MINNEAPOLIS — Alyssa Thomas bent over and let out a scream And marched to the sidelines. With Napheesa Collier’s three-point heave falling short, Thomas was finally able to relax and with that, her emotion finally poured out. In a game that seemed destined to be decided by inches, it was Thomas who gave the Sun the cushion it needed, scoring Connecticut’s final two points and then playing lockdown defense against Bridget Carleton – Minnesota’s best hope for a draw of 3.

Thomas may have been one assist short of a triple-double (17 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists), but The Engine powered the Sun to a 73-70 win over the Lynx in Game 1.

The match was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team really establishing control for more than a few minutes at a time and neither team ever being able to grab a double-digit lead. The game more than lived up to its expectations as an excellent defensive matchup: a battle between the WNBA’s top two defensive teams and four members of the first and second all-defensive teams, including the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, Napheesa Collier. .

Connecticut held Collier, who had set a WNBA record by scoring 80 points through the first two playoff games, to 19 points. The Sun switched on Collier often, and despite Minnesota’s efforts to isolate her in the post by screening plays with mismatches, the Sun forced Collier to take as many shots outside the paint as in the paint.

The engine doesn’t stop WORKING 🔥

Alyssa Thomas flipped the playoff switch and never looked back! Tonight, she nearly recorded another triple-double with 17 PTS, 9 REB and 10 AST, leading the Sun to a Game 1 victory#WelcometotheW | #WNBAPlayoffs presented by @Google pic.twitter.com/1JRK8BLQub

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 30, 2024

Thomas: “It was a team effort. “When she came on this series, she was hot. Really hot.”

Minnesota’s strength lay in the Lynx’s defensive discipline. They forced nine turnovers, tallied seven blocks and eight steals and forced four shot clock violations while fouling Connecticut just 10 times. The Sun landed just three times at the free-throw line, giving Minnesota — which lost the battle from beyond the three-point line — a fighting chance to keep it tight by not giving up any points when the clock wasn’t running.

But despite that strong defense, the Lynx struggled to contain Marina Mabrey, who scored a game-high 20 points and hit six 3-pointers, including one that broke a four-minute scoreless stretch for the Sun in the second quarter. “I’m just trying to feel that part of us is going into a drought,” Mabrey said. “I choose my places and am there when they need me.”

On the other hand, the Lynx – who averaged 10 three-pointers per game this season – couldn’t find long-range counters. Minnesota hit just five 3-pointers, while Kayla McBride and Alanna Smith, two of the Lynx’s top long-range threats, combined to shoot just 1 of 9 from distance. In addition, reserve guard Cecilia Zandalasini was ruled out shortly before the game. Reeve said the decision was precautionary, but the 44 percent three-point shooter was also missed by the Lynx.

Throughout the second and third quarters, Minnesota went on runs where it looked like the Lynx might secure the win at home, and entered the fourth quarter with a five-point lead, which generally feels like a key win in this game. to kiss. But in the last quarter the sun set the clamps and the Lynx went cold. Collier went 3 of 5 from the floor (before her Hail Mary) while the rest of her team shot a combined 1-of-12 in the final 10 minutes.

“We had to be disruptive,” Connecticut coach Stephanie White said. “We had to try to force them into awkward shots and understand that they were going to make awkward shots, and when they did, we didn’t let that get us down.”

After Sunday’s win, the Sun will look to extend their lead in Game 2 on Tuesday night, but they know this matchup – one in which three games during the regular season were decided by a total of eight points – is one that will last forever . be a struggle. Stealing one on the road is impressive, but adding two wins, with the series returning to Connecticut for Game 3, would be monumental.

“It’s a tough series. It remains a tough series,” said Thomas. “It always comes down to the wire with them.”

(Photo: David Berding/Getty Images)