Sun 90, Lynx 89: Sun (finally) find a way to win a close one

One of my favorite moments as a Sun fan was almost exactly two years ago when vacation took me to Minnesota at the same time as the then contending Sun. We splurged and got courtside seats, and Connecticut provided a memorable night and a 78-73 win.

Their record at the time was 16-4, but of course everyone from that roster (except Olivia Nelson-Ododa, who played seven minutes) is long gone. Minnesota would get their revenge in the postseason in a tough five-game series before losing to New York controversially in the WNBA Finals.

Two years is not a long time in the grand scheme of things, but it also feels like forever now as we face the demise of the Sun.

You may remember that Connecticut almost improbably won in Minnesota last season, in just the third game of the campaign, the Sun led by 15 with five minutes left, but as would become a theme (is still a theme?), the Lynx stormed back and beat them 76-70. 

That game, however, seemed like a fluke, Minnesota could not put the ball in the ocean for most of it, while Marina Mabrey had a somewhat rare good shooting night before Napheesa Collier just took over down the stretch.

While I mentioned 2024 earlier, it was stunning even to me to realize that the only two players that were on the court in that loss to Minnesota last season that played Monday night? You guessed it, Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Saniya Rivers.

The rest? Mabrey (now in Toronto), Lindsay Allen (waived by Dallas), Tina Charles (retired), Haley Peters (playing in Australia), Robyn Parks (last playing in Greece), Bria Hartley (retired), and Jacy Sheldon (now in Chicago).

With no disrespect to any of the players in the above paragraph (Mabrey is having an excellent season), it shouldn’t take long to figure out that the Sun is in a much better spot than they were a year ago despite being just 5-16. And if you don’t believe your gut, take a look at the advanced stats where Connecticut has zipped past Portland and is coming up on Los Angeles and Seattle in net rating (interestingly not Chicago, who is ahead of Washington as well).

The only thing holding them back offensively is shooting (including free throw shooting), and they haven’t lost a game by more than 10 points since June 2. Did I jinx them with another game against (a possibly healthier) Minnesota game on the horizon? Possibly. 

What else did we learn from a satisfying 90-89 win over Minnesota that frustrated the hell out of Cheryl Reeve?:

 

1. Veteran leadership  - One of the decisions that Houston (sorry) will have to make is about Brittany Griner, who will turn 36 at the end of this season. It’s clear that the Sun are a much different team with her on the court and she was the difference Monday, turning back the clock with 29 points and 10 rebounds, and just dominating the paint. She’s now played a bunch of games in a row, so is that sustainable? We shall see, but it’s great right now. 

2. Another hat tip to Leger-Walker - It would have seemed crazy to play Leila Lacan off the ball in favor of Charlisse Leger-Walker a month ago, but here we are, and it’s pretty good. Again, Leger-Walker has some deficiencies as a starting WNBA point guard, but she also has intelligence and guts as you saw with a huge pass to Griner under pressure that gave the Sun a five-point lead that basically sealed the game as well as a massive three-pointer at the end of the third quarter. As the Sun/Comets improve, what to do long-term is an open question, but it definitely seems like she’s someone you want around..

3. The big shot -  It looked for all the world like this was another game getting away from the Sun after a tough call on Lacan saw the game tied in the final minute. Lacan found a wide open Kennedy Burke at the top of the key, who     drilled it? Even Lacan looked a bit surprised, but if the Sun go on a run here, we may look back on that shot that gave them belief, both for Burke (who had 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting) and the team that they can win close games. 

Player of the game:  Brittany Griner - Again, it remains to be seen what level she can play at for the rest of the season, but it’s great to see her play at this level while she can. Have to say 34 minutes is a lot, though

Inside the numbers : 4 -  Number of steals from Leila Lacan, giving her 14 in her last four games, moving her up to second in the WNBA (2.2) behind Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard.

Under the radar: Diamond Miller gets an A for effort, but almost committed an all-time blunder at the end of the game. With the Sun up four, Miller chased Courtney Williams down and stuck a hand in the vicinity. Williams made the three to cut the lead to 90-89, but why Miller didn’t stay 10 feet away from her when that was the only chance Minnesota had was a little baffling. .

Interestingly, Miller has started all 21 games this season and the only other player to appear in all 21 contests is Charlisse Leger-Walker. On a dreadful free throw shooting team, Miller is shooting 77.6% for what it’s worth.

Quotable:  “We stayed calm during the tough fourth quarter. We know that it’s hard to win all the quarters. Emotionally, I thought we were more prepared for the late game things. Char and Leila really controlled the tempo at the end of the game. They made the right play and showed patience. I hope tonight was a good learning opportunity for us. I hope we can build some confidence off this win." - Rachid Meziane

Next up: Wednesday vs. Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.