Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu had double-doubles as Liberty beat Lynx 85–75 in Finals rematch
A’ja Wilson’s late basket sealed Aces’ 74–72 win over Dream, their eighth straight victory
Kahleah Copper scored 25 with five 3s as Mercury rallied past Valkyries 98–91
Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu both produced double-doubles as the New York Liberty beat the Minnesota Lynx 85-75 on Tuesday in a rematch of last year’s WNBA Finals.
The Lynx, who won their first three meetings against New York this season, played without the league’s leading scorer, Napheesa Collier, due to an ankle injury.
With Collier out, Minnesota (28-6) struggled to match the Liberty’s (22-13) star power.
Jones had 22 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 7 for 10 from the field and 3 of 5 from 3-point range.
Ionescu connected on four 3-pointers and finished with 17 points and 11 assists.
Ball movement was key for the defending-champion Liberty, who had 23 assists on their 29 made field goals. Minnesota had 10 assists on 29 field goals.
Courtney Williams was the only Lynx starter in double figures, finishing with 17 points and five rebounds.
Maria Kliundikova, Natisha Hiedeman and DiJonai Carrington combined for 38 points off the bench for Minnesota.
Wilson, Aces edge Dream to extend streak
A’ja Wilson punctuated another MVP-worthy performance with a late, go-ahead bucket, and the Las Vegas Aces held on to beat the Atlanta Dream 74-72 and extend their winning streak to eight games.
Wilson connected from mid-range with 1:15 to put the Aces ahead, and Las Vegas (22-14) got stops on its next two defensive possessions to seal the victory.
Wilson, the reigning WNBA MVP, finished with 32 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and five blocked shots, reaching the 30-point mark in her third straight game.
With the Aces’ recent surge, Wilson continues to make the case for becoming the WNBA’s first four-time MVP. Meanwhile, early-season favourite and league-scoring leader Napheesa Collier continues to be sidelined with an ankle injury.
Jackie Young was the only other Las Vegas player in double figures, finishing with 16 points and seven rebounds.
Chelsea Gray contributed eight points and 11 assists for the Aces.
Rhyne Howard led the Dream with 19 points and six assists but missed two crucial shots in the game’s final minute.
Brittney Griner had 16 points and eight rebounds for Atlanta (22-13).
Mercury catch fire, rally past Valkyries
Kahleah Copper made five 3-pointers and finished with 25 points, and the Phoenix Mercury erased a 12-point halftime lead to beat the Golden State Valkyries 98-91.
Phoenix (21-13) completed the rally by outscoring Golden State 30-18 in the fourth quarter.
Copper was locked in from long range, shooting 5 of 9 on 3-pointers.
Alyssa Thomas just missed a triple-double for Phoenix, finishing with 13 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, while Satou Sabally added 17 points and six assists.
Veronica Burton led the Valkyries (18-17) with 24 points and 14 assists. Kate Martin had 14 points and was 4 of 16 from 3-point range.
Golden State currently sits seventh in the eight-team playoff picture, with the Seattle Storm (18-18), Los Angeles Sparks (16-18) and the Washington Mystics (16-19) not far behind.
