No, it’s not mathematically secure. But Minnesota’s grip on home-court advantage throughout the WNBA playoffs is about as firm as it can be on Aug. 10 after the Lynx downed the Liberty 83-71 in Brooklyn in a nationally-televised matinee Sunday.
Minnesota (27-5) now leads the second-place Liberty (20-11) by 6.5 games with just 12 games to play in the regular season.
Natisha Hiedeman #2 of the Minnesota Lynx shoots the ball during the second half against the New York Liberty at Barclays Center on Aug. 10, 2025 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
Minnesota trailed by two at the break, but exploded for 30 points in a third frame in which it went 12 for 18 from the field. Natisha Hiedeman and Dijonai Carrington combined for 17 points off the bench in the quarter.
Carrington finished with 15 points and six rebounds. Kayla McBride had 18 points on the strength of four triples, while Courtney Williams had 14 points, seven assists and five boards and Alanna Smith finished with eight points, nine rebounds, seven assists, four steals and three blocks while quarterbacking another stupendous defensive effort.
After scoring 24 points in the opening quarter, the Liberty tallied just 47 points combined over the final three frames.
Sabina Ionescu finished with just 10 points on 4 for 15 shooting as the Liberty shot 42% from the floor as a team.
“Our anchor is Lan,” McBride said.
The two teams will meet two more times — in Minnesota on Saturday and back in Brooklyn on Aug. 19. Should Minnesota win at least one of those bouts, it was also secure the tiebreaker, which would push its advantage over the Liberty to the brink of insurmountable.
Both teams are still without their star forwards, as Napheesa Collier (ankle) and Breanna Stewart (knee) continue to miss time. But the Lynx continue to find ways to win, even sans the presumptive MVP.
Minnesota is now 5-1 this season without Collier in the lineup.
“It keeps Phee humble,” Reeve joked of the team’s success sans its best player.
In all seriousness, Collier exudes excitement on social media, and has sent Reeve numerous messages expressing her pride in the performance of her teammates.
“I think what we’ve learned — it’s what we know, but it’s reinforced — is how gritty we are,” Reeve said. “Just throw some stuff at us. This team doesn’t break. You may beat us, but you’re not breaking us, and there’s a big difference there. They have such high belief in one another and high belief, really, in the group. … So we’re able to get through tough times.”
How much does the top seed matter? Well, look no further than the site of Sunday’s victory. It was the same floor were Minnesota lost the decisive Game 5 of the WNBA Finals last October. Had that game been at Target Center, perhaps the result would’ve been different.
Those little advantages can be the difference between euphoria and heartbreak, and the Lynx are doing everything in their power to stack the deck in their favor this time around.
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