The Minnesota Lynx will begin the postseason against the New York Liberty after closing the regular season with an 86-66 victory over Indiana. Kayla McBride scored 22 points on six 3-pointers, Natasha Howard added 21, and Courtney Williams finished with nine points, seven rebounds and 10 assists. The Liberty enter at 26-18 after losing 83-65 to Atlanta, with Jonquel Jones posting 14 rebounds and Marine Fauthoux scoring 14 points.
Minnesota enters as the No. 1 seed, while New York is the No. 8 seed. The Lynx finished with a 33-11 record, and Olivia Miles led the team in scoring at 19.7 points per game while averaging 6.0 assists. Napheesa Collier added 17.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
The Liberty’s availability will be an important storyline after Breanna Stewart missed the regular-season finale with left knee soreness. Stewart averaged 20.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists this season, while Jonquel Jones also left Wednesday’s game after tweaking her left ankle. Coach Chris DeMarco said Stewart’s absence was precautionary and that he hoped she would be ready for the playoffs.
Game 1 is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 27, at Minnesota as part of the WNBA’s opening-day playoff schedule. The first round is best-of-three, with the Lynx holding home court and the league listing Sunday’s early Game 1 window on ABC
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