MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Napheesa Collier had 17 points and 12 rebounds for her 13th double-double of the season, Courtney Williams added 14 points and five assists, and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Washington Mystics 79-68 on Thursday night.
Williams broke a tie at 63-all on a 3-pointer with 4:24 remaining and Collier followed with a personal 4-0 run to make it 70-63 with 2:50 left. Kayla McBride added a 3-pointer to give the Lynx an eight-point lead with 1:36 to play.
McBride made a steal and passed it ahead to Alanna Smith, who converted a layup while being fouled with 38.5 seconds left. Smith made the free throw to extend the Lynx’s lead to 76-68. Washington’s Shakira Austin missed two free throws at the other end and Minnesota secured the rebound to seal it.
MERCURY 85, SKY 65
CHICAGO (AP) — Kahleah Copper scored 29 points in her return to Chicago, Brittney Griner had 23 points, nine rebounds, six assists and five blocks and Phoenix beat the short-handed Sky 85-65.
Copper was 12 of 19 from the field in her first game against Chicago since being traded in February. Copper, the 2021 Finals MVP, averaged 12 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists during her seven seasons with the Sky, including a career-best 18.7 points last year.
Copper scored 13 points in the first quarter on 5 of 8 shooting to help Phoenix build a 30-12 lead. Copper finished the half with 18 points and Griner added 12 as the Mercury extended their lead to 50-28 at the break. Chicago was 11 of 41 shooting (27%) in the first half, while Phoenix made 7 of 14 3-point attempts.
LIBERTY 103, SPARKS 68
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Breanna Stewart scored 27 points in just 20 minutes, Sabrina Ionescu had 18 points and six assists, and New York cruised past Los Angeles.
New York scored the opening 10 points of the game and then held Los Angeles to just 10 first-quarter points to build a 19-point lead. Stewart and Ionescu combined to score 26 points in the first half, while the Sparks had just 28 and New York built a 29-point halftime lead.
Stewart made a 3-pointer on three straight possessions and Kayla Thornton followed with a 3-pointer to make it 80-40 with 2:18 left in the third quarter.
The Liberty won by at least 35 points for the third time this season, setting a WNBA record. New York also led by 20-plus points at halftime for the third time, while the rest of the WNBA has only accomplished the feat three times this season.
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