The Minnesota Lynx avoided elimination and tied the 2017 WNBA Finals up at two apiece when they beat the L.A. Sparks, 80-69, on the road Sunday night. That’s one of the most difficult things to do: beat a team, for your playoff livelihood, on the opponent’s home turf.
The Lynx took a lead and held it it to win Game 4 vs. the Sparks
If the Lynx want to redeem themselves, they’ll need to be better than they were on Sunday.
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Minnesota got the win thanks to 60 points from its core four, who forced a decisive Game 5 that will be played for the championship on Wednesday.
That includes newly crowned MVP Sylvia Fowles, who ran up 22 points and 14 rebounds to help the Lynx tie the series up at 2-2. It also includes Maya Moore’s 15 points and eight rebounds, Rebekkah Brunson’s double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Seimone Augustus’ 10 points and eight rebounds. Thanks to them, Minnesota held off Odyssey Sims and Nneka Ogwumike’s 35-point effort that almost pushed Los Angeles into a late comeback effort.
Minnesota held a lead all game long
It was a do-or-die situation for a Lynx team on the brink of elimination to the same Sparks squad that beat them in the Finals last season. But this time, they took a lead early and held onto it for 48 minutes.
Fowles won the WNBA MVP for a reason. That’s because she’s the most difficult player to prepare for in the league, and on Sunday night, after Minnesota took a lead, Fowles made sure they held it.
Fowles wasn’t alone, though. She has a support system that has her back and helped lead Minnesota through a must-win Game 4.
That’s the kind of team effort it’ll need if Minnesota plans to redeem itself after last year’s loss.
The Lynx will need more if they want to win Game 5
Wednesday’s Game 5 is the last of a wild WNBA Finals, and even though Minnesota led virtually from end-to-end, it will need to be even better.
Candace Parker scored only 11 points on Sunday, and there’s no way she’s going down without a fight with a championship ring on the line. Chelsea Gray had eight points in the Sparks’ loss, but she put up 14 and seven assists in L.A.’s win in Game 3. And any time Ogwumike and Sims are on the floor, the Sparks have a shot at a victory.
This amazing matchup sets the scene for an incredible Game 5 on Wednesday with the entire season on the line. And even though the Lynx withstood a few comeback efforts with their backs against the wall on Sunday, they’ll have to be even better against a tough Los Angeles Sparks team trying to repeat in Game 5.
