensive battle, got better bench production and managed to find balance as the Sun limited Napheesa Collier.

“It was a collective effort,” coach Cheryl Reeve said. “That’s what we do, and that’s what we saw tonight.”

Defense

The game started ugly, with just 22 collective points scored in the first quarter. And while the remaining three quarters saw 125 points put on the board, it didn’t get much prettier. Minnesota and Connecticut are two of the league’s top defensive teams, but the Lynx had an edge Tuesday. They held Connecticut to 36.4% shooting and 25% from beyond the arc. That was a major improvement from Game 1, when the Sun made 40.9% of their 3-point attempts to secure a 73-70 victory.

The game was also chippy from the start. The physicality lent itself to an emotional affair in which neither team was afraid of contact or trash talk. That’s something that both teams said they expected at this point in the season.

“We had to match their energy,” the Lynx’s Courtney Williams said. “First game they were chirping and chatting, so we had to give it back to them. That’s just playoff basketball.”

Balance

Collier did a lot of heavy lifting for Minnesota in the opening round, scoring 38 points in Game 1 and 42 points in Game 2. She also led the Lynx in scoring in the first game against Connecticut with 19 points. But in Game 2 of the semifinals, the Sun limited Collier’s touches, and she didn’t even attempt a shot in the second quarter. She scored just nine points, her season low, on 14 shots.

“Phee did everything else. But for whatever reason, she struggled with some of the shots she was getting today,” Reeve said. “It’s a hard game. It’s physically hard. She will get more and more comfortable.”

Collier managed to impact the game in other ways, with 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks, and the rest of the Lynx picked up their scoring efforts.

Williams led with 17 points and Alanna Smith added 15. Smith, who struggled shooting in Game 1, going 0-of-4 from long range, bounced back Tuesday. She was 6-of-8 shooting and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.

Kayla McBride added 11 points, and Bridget Carleton had 9. All five Lynx starters made at least one 3-pointer.

Bench

The Lynx won the bench-points battle, outscoring the Sun 16-4. But it wasn’t all about scoring, as Minnesota’s second unit provided energy and defensive intensity as well.

Myisha Hines-Allen had 7 points off the bench, but more importantly, at 6-foot-1 with a strong frame, she was able to match Connecticut’s toughness inside.

“She’s a physical enforcer, but she’s also a great player,” Smith said of Hines-Allen. “She’s a great passer, she rebounds, she sets really good screens. She does the little things well. You can’t sleep on our bench, and she is a big reason why.”

Cecilia Zandalasini and Natisha Hiedeman also played key minutes off the bench. Zandalasini finished with 5 points, including a 3-pointer that helped ignite the Lynx in the first half, and Hiedeman added four points and two assists.

“We knew our bench was going to be important,” Reeve said. “A team whose bench shows up and contributes is a big advantage. And each of the three that played tonight contributed in a variety of ways.”