2024 is a season for comebacks in the WNBA. On the team front, the Liberty is nearly done avenging their 2023 finals loss against the Aces by being 2-0 up in the semi-final. On the other side, the ever-consistent Connecticut Sun is aiming to overpower their 2023 first-round opponents, the Minnesota Lynx, again. But even in this matchup, the tides are turning.

Compared to their 2023 self, the Lynx’s defense has progressed by leaps and bounds. They have gone from being the 3rd-worst defensive team last year to the second-best this year. Though the Sun is the best defensively rated team with the most physical plays, they aren’t the favorite. Game 1 was in their favor with a close 73-70, but a trash-talk-filled Game 2 slipped away 70-77. This being the first 2024 postseason series that hasn’t been a sweep should tell you how close it’s going to be when the Lynx travels to the Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday for Game 3 at 7:30 pm ET.

Connecticut Sun v/s Minnesota Lynx: Injury Report & Starting Five

The line-ups for both teams will most likely remain unchanged. Apart from Tiffany Mitchell, who has been out for over two months with her sepsis battle, there are no illness or injury concerns for the Sun. Their starting 5 would include DeWanna Bonner, Game 2 game-changer Alyssa Thomas, Marina Mabrey, Dijonai Carrington, and Brionna Jones.

Even for the Lynx, it should be all familiar faces with Alanna Smith, Napheesa Collier, Bridget Carleton, Kayla McBride, and Courtney Williams, leading the way. If Game 2 was any indication of what was to come, with heated exchanges and scuffles making headlines, refs might be throwing techs all over the place.

To avoid such distractions from derailing their contest, the Sun’s Most Improved Player, Carrington said post-Game 2, “We all kind of have to keep each other calm and focused on the goal ahead. We know that whoever we’re playing, they’re going to try to test us, whether it’s with hard fouls, whether it’s chirping. So, we just have to stick together and make sure that [we stay] focused on the goal.”

This is the Sun’s 6th straight semi-final appearance, but none of the last 5 led to a championship. 2022 was when they got closest to their first title. Alas, the Aces played spoilsport. Moreover, the Lynx breaking their 7-game home loss streak against the Sun in Game 2 could be an ominous foreshadowing.

How the teams stand ahead of the decisive Game 3

For both teams, big players have risen to the occasion when it counted. The Lynx’s Napheesa Collier broke a WNBA record in Round 1, scoring 38 and 42 points against the Phoenix Mercury for a 2-0 sweep. However, the Sun’s defense in the semi-final prevented her from replicating that. She scored a team-high 19 points in Game 1 but fell to an underwhelming 9 points in Game 2. She justified her Defensive Player of the Year award with 12 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 1 steal, and her team fortunately stepped up with each player scoring over 4 points.

For the Sun, Marina Mabrey was consistent, scoring 15 points in Game 2, after her impressive 6 3s in Game 1. Alyssa Thomas led the scoring with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and only 3 assists short of a triple-double. DeWanna Bonner, who scored 17 points, seemed rather calm post-game even after all the drama that went down. “It’s playoffs, so it’s going to be physical,” she said, adding, “It’s going to be dicey moments. It’s win or go home. Everybody wants it, so emotions are high. It’s just two competitive teams going after it.”

The Sun might be known for their physicality, but the Lynx showed them what it feels like to be on the receiving end of it. “They were the aggressor tonight. They were aggressive on the defensive end,” Sun coach Stephanie White said, emphasizing, “They were physical. They wouldn’t let us get into our offense. They responded to every run.”

The Lynx won on merit, but they desperately could use a better supporting cast around Thomas and Collier. Moreover, they will now be playing in a packed Mohegan Sun Arena with the passionate Connecticut fans adding to the opposition. Though the series is leveled at 1-1, Game 3 could be where it ends, considering the mental edge that the winning team will get.