WNBA playoffs: Lynx take Game 3 over Sun for 2-1 series lead behind Napheesa Collier’s 26 points

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

Connecticut cut Minnesota’s lead to 86-79 with 1:20 remaining in the fourth quarter, but could get no closer than that in a game the Lynx controlled throughout. Courtney Williams and Bridget Carleton nailed jump shots in the final minute to ensure the win.

Napheesa Collier bounced back from scoring 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 for 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 and passed Candace Parker for No. 2 on the WNBA’s all-time playoff scoring list. Bonner now has 1,159 points to Parker’s 1,149. Only Bonner’s former Phoenix Mercury teammate, Diana Taurasi, (1,455) has scored more postseason points during 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, playing all 40 minutes of the game, while DiJonai Carrington added 13 points with five rebounds.

All five of the Sun’s starters scored in double figures, but the reserves added only four points. By comparison, the Lynx got 16 points from their bench.

Poor 3-point shooting hurt Connecticut. At one point, the Sun missed nine consecutive shots from behind the arc and shot 3-for-20 overall from 3. Mabrey went 1-for-11 on her 3-point attempts.

That contributed to Connecticut shooting 41% from the floor, with only Jones and Thomas shooting 50% or better. Meanwhile, Minnesota shot 57.4% overall, which might best explain the final score. 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 an opportunity to close it out and advance to the WNBA Finals.