The Minnesota Lynx are headed to their sixth WNBA Finals in seven years, finishing a three-game sweep against the Washington Mystics on Sunday. This was expected — the Lynx were the top-seeded team during the regular season — but after a Game 1 blowout, the Mystics made Minnesota work to close out the series.
Lynx sweep Mystics to reach 6th WNBA Finals in 7 years
Minnesota is back in the Finals, setting up a likely rematch against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images
In Game 3, the Mystics led by seven points midway through the second quarter and took a one-point lead into halftime. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the Lynx really started pulling away, taking a double-digit lead with 4:49 left in the game that they wouldn’t relinquish. They’d end up with an 81-70 victory.
This could have been even more lopsided
The Lynx are powered by their starting five, and only really struggled on Sunday when their bench was in. Maya Moore led the team with 21 points and finished plus-22 during her time on the court. Sylvia Fowles, freshly named MVP on WNBA, finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds, and a plus-21 for the game.
It was the same story on the other end — even Elena Delle Donne, who led the Mystics with 15 points, was only minus-six while other starters were outscored by more. In a battle of starting fives, Washington couldn’t keep up on Sunday.
This is familiar territory for Minnesota
With the Lynx headed back to the WNBA Finals, they have a chance to avenge last year’s Game 5 loss and continue a streak. Dating back to 2011, the Lynx have won the championship during every year that’s an odd number — 2011, 2013, and 2015. They could continue that this season.
The Lynx have proven themselves to be the WNBA’s leading powerhouse this past decade, and that’s not changing anytime in the immediate future.
Mystics fans should be happy despite the loss
Washington was inconsistent all year, finishing with an 18-16 record, but came on strong late in the year once Delle Donne returned from an injury. The Mystics also played half the season without Tayler Hill, the team’s second-leading scorer who tore her ACL in July.
The superteam Mystics never quite materialized this year thanks to those inuries, but even with the Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks looming at the top of the WNBA standings, the Mystics should be hopeful for an even better showing next season.
