WNBA Finals 2024: Minnesota Lynx stuns New York Liberty in overtime to win Game 1
The Lynx overturned an 18-point deficit to steal Game 1 in New York. The next game in the best-of-five series takes place in New York on Sunday 14 October.
Basketball
The Minnesota Lynx earned an improbable 95-93 win over the New York Liberty on Thursday (11 October) evening in Game 1 of the 2024 WNBA Finals, with 2024 Defensive Player of the Year Napheesa Collier hitting the go ahead jumper with 8.8 seconds left in overtime to secure the victory.
In doing so, the Lynx made history by becoming the first team in WNBA playoff history to win after trailing by at least 15 points in the final five minutes.
It was an impressive feat for Minnesota, who were just two days removed from their Game 5 victory over the Connecticut Sun in the semi-finals. The Liberty, meanwhile, wrapped up their series against the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday 6 October and had the added bonus of playing in front of their home crowd.
Napheesa Collier #24 of the Minnesota Lynx.
For most of the game, it appeared that those advantages would swing the game for New York.
The Liberty controlled the glass (outrebounding the Lynx 44-32) and at one point held an 18-point lead in the first half. Up 15 with 5:20 to play, the game was New York's to lose.
But the Liberty suffered a monumental collapse and almost lost the contest at the end of the fourth after Courtney Williams gave the Lynx their first lead of the game on a four-point play with 5.5 seconds to play. The Liberty were able to force overtime, but the momentum had completely flipped.
The final minute of the game belonged to Collier; the Paris 2024 gold medallist buried a beautiful fadeaway in the lane to give Minnesota the lead, and followed that up with some sensational defense to force a miss from fellow Olympian Breanna Stewart as time expired.
The Liberty's Jonquel Jones led all players with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while the Lynx received a balanced attack from the trio of Collier (21 points, 8 rebounds, 6 blocks), Kayla McBride (22 points) and Courtney Williams (23 points, 5 assists).
Olympic gold medallists Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu combined for 37 points on a disappointing 14 for 47 shooting night as Minnesota's defense stifled the two superstars.
Game 2 of the best-of-five series takes place on Sunday 13 October in New York.
How to watch the WNBA Finals
Audiences inside the United States can watch the Finals on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. Global viewers can take advantage of DirecTV Steam's five-day free trial, while other streaming services — such as Hulu + Live TV and Fubo — also offer free trials, so you can watch ESPN2 for free.