Sunday’s WNBA semifinals action saw top-seeded New York end back-to-back defending champion Las Vegas’s season while the Connecticut Sun staved off elimination to force a deciding Game 5 against the Minnesota Lynx.
New York ends Aces’ WNBA three-peat campaign
The Liberty claimed a second-straight trip to the WNBA Finals with Sunday’s 76-62 victory over the Aces, bringing an end to the defending champs’ three-peat dream in four semifinal matchups.
After being held to just four points in Game 3, Sabrina Ionescu led the Liberty with 22 points. Teammate Breanna Stewart was just behind with a 19-point, 14-rebound double-double.
Though New York led nearly wire-to-wire, Las Vegas kept Game 4 within reach, thanks in large part to three-time MVP A’ja Wilson’s 19 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks. The Aces trailed by just two points after three quarters, but a 16-2 fourth-quarter Liberty run ultimately earned them the win.
“They’ve been the best team all year — let’s be real,” Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon said about New York after the game. “Their group earned it. They earned it all year.”
Having walked away disappointed last season, New York — the only original franchise still playing without a title — knows that nothing is guaranteed in their upcoming sixth Finals appearance.
“We haven’t done anything yet,” a fired up Ionescu said after Sunday’s win. “We’re three wins away, and that’s really important to understand. We got to come out and we got to punch because nothing has been given to us yet.”
How to watch the Liberty in the 2024 WNBA Finals
Game 1 of the best-of-five Finals tips off in Brooklyn at 8 PM ET on Thursday. Live coverage will air on ESPN.
Connecticut forces winner-take-all Game 5 against Minnesota
After Friday’s home-court loss to Minnesota, the Sun tied up their semifinal series with a come-from-behind 92-82 win on Sunday, forcing a winner-take-all Game 5.
Trailing by seven points at the break, Connecticut staged a second-half comeback. The Sun outscored the Lynx 49-32 to keep their first-ever WNBA title dream alive.
Ty Harris led Connecticut with a career-high 20 points in her post-injury return to the starting lineup. Four of her teammates also put up double-digits: Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner each had 18 points and eight rebounds, while DiJonai Carrington and Marina Mabrey added 15 and 10 points, respectively.
2024 Defensive Player of the Year Napheesa Collier, who led the Lynx with a 29-point, 13-rebound double-double, said her team needs to step it up when the series moves back to Minnesota on Tuesday.
“We have to go home and defend our home court. We’re both playing for our lives, so we have to play with that level of intensity,” Collier said after the loss.
How to watch Sun vs. Lynx in Game 5 of the 2024 WNBA semifinals
The Sun and Lynx will tip off Game 5 in Minneapolis at 8 PM ET on Tuesday. Live coverage will air on ESPN2.
