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Napheesa Collier made her thoughts clear on the Minnesota Lynx's Game 3 loss to the New York Liberty on Wednesday. The Defensive Player of the Year dismissed the notion that Sabrina Ionescu’s game-winning shot, which sent the fans into a frenzy, was the decisive moment in the game.
"I thought that we guarded her well," she said on FanDuel's Run It Back on Thursday. "She made a tough shot at the end of the game. That's not what lost us the game. I feel like we didn't make plays that we needed to down the stretch, and then yeah, a good player making a good shot. That was a really deep step-back three. That's a tough shot. So yeah, we just didn't execute down the stretch and then it led to that."
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Collier and Sabrina Ionescu had a rough start to the game. The guard only made her first 3-pointer of the night in the third quarter. Her performance improved throughout the game, ending with her incredible game-winning triple with only a few seconds left on the clock.
The Liberty got the 2-1 lead in the series and recovered their home-court advantage. Ionescu finished the night with 13 points, five rebounds and six assists. She shot 3-8 from deep.
Napheesa Collier, Lynx must win Game 4 if they want to extend the series
Napheesa Collier has been one of the best players in the 2024 WNBA playoffs. Besides her defensive prowess, she's been on a tear offensively. Like Ionescu, she struggled early in Wednesday's game, scoring only four points in the first quarter.
She added five before halftime and seven in the third quarter. She scored the final six in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough to stop Ionescu and Co. from winning the pivotal game.
The Lynx are in the same position the Liberty were after Game 1, but it remains to be seen if they'll have the same response that their opponents had. Game 4 is scheduled for Friday. The season will be over if Collier and her teammates can't bounce back and force Game 5.
