Lynx blow out Valkyries in season finale, setting up first-round WNBA playoff series rematch

The Lynx handed out pink wigs Thursday night to celebrate the hairstyles of Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, the “Studbudz” of social media fame.

After defeating Golden State 72-53 at Target Center, they turned their attention to something just as eye-catching but a little more substantial: trophies and rings.

After two weeks of games that meant nothing to them in terms of playoff seeding, the Lynx played their final regular-season game. This one again did not affect seeding, but it was hardly meaningless.

Defeat Golden State, and the Lynx would begin the postseason against Golden State. Lose, and Seattle — a team that has beaten the Lynx twice this year — would be the opponent.

The Lynx will face Golden State, an expansion team against whom they went 4-0 this season.

Lynx star Napheesa Collier made three of her four three-point attempts to become the second player in WNBA history, after Washington’s Elena Delle Donne in 2019, to reach the 90-50-40 benchmark — 90% shooting from the free-throw line, 50% from the field and 40% from the three-point line.

Collier’s final three-point shooting percentage: 40.3.

“It can be revealed now, but it was a goal of ours when we sat down with Phee, knowing that it would be a lofty goal, and had only been done once before, and that player was MVP of the league,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. “The numbers don’t lie. That’s something the voter should look at. … Napheesa Collier has been the best player in the WNBA this season and deserves to be MVP.”