Wednesday's WNBA action brought the heat, as the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx took down the No. 2 New York Liberty 100-93 in the first 2024 WNBA Finals rematch of the 2025 season.
"Fans were excited to see this matchup, and I thought they were treated to a heck of a basketball game," Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said after the home win.
Minnesota forward Napheesa Collier and guard Kayla McBride played hero, putting up 30 and 24 points, respectively, to help lift the Lynx over injury-plagued New York — despite Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu's game-leading 31-point performance.
"It could have been anybody walking in here — we just weren't going to lose two home games in a row," echoed McBride, referencing Minnesota's upset loss to the No. 5 Atlanta Dream on Sunday.
The result leaves the Liberty skidding on a three-game losing streak while ballooning the Lynx's lead in the WNBA standings to five games.
The reigning champs did manage to hang onto the No. 2 spot, however, as the No. 3 Phoenix Mercury also fell on Wednesday, dropping 107-101 to No. 6 Indiana.
With the win, the Fever are now on a three-game winning streak, despite injured star Caitlin Clark looking on from the sideline.
The No. 5 Dream are also back in the win column with an 88-85 Wednesday victory over the No. 11 Dallas Wings, drawing level with the No. 4 Seattle Storm at 16-11 on the season.
How to watch the New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx this week
New York will aim to reset during their visit to the last-place Connecticut Sun at 7:30 PM ET on Friday, live on ION.
Elsewhere, Minnesota is gearing up to tip off against the No. 7 Las Vegas Aces at 3 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage on ABC.