The New York Liberty are clearly an elite team. The Indiana Fever are out to prove they are one.
Saturday’s matchup between these two titans was highly anticipated—and the game did not disappoint, coming down to the final play.
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In that last possession, All-WNBA Defense guard Natasha Cloud swiped the ball out of Caitlin Clark’s hands, preventing the second-year star from forcing overtime or winning it with a 3-pointer.
New York survived 90-88, but the final possession did have plenty of people crying foul, including Indiana head coach Stephanie White, who said after the game:
I thought she got fouled. I think it’s pretty egregious what’s been happening to us the last few games, a minus-31 free throw discrepancy. And I might be able to understand that if we were just chucking 3s, but we’re not. We’re attacking the rim and the disrespect right now for our team has been pretty unbelievable. It’s disappointing that it doesn’t go both ways or it hasn’t gone both ways.
The officials saw the play differently, and the Liberty improved to 3-0 on the season.
Both teams got stellar performances from their key players. Jonquel Jones had 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Liberty, and Sabrina Ionescu ended the night with 23 points, capped off by two clutch free throws. Aliyah Boston led the Fever with 27 points and 13 rebounds, with Clark adding 18 points and 10 assists in the loss.
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With this matchup coming down to the final seconds, featuring 14 lead changes and both teams at one point claiming a double-digit advantage, there are plenty of ways the game could’ve gone differently.
On June 14, we get the rematch. If the first game is any indication, be sure to clear your schedule to tune in.
The Lynx are Phee-nomenal
While the Liberty look as strong as ever, the Minnesota Lynx might have been even more impressive. They lost to New York in the WNBA Finals last year and seem focused on getting their revenge in 2025.
Minnesota defeated the Connecticut Sun 76-70 on Friday to improve to 4-0 on the season. The Lynx have an offensive rating of 109.1, which is second-best in the league. They are also +39 on the season; only the Liberty are better, with a scoring margin of +41 on the year. Napheesa Collier seems to be on a mission for the MVP Award. She is averaging a league-high 29.5 points per game and has already scored over 30 points in two games.
Kiki for ROY?
As part of our WNBA awards outlooks, we said Rookie of the Year was Paige Bueckers’ award to lose, but Kiki Iriafen was in the running. Well, a handful of games in, and Iriafen is in the lead.
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She is averaging 14.5 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. On the scoring front, she is the second-best rookie behind her teammate Sonia Citron. However, no other rookie is averaging a double double, putting Iriafen in a class by herself.
Also, when you factor in that Iriafen is part of the turnaround in Washington, it strengthens her position as the top Rookie of the Year candidate. The Mystics lost against the Las Vegas Aces 75-72 on Friday, but are currently 2-2 on the season. Compare that to last year, when they didn’t earn their second win until game 16 of the season.
Ws for GSV, SEA and ATL
The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Los Angeles Sparks on the road 82-73, thanks to Carla Leite exploding with 19 points off the bench.
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After losing their first game, the Seattle Storm have settled in, having won their last two games. They got revenge on the Phoenix Mercury on Friday, 77-70.
In the final game on Saturday, the Atlanta Dream beat the Dallas Wings 83-75. Allisha Gray was dominant for the Dream, matching her career high by scoring 27 points in the win. The Wings have talent with Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale, but they’ve failed to put it together in a victory. They are now 0-4 on the year.
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