WNBA Playoffs: Lynx win Game 3 against Sun, lead 2-1 in series behind Napheesa Collier’s 26 points

The Minnesota Lynx are just one win away from the WNBA Finals after picking up a 90-81 victory over the Connecticut Sun in Game 3 of their semifinal game. The Lynx took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.

Connecticut cut Minnesota’s lead to 86-79 with 1:20 left in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t get any closer in a game the Lynx controlled throughout. Courtney Williams and Bridget Carleton secured the victory with great jump shots in the final minute.

Napheesa Collier rebounded from nine points in Game 2 with 26 points and 11 rebounds to lead Minnesota on Friday. She had 16 in the first half, making 7 of 10 shots and surpassing her 14-point average from the first two games of the series.

Williams added 16 points and eight assists. Kayla McBride contributed 13 points with five assists, while Carleton scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds.

The Sun’s DeWanna Bonner scored 16 points to pass Candace Parker for second place on the WNBA’s all-time playoff scoring list. Bonner now has 1,159 points compared to Parker’s 1,149. Only Bonner’s former Phoenix Mercury teammate Diana Taurasi (1,455) has scored more postseason points throughout her career.

Brionna Jones led the Sun with 21 points, four rebounds and five assists, followed by Marina Mabrey with 14 points. Alyssa Thomas scored 13 points with nine rebounds and seven assists and played all 40 minutes of the game, while DiJonai Carrington added 13 points with five rebounds.

All five Sun starters scored in double figures, but the reserve team only scored four points. In comparison, the Lynx got 16 points from their bench.

Poor 3-point shooting has hurt Connecticut. At one point, the Sun missed nine consecutive shots from behind the arc and shot a total of 3 of 20 from 3. Mabrey made 1 of 11 on her 3-point attempts.

This contributed to Connecticut shooting 41% from the floor, while only Jones and Thomas shot 50% or better. Meanwhile, Minnesota shot 57.4% overall, which perhaps best explains the final result. Collier shot 11 of 19 and Williams made 7 of 10 shots.

Game 4 of the series is scheduled for Sunday, with the Lynx having a chance to close it out and advance to the WNBA Finals.