Wednesday night is the second game for the Lynx in the first round of this year’s playoff series, and the excitement and intensity of the series opener has only grown.
If they win against the Valkyries Tuesday after their triumph Sunday, it means they head to semifinals, facing off against the New York Liberty or Phoenix Mercury. If they lose, they head back to Minneapolis for the third and deciding game of the series.
Sunday’s game ended with a staggering nearly 30-point lead for the Lynx on their home court. Now in in San Francisco, the Lynx face off against the Valkyries at the Chase Center, which has regularly sold out for the team’s regular series games.
The arena seats 18,064 Golden State fans, which is nearly three times as many as the Lynx had Sunday.
“No one on this team thinks that this is going to be easy game, by any means. We know it’s going to be a fight. They all work really, really hard. That’s been a staple of their team this entire season, and their home crowd is really great,” Napheesa Collier said after Sunday’s game. “It’s going to be a really tough game, and we have to make sure that we come with our A-game, especially on defense.”
The first game of the series showcased both teams’ fierce trademark defense, a comparison both teams’ head coaches mentioned prior to Sunday’s game.
“I think the three-point shooting, the space, the floor — they share it, the defensive commitment to defending the paint, helping the helper, all those things. I think there’s a lot of similarities,” coach Cheryl Reeve said. “I think for both teams, we know that our defenses are going to get us where we're trying to go.”
During Sunday’s game both teams delivered an aggressive four quarters, leading to fouls that Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase saw to be unfair.
“We’re shooting daylight, and they’re not shooting well and then all of a sudden, the fouls are being called on our end, where we can’t even get a shot off, and then they’re shooting free throws,” Nakase said. “It’s just, it’s just a momentum killer. You know, we’re playing the number one team. We’re playing the best team in the league. They don’t need no help.”
In response, Reeve said she later watched videos of the plays herself.
“It’s playoffs and obviously they, we fouled a lot at the end. But I didn’t think that was the factor in the game, though.”
Where to watch Lynx vs. Valkyries
For those streaming the game, it can be found on ESPN and YouTubeTV at 9 p.m. CST.
Or join a watch party at:
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Black Hart of St. Paul: 8 p.m. trivia and watch party at 9 p.m.
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Falling Knife Brewery: They will stay open past their usual closing time for the game
Liberty nears advancing, and other match ups
The New York Liberty, Atlanta Dream and Las Vegas Aces all took 1-0 leads in their respective series with Sunday's quadruple-header.
If New York wins on Wednesday on the road, they will face off against the winner of the Lynx- Valkyries series in the best-of-five semifinals that start Sunday, Sept. 21.
The Atlanta Dream and Las Vegas Aces are both on the road. The Indiana Fever hosted the Dream Tuesday, as did the Storm and Aces. The winner of these series will face off in the semifinals.
