The Minnesota Lynx take on the New York Liberty. Our WNBA Finals odds series has our Lynx Liberty prediction, odds, and pick. Find out how to watch Lynx Liberty.
Are you not entertained? Game 1 of the 2024 WNBA Finals was an unforgettable piece of basketball theater. What makes Minnesota's 95-93 overtime victory over New York especially remarkable — beyond the Lynx's comeback from an 18-point deficit — is that for the first 36 minutes, this game felt like the routine Liberty win many people (ourselves included) thought it would be. Minnesota had to play a deciding Game 5 against the tough and resilient Connecticut Sun, getting pushed to the limit in the semifinal round, all while the Liberty rested at home after putting away defending champion Las Vegas in four games. New York played on Sunday and flew home for three days off. Minnesota played Tuesday night and came to New York on Thursday on short rest. It should have been precisely the kind of situation in which the Lynx should have lost steam as the game continued. Instead, they gained it, and it was enough to catch and then pass the Liberty in an OT shocker which has instantly changed the tenor of this championship series.
New York outscored Minnesota by 13 in the first quarter and led by as many as 18. Moreover, the Liberty did not let down their guard for the vast majority of this game. It's not as though the Lynx immediately wiped away most of that 18-point lead. With five minutes left in regulation, New York led 81-66. With 3:20 left, it was still 83-72 for New York.
In the final 3:20, the meltdown unfolded. The Liberty stopped scoring and the Lynx hit a few 3-pointers, the last being a Courtney Williams tying three with five seconds left while being fouled. Williams made the and-one free throw to make the score 84-83 Minnesota. New York's Breanna Stewart got fouled with 0.8 seconds left and had two free throws. She made the first. If she made the second, the Liberty likely would have survived, but Stewart missed. The game went into overtime.
More dramatic sequences unfolded. With Minnesota up 93-91 in the final minute, New York's Jonquel Jones collected a steal and raced to the other end for a tying layup. However, Minnesota star Napheesa Collier then hit a tough mid-range jumper over Jones with 8.8 seconds left. Stewart had a chance to tie, but her driving layup attempt missed just before the buzzer.
The 18-point comeback tied for the largest comeback in any WNBA Finals game. New York, as a result of the loss, has still never led a WNBA Finals series at any point in franchise history. The Liberty are a charter member of the league, dating back to the W's inaugural season in 1997. How the Liberty respond to this Game 1 crusher is the central storyline for Sunday's Game 2.
Here are the Lynx-Liberty WNBA Finals odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
WNBA Finals Odds: Lynx-Liberty Odds
Minnesota Lynx: +7.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +260
New York Liberty: -7.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -340
Over: 162.5 (-108)
Under: 162.5 (-112)
How To Watch Lynx vs Liberty
Time: 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT
TV: ABC, ESPN Plus
*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (Free trial)*
Why The Lynx Can Cover The Spread/Win
Napheesa Collier made the big plays when the Lynx needed them. She made her statement and will remain difficult for New York to handle. After Game 1, the Lynx will be fearless even if they fall behind by 10 or 15 points. They will fight back. The spread is 7.5 points for Game 2, whereas it was 6.5 for Game 1. Minnesota has even more margin for error, not less.
Why The Liberty Can Cover The Spread/Win
The Liberty know their season is on the line right here. They can't fall behind 2-0 going to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4. Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart were a combined 14 of 47 from the field in Game 1, and New York lost by two points. What does that tell you? As long as the Liberty's two best players shoot reasonably well, New York should bounce back here.
Final Lynx-Liberty Prediction & Pick
If you took the Liberty in Game 1, as we did, you know you were on the right side of the bet until the final three minutes. You should trust New York one more time. We will.
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Final Lynx-Liberty Prediction & Pick: Liberty -7.5