The Minnesota Lynx will try to keep their season alive Tuesday night when they visit the New York Liberty for Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
The top-seeded Lynx visit the Liberty at Barclays Center at 8:30 p.m. ET after New York took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series with a convincing 91-75 victory Sunday in Minnesota.
Breanna Stewart dominated the opener with 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists while shooting 11-of-18 from the field. She also had two steals and two blocks while becoming the first player in WNBA playoff history with at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals in a game.
Leonie Fiebich added 16 points and eight rebounds for New York, while Sabrina Ionescu finished with 13 points and six assists.
Minnesota struggled to generate consistent offense. Nia Brodie led the Lynx with 16 points off the bench, while Kayla McBride had 14. Napheesa Collier scored 13 before fouling out, and Rookie of the Year Olivia Miles finished with 11 points on 3-of-12 shooting and had only one assist.
New York broke open a close game after halftime, outscoring Minnesota 52-31 over the final two quarters.
The Lynx now head to Brooklyn needing a victory to extend their season and force a deciding Game 3 Thursday in Minnesota.
Minnesota Lynx vs. New York Liberty betting picks and predictions
New York Liberty +3.5 (-110)
Minnesota enters Game 2 as a road favorite despite what happened in Sunday's series opener.
That creates an appealing opportunity to take the points with a Liberty team that has consistently caused problems for the Lynx this season.
New York won two of three regular-season meetings with Minnesota, including a 99-86 victory in July and a 93-81 win on Sept. 18. Sunday's playoff victory means the Liberty have now beaten the Lynx in three of four meetings this year.
Stewart remains Minnesota's biggest problem.
The Lynx had no answer for the New York star in Game 1. Stewart scored 34 points while getting to the free-throw line 12 times and filling up the stat sheet at both ends.
New York also won comfortably despite an ordinary offensive performance from Ionescu.
She scored 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting and missed six of her eight 3-point attempts. The Liberty didn't need a huge game from their star guard because Stewart controlled the matchup and Fiebich supplied 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting.
Minnesota should be better in Game 2.
Collier and Natasha Howard both fouled out Sunday, Miles struggled in her return after missing the final two regular-season games with a calf injury, and McBride started slowly from long range.
But laying 3.5 points on the road requires the Lynx not only to bounce back, but to win comfortably against a team that has beaten them three times this season. New York won those three games by 13, 12 and 16 points.
New York also gets home court for Game 2, with a chance to eliminate the No. 1 seed.
The Liberty entered the playoffs as a dangerous No. 8 seed after going 26-18. They have already demonstrated that their regular-season success against Minnesota was no fluke.
Take New York plus the 3.5 points.
Under 172.5 points (-110)
Game 1 finished with 166 combined points, giving bettors plenty of room below Tuesday's higher total.
Minnesota's season is on the line, and its biggest adjustment needs to come at the defensive end.
The Lynx allowed New York to score 52 second-half points Sunday after holding the Liberty to 39 before halftime. Stewart repeatedly got favorable looks and also attempted 12 free throws.
The Lynx cannot afford to repeatedly send Stewart to the line while also losing Collier and Howard to foul trouble.
New York also committed 21 turnovers in Game 1. Minnesota turned those mistakes into 18 points, but the Liberty still won by 16 because they shot efficiently enough elsewhere. New York should emphasize taking better care of the basketball at home, which could reduce the transition opportunities that give Minnesota easy points.
The Lynx also have offensive questions. Miles was limited to 11 points and one assist in Game 1 after returning from a calf injury. Collier scored only 13, while Minnesota shot 39.7% from the field and 30.8% from 3-point range.
Those numbers should improve, but Minnesota's path to forcing Game 3 doesn't necessarily require a shootout.
The Lynx earned the No. 1 seed because they can control games at both ends. Facing elimination on the road should increase the urgency to make Stewart work harder, stay out of foul trouble and prevent New York from producing another huge second half.
New York, meanwhile, has no reason to push the pace unnecessarily with the series lead and home-court advantage.
Even a scoring output similar to Sunday's opener would keep Game 2 below this number.
Take the under 172.5 points.
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Minnesota Lynx vs. New York Liberty odds
Minnesota Lynx | -160 |
New York Liberty | +135 |
Spread | MIN Lynx -3.5 |
Total Points | O/U 172.5 |
Minnesota Lynx vs. New York Liberty player props
Player points
Napheesa Collier (MIN Lynx) | O/U 18.5 |
Olivia Miles (MIN Lynx) | O/U 17.5 |
Kayla McBride (MIN Lynx) | O/U 16.5 |
Breanna Stewart (NY Liberty) | O/U 23.5 |
Sabrina Ionescu (NY Liberty) | O/U 15.5 |
Jonquel Jones (NY Liberty) | O/U 13.5 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
