WNBA Finals 2024: Minnesota Lynx force decisive game five with narrow victory over New York Liberty in Game 4

The atmosphere inside the Target Center was audibly electric, as Bridget Carleton sunk two consecutive free throws to give the Minnesota Lynx a two-point lead with seconds left in game four of the WNBA Finals 2024 - a game the Lynx desperately needed to win to stay alive in the championship battle.

Soon, nervous waiting became joyous celebration, as the Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu missed a critical three point shot at the final buzzer, leaving the Lynx’s 82-80 lead intact at the end of a physical and fast-paced game.

It was a much-needed win for the Lynx, who faced the prospect of elimination from the championship battle on Friday night.

The team fought hard to secure victory on their home court in front of 19,210 devoted fans, celebrating their achievement with a group dance on court after the game.

Nonetheless, they’ll need to shift their focus from celebration to preparation, as the final chapter of the championship battle approaches on the horizon.

There was very little certainty to be had inside the Target Center during game four of the WNBA Finals 2024.

The Minnesota Lynx got off to an ideal start, netting the four points before the Liberty were able to find any baskets of their own. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much security in the Lynx’s early lead, as the Liberty’s Betnijah Laney-Hamilton sunk a three point shot to shrink the lead to a single point.

Her shot set the tone for a consistently close game, where the largest lead managed by either team was just six points. Nonetheless, the Lynx’s Courtney Williams emerged as a catalyst of exceptional play in the first half, driving her team towards a much-needed victory.

Williams watched field goal, after field goal, fall into the net before the halftime buzzer, telling ESPN, “I don’t why they giving it up to me, especially while I got the ‘hot hand,’ but [if] they want to keep giving it me, I’m going to keep taking it man.”

Her performance helped propel the Lynx to a 46-45 lead at halftime, but the Liberty would adjust their defense to clamp down on her dominance in the second half.

Nevertheless, the Lynx continued to put up strong numbers as a whole, netting 19 points off turnovers, 10 points from the bench and six team rebounds by the end of the game. Their victory was truly a team effort, with five players scoring double-digit point totals in game four.

Kayla Mcbride led the scoring party, with 19 points, four assists and two rebounds. She reflected on her performance, stating, “I just wanted to come out and enjoy the moment, and be as aggressive as possible.”

Now, she'll get one final chance to win the 2024 WNBA championship title alongside her teammates on the Minnesota Lynx.

Of course, the joy of the Minnesota Lynx was complemented by the heartbreak of the New York Liberty.

On paper, the task was simple: win and return to New York as WNBA Champions. However, the actual execution of that task was much more difficult against an energized and talented Lynx squad.

While they never let the Lynx get a lead larger than five points, a pair of free throws was ultimately enough to upset the Liberty's championship hopes on Friday night.

The team played well, netting 38 points in the paint and nine points from the bench, with Leonie Fiebich and Jonquel Jones combining for six three-point shots as well. Unfortunately, turnover troubles plagued the team once more, with 15 turnovers registered by players in game four.

It was also a rough night for three-time Olympic champion Brenna Stewart, who posted a mere 11 points compared to her 30-point performance during game three.

She looked beyond the loss in the past-game press conference, commenting, “All that happened tonight is that the series is even, and there’s a game five ‘winner-take-all.’ We’re going back to New York, and we’re going to get it done.”

With the best-of-five series tied at 2-2, a decisive game five will be played in New York at the Barclays Center on Sunday, 20 October.