MINNEAPOLIS — The WNBA playoffs officially begin Sept. 27, but the intensity has already arrived.
Ask Cheryl Reeve or anyone else chasing a postseason berth, and they will say the playoff push started the moment the league returned from the FIBA Women’s World Cup break. With seeding still in play, every game in the final week of the regular season carries major consequences.
The Liberty understand the urgency. A team that opens the playoffs in rhythm will have an advantage, because there will be no opportunity to ease into the postseason.
New York delivered exactly the kind of performance it needed.
Facing a loud Target Center crowd on Friday night, the Liberty went toe-to-toe with the league’s top team and emerged with a convincing 93-81 victory. The win gave New York a 3-1 edge in the regular-season series.
Matchups between the Liberty and Lynx always seem to carry added meaning.
Their rivalry intensified after the 2024 WNBA Finals, which the Liberty won in five games. Minnesota, however, remained frustrated by the officiating late in that series.
Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu have consistently delivered in the spotlight. Over the first three meetings with the Lynx this season, Stewart was averaging 26.5 points, while Ionescu averaged 21.
On Friday, the star duo once again set the tone for New York.
Stewart posted 24 points and 10 rebounds, less than a week after leading Team USA to a gold-medal finish in Berlin. She also climbed to ninth on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list Friday.
Meanwhile, Ionescu, who had been itching to play again after going an unprecedented 0-for-10 from the field in the final game before the break, recorded 17 points and six assists. She also went 3-for-9 from deep.
Jonquel Jones added 18 points and 10 rebounds.
It was a back-and-forth physical game.
No team led by more than eight points entering the fourth.
Nia Brodie (née Coffey, who got married over the break) drained a corner 3 to tie the game with 3:45 left in the third.
Marine Johannès then caught fire. She scored 10 straight points for New York in the final 1:30 of the quarter to ensure New York maintained the edge on the Lynx heading into the fourth.
Things then started to come undone for the Lynx. The crowd disengaged as the Liberty used a 13-4 run to pull ahead by seven points.
A 4-0 run by Minnesota reinvigorated its crowd.
The Liberty badgered Rookie of the Year frontrunner Olivia Miles. She went 3-for-13 through the first three quarters and at times appeared frustrated with the officiating.
Things started to open up for Miles in the fourth. She finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
The Liberty used the World Cup break as a chance to push the reset button. The non-World Cup participants focused on defense during the league’s two-week pause.
But coach Chris DeMarco wants the Liberty to do more than just go undefeated down the stretch.
“It’s just about clicking on both ends,” DeMarco said. “Defensively: one voice, communication, make sure we’re on the same page with our schemes, what we’re trying to accomplish. And then offensively, when we’ve looked our best, we just have a good rhythm of throwing the ball ahead, having the right space, making plays for each other. We talk a lot about when the help side defender comes over, where others are going to be. So that’s going to be our focus.”
Buckle in, because the final week will be a sprint.
Minnesota is trying to maintain its footing at the top of the standings.
Golden State is on the Lynx’s heels and hoping its Cinderella story might end with championship glory.
Las Vegas wants to remind everyone that the Aces remain the Aces.
Indiana, Atlanta, Dallas, Washington and New York are fighting for positioning.
The Liberty, in particular, are trying to climb.
Friday was a step in that direction for New York.