The WNBA playoffs for the No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx begin in Minneapolis on Sunday when they face the eighth-seeded Golden State Valkyries for the second straight game.
Minnesota and Golden State had a warmup for the playoffs in the last game of the regular season on Thursday, when the Lynx posted a 72-53 win over the Valkyries.
Napheesa Collier scored 19 points to end the season shooting 53.1 percent from the floor, 40.3 percent from beyond the arc and 90.6 percent from the free throw line. It made Collier only the second player in WNBA history to hit at least 50/40/90 and the only to do it while scoring at least 20 points per game (22.9).
It puts Collier near the top of the conversation for the MVP race and team-wise, leads a Lynx side that carried the best record in the league into the postseason. The club hopes to go further than last year when Minnesota lost in the final game of the WNBA Finals to the New York Liberty.
“It gets to a point where what happened last year doesn’t matter and that can’t really occupy our thoughts,” head coach Cheryl Reeve told reporters after Thursday’s game. “It’s really got to be that singular focus on tasks at hand. I’ve seen motivation … as we head into playoffs, just the work that people have put in. It’ll show up as we compete in these games for sure because they’re going to be pretty hungry.”
For all eight playoff teams, the records reset for the playoffs, but the Thursday loss still may be on the Valkyries’ minds after they shot their lowest percentage from 3-point range on the season at 11.1 percent.
“We just have to make shots. I know the capability of our players,” head coach Natalie Nakase said. “I’m really obviously hopeful. I’m glad. I know as ironic as that sounds, but playing somebody now and then having a good look. It’s not like we have to completely change a ton of things and completely embrace and learn about a new team.”
Golden State faced defeat in all four matchups with Minnesota this season, losing three of those games by double digits. However, the Valkyries showed they can compete with the Lynx on Sept 6, when Golden State lost to Minnesota 78-72.
–Field Level Media
