When the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty played for the Commissioner’s Cup Championship in June, it seemed a foregone conclusion the teams would meet further down the road with much more at stake.
That time has come, as the Liberty will host the Lynx in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Thursday in a matchup of teams that posted the top two records during the regular season.
New York went 5-0 in Commissioner’s Cup play while Minnesota posted a 4-1 record en route to a meeting on June 25 in the championship game of the in-season competition that started in 2021.
The Liberty entered as the defending champions of the Commissioner's Cup and with a 15-3 overall record, while the Lynx came in with a 13-3 mark.
Minnesota went on to win its first Commissioner's Cup championship with a 94-89 victory at New York.
The Lynx also took two of three meetings in the regular season, but the Liberty (32-8) managed to finish two games ahead of Minnesota (30-10) in the final standings.
“I think the regular season doesn’t mean anything, they are an amazing team,” Minnesota forward Napheesa Collier said.
“It’s going to be a great series, great basketball. Two teams with great players competing.”
Collier was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year and was runner-up to Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson for the WNBA MVP award.
Collier finished in the top five in the league in scoring (20.4 points per game), rebounds (9.7), steals (1.9), double-doubles (18) and player efficiency (25.7), but she’s been even more dominant in the play-offs.
The sixth overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft is averaging a league-high 27.1 points and tops all post-season players with a 32.9 efficiency rating to go along with 9.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.0 blocks per game.
“She’s improved every season. She’s just been incredible,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said.
“Every game, it’s more than scoring how she helps our team. When she plays like the MVP, we're tough to beat.”
The Lynx booked their ticket to the WNBA Finals with an 88-77 win over the Connecticut Sun in the decisive Game 5 of the semifinals on Tuesday.
New York has been idle since eliminating the two-time defending champion Aces in Game 4 of the semis on Sunday.
“Talk about the schedule, who cares. Nobody’s going to feel bad for us,” Reeve said.
“Got to go hooping right away and we’ll do that.”
The Liberty exacted a measure of revenge on Las Vegas after losing to the Aces in four games in last season’s WNBA Finals, but star point guard Sabrina Ionescu said New York needs to remain focused.
“We haven’t done anything yet, I think we all understand that,” Ionescu said. “We want to come out and continue to be the best team like we have been all year.
“We’re three wins away, and that’s really important to understand. We’ve got to come out and we’ve got to punch because nothing has been given to us yet.”
Ionescu and forward Breanna Stewart form an imposing 1-2 punch for the Liberty.
Stewart averaged 20.4 points (fourth in the league) during the regular season and Ionescu added 18.2 per game. Ionescu ranked fifth in the WNBA in both assists per game (6.2) and 3-pointers made (107).
In the play-offs, Ionescu is averaging 20.7 points and Stewart is pouring in 20.0 per game.
Minnesota is playing in its record seventh WNBA Finals and looking to break a tie with the Houston Comets and Seattle Storm for the most titles in WNBA history with its fifth championship.
New York, meanwhile, has lost in each of its previous five WNBA Finals appearances.
“We're going to the Finals and we're hosting Game 1 and Game 2,” Stewart said.
“We're ready to go. Just the feeling of not (being) satisfied."
Game 2 is Sunday before the series shifts to Minnesota for Game 3, and if necessary, Game 4. A winner-take-all Game 5 would be in New York on October 20.
Kidd hails Mavs' character after road win over Nuggets
Jason Kidd hailed the character of his Dallas Mavericks team after their gutsy win over the Denver Nuggets.
The Mavericks overcame Luka Doncic's absence, and a triple-double from returning Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, to win 123-120 in Friday's NBA Cup game.
It also marked the third consecutive game the Mavericks have had seven players hit double figures.
The Mavericks appeared to be running away with a dominant win after leading by as many as 24 points early in the third quarter, only for the Nuggets to swiftly respond.
They struck a fierce 28-9 run in an eight-minute span to bring the game within single digits going into the final quarter, but the Mavericks held on for a fourth straight win.
"We were here 10 days ago, we learned from that situation, we kept our composure. This group stayed together," Kidd said.
"On the defensive end we made stops and on the offensive end we made some big plays.
"We didn't finish the game 10 days ago. But the guys stepped up. Defensively, we did what we had to do. A lot of small things that we cleaned up from the last time we were here.
"This is a character game for us. Again without Luka, on the road, we were just in this situation in Oklahoma City. The games are too close for us to make mistakes late.
"This team has a lot of character, a lot of trust and we're becoming a team - it's still early in the season, we've had some injuries, but it's about the next man up and those guys are stepping up."
Dallas (9-7) improved to 2-1 in West Group C to keep their hopes of being one of eight teams to advance to the knockout round. The Mavericks trail the Golden State Warriors, who improved to 3-0 in Group Play after Friday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
It was also a night to remember for Naji Marshall, who scored a career-high 26 points off the bench.
After scoring 15 points in the second half of Tuesday’s game against the Pelicans, Marshall scored 16 points in the first half on Friday.
Marshall had only two 15-point halves in his career prior to accomplishing the feat in consecutive halves, with Kidd showering praise for his recent displays.
"Just the trust. Marshall was playing extremely well for us. With the game on the line, he makes a floater with one second left on the shot clock," Kidd said.
"The confidence the guys have in him on the offensive end and defensive end [helps]."
76ers confirm Embiid sidelined with knee injury
The Philadelphia 76ers revealed Joel Embiid missed their victory over the Brooklyn Nets with a knee injury, while the star centre will also be absent from this Sunday's clash with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Philadelphia ended a five-game losing streak with a 113-98 win at Wells Fargo Center, but did so without the services of Embiid.
The centre was not initially listed on the franchise's injury report ahead of the game, but was later added for left knee injury management, having been ruled out 30 minutes before tip-off.
"He was dealing with some swelling in his knee today, got to the arena and was ruled out," 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. "They're going to treat it all weekend, so he'll be out for Sunday as well.
"He had some swelling from the last game. It's something we knew we were going to be dealing with going into the season. They do what they can do to remove that swelling, but it just didn't feel good enough to go.
"We were pretty well aware of that not too much longer after [my pre-match] press conference that he wasn't going to be able to go tonight.
"Then, they obviously looked at it again during the game and half-time, and decided that they needed to treat it this weekend, and go from there.
"Hopefully, on Monday, we'll give you an update on where we're at and, hopefully, he'll be in good shape."
In Embiid's absence, rookie guard Jared McCain stepped up to produce another impressive performance with 30 points, passing the 20-mark for a seventh successive game.
The 20-year-old was heard saying "I'm rookie of the year!" after shooting one of his six three-pointers during the final quarter.
"I did say that," he said after the game. "It was pretty clear. It's one of my goals for the season, obviously, but it was just that competitiveness coming out of me.
"I respect every other rookie in this league, but obviously, I'm a believer in myself."
NBA: Jokic returns but Mavericks topple Nuggets
The Dallas Mavericks withstood blowing a big lead and a triple-double by Nikola Jokic in the reigning NBA MVP's return to the court to come through with a hard-earned 123-120 road win over the Denver Nuggets on Friday.
Dallas also overcame the absence of superstar Luka Doncic, out with a sprained wrist, to extend their winning streak to four games.
Naji Marshall provided the Mavs their biggest lift by recording a career-high 26 points off the bench on 11-of-15 shooting, while P.J. Washington made an impact as well with 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Jokic was back after missing three games due to a personal matter and racked up 33 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists while helping Denver take a late lead in a game it trailed by 24 points in the third quarter.
The Nuggets charged back to grab a 113-108 advantage with three minutes left, but Dallas put forth a late rally of its own to move back ahead.
Washington scored five straight points to pull the Mavericks even, and Quentin Grimes hit two free throws before Washington struck again with a layup that put Dallas up 117-113 with 49.7 seconds to go.
Denver closed the gap to a point on two occasions in the final minute, but couldn't regain the lead and was dealt a third loss in four games. Washington's two free throws with 3.8 seconds remaining gave Dallas a 123-120 edge before the Nuggets turned the ball over in the last stages.
Kyrie Irving scored 13 of his 19 points during a big second quarter that helped the Mavericks build a 73-53 half-time lead after outscoring the Nuggets by a 40-22 margin for the period.
Dallas led by 19 points just over four minutes into the second half before the Nuggets reversed momentum with an 18-2 run, capped by Jokic's short jumper with 3:29 left in the third quarter, to close within 83-80.
The Mavericks moved to 2-1 in the West's Group C bracket with Friday's win, while the Nuggets fell to 1-2 in group play.
Hobbled 76ers rally past Nets to end losing streak
Jared McCain scored 30 points and helped spark a second-half comeback that carried the injury-plagued Philadelphia 76ers to a much-needed 113-98 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
Playing without ailing stars Joel Embiid and Paul George, Philadelphia still managed to stop a five-game losing streak and rally from a nine-point third-quarter deficit behind McCain and Tyrese Maxey. McCain had 14 fourth-quarter points and 21 in the second half, while Maxey tallied 16 of his 26 points after half-time in his second game back from a strained hamstring.
The duo went a combined 15 of 24 from the field over the final two quarters to lead the 76ers to just their third win in 15 games this season.
Embiid and George are both dealing with knee injuries and will also miss Sunday's game against George's former team, the Los Angeles Clippers.
Brooklyn lost for the sixth time in eight games despite a season-high 37 points from Cameron Johnson, who tied a career best with nine made 3-pointers in 13 attempts.
The Nets trailed 53-50 at half-time but hit four 3-pointers during a 14-0 run that gave them a 64–55 lead three minutes into the third quarter.
Philadelphia answered shortly afterward with an 18-4 spurt, with Maxey scoring seven points during the surge, to take a 77-72 advantage later in the period.
The Nets fought back and went back ahead when Johnson's 3-pointer gave them a 90-89 edge with 7:25 left, but the 76ers responded with a 16-4 run to take the lead for good. Maxey had nine points during the flurry, with McCain adding seven.
Both teams are now 1-2 in the NBA Cup's East Group A bracket.
Warriors become first team to reach NBA Cup knockout stage
Andrew Wiggins' season-high 30 points helped the Golden State Warriors clinch a spot in the NBA Cup's knockout round by holding on for a 112-108 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Owners of the Western Conference's best record at 12-3, the Warriors moved to 3-0 in the NBA Cup's West Group C bracket to become the first team of this year's in-season tournament to advance to the knockout stage.
Stephen Curry contributed 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to Golden State's fifth win in its last six games overall.
New Orleans lost for the fourth straight time and fell to 4-13 while continuing to deal with injuries to several key players. Trey Murphy paced the depleted Pelicans with a season-high 24 points, while Jeremiah Robinson-Earl posted 19 points and 12 rebounds off the bench.
Despite their short-handed roster, the Pelicans held a 63-62 lead at half-time behind Murphy's 15 points and trailed by just one point early in the fourth quarter before the Warriors began to assume control.
Golden State briefly pulled away via a 12-3 run, capped by back-to-back baskets by Trayce Jackson-Davis, to claim a 99-89 advantage with under 6 1/2 minutes left.
The Pelicans would not go away, however, as Murphy ended an 8-2 spurt with a 3-pointer that cut the Warriors' lead to 110-108 with 14 seconds remaining.
Murphy misfired on another 3-point try in the final seconds, however, before Golden State's Draymond Green sealed the outcome by hitting two of four late free throws.
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