The Minnesota Lynx made a historic comeback against the New York Liberty in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. Trailing the Liberty by 15 points (81-66) with five minutes left in regulation, the Lynx went on an incredible 18-3 run to tie the game at 81 to force overtime. Then, Minnesota's forward Naphessa Collier and Courtney Williams led the Lynx to an overtime win. The epic 15-point comeback is a feat that was never accomplished despite the 183 times in league history that the scenario has presented itself, according to ESPN's Stats & Info.
“The Lynx trailed by 15 points with fewer than five minutes remaining They are the first team in WNBA postseason history to win a game after trailing by 15+ points in the final five minutes of regulation,” ESPN confirmed. “Entering tonight, teams were 0-183 in that scenario.”
After Williams' layup gave the Lynx a four-point lead with 48.5 seconds left in overtime, the Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu responded with a six-foot jumper before Jonquel Jones stripped the ball from Bridget Carleton and made a layup to tie the game at 93. Then, Collier's go-ahead jumper sealed the Lynx's historic Finals comeback, holding off the Liberty in the final 8.4 seconds of Game 1 in arguably the most improbable win in basketball history.
Is the Lynx's 15-point comeback the most improbable win in WNBA history?





Courtney Williams' 23 points led the Lynx in Game 1‘s historic stunning Finals victory. According to ESPN Analytics, when the New York Liberty grabbed a 15-point lead, they had beyond a 99% chance of beating the Minnesota Lynx and winning the Final opener, per ESPN's Alexa Philippou.
“According to ESPN Analytics, the Liberty had a 99.2% win probability after taking an 81-66 lead with 5:20 remaining in the 4th quarter,” Philippou highlighted after the win.
According to ESPN Analytics, the Liberty had a 99.2% win probability after taking an 81-66 lead with 5:20 remaining in the 4th quarter. https://t.co/841GMRVlSl pic.twitter.com/daXlvcvdxB
— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) October 11, 2024
Game 2 of the WNBA Finals between the Lynx and the Liberty is on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.