NEW YORK – Napheesa Collier’s turnaround jumper with 8.8 seconds left lifted the Minnesota Lynx to a 95-93 victory over the New York Liberty in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Thursday night.

With the game tied in OT, Collier faked in the lane and scored. New York had a chance to tie the game, but Breanna Stewart’s layup at the buzzer was off.

Courtney Williams had 23 points, Kayla McBride 22 and Collier 21 for Minnesota.

Game 2 of the best-of-five series is Sunday in New York. Before the game, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced that the league will expand the Finals to best-of-seven starting next year.

OT got off to a slow start before Minnesota built an 88-84 lead as New York missed its first six shots. Jonquel Jones finally got the Liberty on the board with a corner 3-pointer with 1:38 left. Williams answered with her own 3-pointer and the teams traded baskets the next minute. Sabrina Ionescu’s backcourt steal and layup pulled New York within 93-91 with 32.9 left.

Jones then stole the ball at center half and scored four seconds later to equalize. Minnesota ran the clock back before Collier’s basket broke the tie.

The Liberty blew an 11-point lead in the final 3:23 of regulation as Minnesota scored 12 straight points, capped by Williams’ four-point play with 5.5 seconds left.

The Liberty made optimal use of the last seconds. After Stewart’s first shot was blocked with a second left and went out of bounds, Ionescu shot the ball to her under the basket and she was fouled. The officials reviewed the play to see if the foul occurred before the buzzer sounded and ruled that it did, giving Stewart two free throws with 0.8 seconds left.

She hit the first of two free throws, while the second rolled off the rim. Williams’ shot on the other end fell through and the game went to OT.

Jones led New York with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Ionescu finished with 19 and Stewart with 18.

New York came straight to Minnesota, which played just two days after beating Connecticut in the semifinals. The Liberty built an 18-point lead in the first half before the Lynx rallied.

Both teams want to make history in this series. The Liberty are looking for the franchise’s first championship, while the Lynx are competing for a fifth-place finish in the league. They were the best teams during the regular season and finished in first place in the standings.

New York is back in the finals for the second year in a row and hopes to erase the scar of the loss to the Las Vegas Aces in 2023. Minnesota makes its first appearance in the championship round since 2017, when the team won its fourth title in a seven-year span.

The Liberty had lost two of three regular-season meetings to Minnesota and the Commissioner’s Cup championship, but both teams have said those games didn’t really matter heading into the championship.

The Lynx were able to contain Jones in all three wins, with Liberty’s Star Center scoring in single digits each time. On Thursday, she reached double figures at the end of the first quarter.

The star-studded New York crowd of 17,732 was loud and lively, as it has been all season. Spike Lee, Jason Sudeikis, Meek Mill and New York Mets third baseman Mark Vientos were all in attendance. Lee wore an Ionescu jersey.