Lynx use epic comeback to clinch series, avoid WNBA chaos

When the Golden State Valkyries built an 18-point lead over the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday night, it felt like another WNBA playoff series was headed for a do-or-die game.

There are already two of those scheduled for Thursday night, as Indiana will square off against Atlanta, followed by Las Vegas-Seattle in a pair of winner-take-all matchups.

As a fan of the WNBA, it would be hard to ask for more. The Phoenix Mercury also forced a third game with a blowout win over New York, sending the defending WNBA champions to the brink of elimination. 

And when the Valkyrie, the expansion franchise, built an 18-point lead, it felt like another series, one featuring the Lynx, the team with the best record in the regular season, would be pushed to the brink.

Minnesota had other ideas, though. 

How the Lynx clinched the series against the Valkyries

Napheesa Collier helped complete the comeback. But more than any one player, the defense of Minnesota, which limited Golden State to just 11 points in the fourth quarter, proved to be the difference.

Collier was a difference-maker, too. Just the second player in WNBA history to have a season shooting 40 percent from three-point range, 50 percent from the field and 90 percent from the free-throw line, she caught fire late, connecting on a 3-pointer to help trim the lead, before a baseline shot with 1:24 left put the Lynx in front for good.

The 75-74 win was aided by an assist from Collier to Courtney Williams, who drilled a mid-range jumper with 29 seconds left. That pushed the lead to three. 

Golden State did get a winning shot up, but the Lynx, who have the No. 1 defensive rating in the WNBA, showed why in the fourth quarter, including a stop on the final possession that sends them to the next round.

Collier offered a reminder of why she is an MVP candidate with 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting, seven rebounds and four assists.

The Lynx, wth their comeback, becoming the only top-seeded team in the WNBA to avoid a third game, showed once again why they are the favorite to win the whole thing.