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The 2024 WNBA Finals won’t be the sweep fans were expecting.
That’s at least not if we judge by the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx‘s Game 1 performance, in which the latter won 95-93 in overtime.
Early on, the Liberty used their homecourt advantage to jump out to an 18-point lead, which was unsurprising because they hadn’t lost in Brooklyn the entire postseason.
And when down 18, they closed the gap to 44-36 by halftime, giving themselves a fighting chance.
But the Lynx managed to chart several double-digit comebacks, including being down 15 points with little more than five minutes left in the game. They even pulled with two points before the Liberty went on an 18-3 run, putting them in that 15-point hole.
Despite the Liberty getting up early and quickly, Lynx leader Napheesa Collier knew there was still more ball to play and never gave up and clawed back.
“That’s when we really lean on our defense,” Collier told ESPN. “That’s something we were talking about, getting three stops in a row, chipping at it a little bit at a time. Not thinking about the point difference, but thinking about the possession that we need to get a stop and a score. That’s just what we were talking about at halftime.”
The Liberty led almost wire to wire, with the Lynx taking their first lead, 84-83, with just 5.5 seconds left because of a clutch second attempt 3-pointer by Courtney Williams and a sunken free throw thanks to a Sabrina Ionescu foul.
COURTNEY WILLIAMS GIVES THE LYNX THE LEAD WITH UNDER SIX SECONDS LEFT
(via @WNBA)pic.twitter.com/lu17Wzq8yG
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) October 11, 2024
The Liberty got the ball back, and Breanna Stewart drew a foul but only made one, sending the game to overtime.
STEWIE MISSED THE FREE THROW TO WIN IT.
OVERTIME IN NEW YORK
pic.twitter.com/MTZk6BF9i5
— ESPN (@espn) October 11, 2024
The Lynx momentum continued over time, with Collier mostly in control, which she stamped with a clean fade away with less than 10 seconds left.
MVPHEEEEEEEEEEE pic.twitter.com/D6lqElqyDD
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) October 11, 2024
Once again, Stewart was given an opportunity to clinch the game-winner but missed after driving into the paint, officially handing the Lynx the Game 1 win of the 2024 WNBA Finals.
The Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty will play Game 2 on Sunday, Oct. 13.
See how social media reacted to the nail-biting victory below.
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