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Liberty vs. Lynx: Minnesota wins a thriller to force Game 5 of the WNBA Finals

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Liberty vs. Lynx: Minnesota wins a thriller to force Game 5 of the WNBA Finals

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – OCTOBER 18: Napheesa Collier #24 and Kayla McBride #21 of the Minnesota Lynx react in the first quarter against the New York Liberty in Game Four of the WNBA Finals at Target Center on October 18, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

The Lynx get Game 5 against the Liberty in the WNBA Finals. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

The Minnesota Lynx didn't let the WNBA Finals end after four games.

With their backs against the wall in a win-or-home Game 4, the Lynx outlasted the New York Liberty in an 82-80 thriller to force a deciding Game 5 at 8 p.m. ET in New York ( ESPN).

The game ended on a final Lynx possession with 18 seconds left. They turned to offensive threat Courtney Williams in isolation, but their would-be winner put up a clattering defense. However, Bridget Carleton came down with the rebound and made two free throws.

She did both, giving the Liberty two seconds to stun the Target Center crowd. An off-balance 3-point attempt from Sabrina Ionescu was well executed, and that was that.

The win was another balanced performance by the Minnesota offense and a tenacious stand by the Minnesota defense. All five Lynx starters scored in double figures, led by Kayla McBride with 19 points. Williams also had 15 points and seven assists, while MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier had 14 points, nine rebounds, four assists, four steals and her Defensive Player of the Year award for defending Breanna Stewart.

Neither team led by more than six points the entire game, and the Liberty had no shortage of opportunities to win their first championship in franchise history. It was a fast-paced and chaotic evening, with 15 team losses and a combined 10-for-36 finish from Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu.

Now the WNBA Finals will come down to one game between the league's two best teams this year – one with the best record in the East and No. 1 in offensive rating, the other with the best in the West and No. 1 in defensive rating walk out at the Barclays Center. It's been a great year for the league's profile and there's no better way to end it.

Here's how it went at Yahoo Sports:

Live51 updates

  • Liberty tries to get to Ionescu again, but she doesn't look good either with two seconds on the board and the heave isn't close. See you all in Brooklyn.

  • Williams killed the clock on the Lynx possession to gain himself and attempted a questionable jumper from mid-range. Bridget Carleton tries to put the ball back in the goal and Sabrina Ionescu is called for a foul. This is the second time in the series that Ionescu has been called to a final because of a last-second Lynx shot attempt.

  • Stewart knocks down an offensive rebound but fails to make a shot and commits a shot clock violation with an attempt that misses the goal. Minny gets a reset timeout, 18.3 seconds remain and the game is tied, 80

  • BOUND AGAIN. They traded 3s back and forth. Jonquel Jones brings New York back with a three-point play (Collier's second foul) that led to a Minnesota timeout. There are 1:10 left in Game 4. Minny's season is at stake.

  • Oh by the way, it's a draw again. 72s

  • Collier recently told us that she and Stewart don't talk about this finale, which is a funny little anecdote as they review this piece. Both landed on the ground as Stewart reached for the ball. And Stewart tried to get Collier T-ed earlier in the series. Their unrivaled league begins in January, and both said they would focus on it again once their WNBA season is over in a few days.

  • Truly a game where every single possession counts. Liberty scores a quick six to take the lead back, 72-70, and Reeve calls a timeout. Ionescu drove against Courtney Williams, Jonquel Jones blocked Kayla McBride on the other end and Fiebich drained a bucket all by himself in the paint as if they were pregame warmups.

    That's now 13 lead changes and 11 draws. The game was no more than six points away.

  • Stewie was all alone on the way to the basket and couldn't make the easy layup. There is a scrum for the ball and Stewie lands on Dorka Juhasz. Stewie reached out to her shoulder afterwards. And after Dorka scores, Ionescu misses a three-pointer. Sums up the Liberty's night so far, although it's still a one possession game. Lynx leads, 68-65, at 8:07.

  • 4Q: Lynx 64, Liberty 63

    These two teams are so evenly matched. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was the X-factor in Game 2 despite not being 100% healthy after right knee surgery and a minor re-injury late in the season. Now it's Alanna Smith who, with a baking problem, gives it her all and puts the Lynx back on top.

    Ionescu and Stewart are a combined 7-23 (0-6 from 3) and have 14 points. And Stewart still has the four fouls.

  • Another draw, 61-61. Alanna Smith scored on a layup, grabbed an offensive rebound that led to Stewart's fourth foul (she hit the bench) and a Collier free throw, then drilled a 3.

  • Jonquel Jones hits her fourth three-pointer from the corner to give Liberty a 59-55 lead with 5:02 to play. With a quick nine points in the first five minutes of the third quarter, she has a game-high 18 points.

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