Coming into the playoffs, the Minnesota Lynx were big-time favorites to claim their fifth franchise title, but after a Game 1 loss to the eighth-seeded New York Liberty, they have a massive hill to climb.
The Lynx went 33-11 and were the league's top seed, ultimately entering the playoffs as +110 favorites to win it all. The next closest team were the Las Vegas Aces at +425.
With all the parity in the playoff field this year, however, Minnesota was always going to draw a tough team to beat. And they got Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, and more established vets in the first round.
Stewart went off in Game 1, putting up 34 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists on an efficient 11/18 from the field. Her performance puts the Lynx in a win-or-go-home situation in Game 2 on Tuesday night.
On the Lynx' side, superstars Napheesa Collier and Olivia Miles were large disappointments for the title-hungry team. The two combined for 23 points and collectively shot 9/26. It could've been expected that Miles, a rookie, would have a harder time adjusting in her first career playoff game, but the performance from Collier was uninspiring.
Lynx vs. Liberty Series Odds - NY up 1-0
After going down 0-1 at home, the Lynx are currently +125 to comeback and win Round 1. On the flip side, the Liberty are -150 to close things out in one of the next two games.
Minnesota is +300 to win the WNBA championship - tied for the shortest odds with the Aces. New York is now +600 to win it all.
All odds written in this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.
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