Gray’s buzzer-beater lifts Sparks past Lynx
There was no better way for the WNBA to open its 22nd season than with another intense matchup between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Minnesota Lynx.
After the Lynx received their championship rings and raised a fourth banner in the arena, Chelsea Gray and the Sparks gave them their parting shot.
Gray, the Hayward native who played at Duke, had 18 points, including two on a double-clutch, off-balance shot in the lane at the buzzer that gave the Sparks a 77-76 victory over the Lynx on Sunday in a dramatic rematch of last year’s Finals.
“Chelsea is the game-winner queen,” said Odyssey Sims, who led the Sparks with 21 points. “I don’t know how she squeezed up and flipped it in. I still don’t believe. I don’t even know how, but it was amazing.”
Lindsay Whalen had 10 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter, including two on free throws with 5.8 seconds left, to lead the Lynx back from a deficit that reached 10 points late in the third period. Gray then took the ball after a timeout at the left wing, used a spin dribble to evade Seimone Augustus and reached the paint in time for the final heave.
“I’m very proud of this team right now,” Gray said. “We kind of set the tone for the season.”
The Sparks-Lynx title pairing was made possible in 2016 when the WNBA switched to a conference-less postseason format, and the Sparks won on Minnesota’s home court that year. Last fall, the Lynx avenged that crushing loss by beating Los Angeles at Williams Arena, where Whalen played her college games, while Target Center was being renovated.
Over the previous two years, the Sparks and Lynx split their 16 matchups, with five wins apiece in the playoffs and three victories each in the regular season. This was the first time the Lynx lost a season opener since 2011, the year of their first title. They had won 23 straight regular-season games in May.
Former Stanford star Nneka Ogwumike added 19 points and nine rebounds and Essence Carson had 10 points for the Sparks, who shot only 3-for-18 from three-point range but still outscored the Lynx 25-11 in the third quarter.
Sylvia Fowles, the league’s MVP last season, had 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Mercury 87, Storm 82: Brittney Griner scored 27 points with 11 rebounds to pace four players in double figures for visiting Phoenix. Host Seattle was led by Breanna Stewart’s 22 points.
Sky 80, Liberty 76: Allie Quigley scored 15 of her 22 points in the fourth quarter to help host Chicago win its first game at the new Wintrust Arena. Quigley made two free throws and Diamond DeShields hit a threepointer to spark an 8-2 spurt that made it 68-64 with six minutes to play and Chicago led the rest of the way. New York trimmed its deficit to one point on four occasions, the last of which came when Tina Charles’ jumper made it 74-73 with three minutes to go.
Sun 101, Aces 65: Alyssa Thomas had 13 points, 16 rebounds and six assists to help host Connecticut beat Las Vegas, which was making its debut after moving from San Antonio in the offseason. Tamera Young, who scored the first two points the franchise’s Vegas history on a jumper 51 seconds in, scored 23 for the Aces. Rookie A’ja Wilson, the first overall pick in the 2018 WNBA draft, had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Las Vegas.
Wings 101, Dream 78: Skyler Diggins-Smith scored 25 points, and Liz Cambage had 21 points, nine rebounds and four blocks for host Dallas. Angel McCoughtry, who sat out last season to rest, had 13 points, one of five players to score in double figures for Atlanta. She hit a jumper early in the fourth quarter to become the 18th player in league history with 5,000 career points.
Mystics 82, Fever 75: Kristi Toliver hit four three-pointers and scored 16 points and Elena Delle Donne scored 13 with seven assists for host Washington. Natalie Achonwa had 21 points and 12 rebounds for Indiana.