MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Napheesa Collier had 28 points and eight rebounds to lead the Minnesota Lynx to their second victory over the Dallas Wings in five days, an 85-81 decision that spoiled the homecoming for first overall draft pick Paige Bueckers on Wednesday night.
Alanna Smith and Courtney Williams each added 13 points for the Lynx (3-0), who have picked up where they left off last season in the WNBA Finals, where they lost to the New York Liberty in a tense series that went to overtime in the decisive Game 5.
Bueckers, who grew up cheering for the Lynx and won a state championship at Target Center with Hopkins High School before her standout college career at Connecticut, had 12 points, 10 assists and three steals. In her first three WNBA games, Bueckers is shooting 13 for 35 from the floor, including her debut at home on Friday against the Lynx.
Arike Ogunbowale led the Wings (0-3) with 21 points on 8-for-20 shooting. She went 5 for 13 from beyond the arc, tying Diana Taurasi as the fastest players in league history to 500 3-pointers in 198 career games.
VALKYRIES 76, MYSTICS 74
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Veronica Burton made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:38 remaining, another with 29 seconds left on the way to 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists, leading Golden State to the expansion franchise’s first victory with a win against Washington.
Kayla Thornton converted a four-point play with 1:03 left and scored 18 points for the Valkyries, cheered on by a dancing Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski among the raucous sellout crowd. Streamers rained down after the final buzzer sounded.
Sonia Citron’s 3 for Washington with 5 seconds left made it interesting.
Brittney Sykes scored 30 points and converted two free throws with 1:58 to play to put Washington ahead but the Valkyries knocked down all the big shots in the closing minutes after losing guard Tiffany Hayes to a nose injury late in the first half.
MERCURY 89, SPARKS 86
PHOENIX (AP) — Satou Sabally scored 25 points, Alyssa Thomas added 19 and Phoenix held off Los Angeles.
Two free throws from Kelsey Plum had the Sparks, who trailed by 14 early in the fourth quarter, within one at 78-77 with 2 1/2 minutes to play in a game of long runs but Thomas scored the next six Phoenix points.
Plum kept pace, scoring the last 11 points of the game for Los Angeles. That included the 500th 3-pointer of her career and then a shot with four seconds left. On that tightly contested desperation shot from the left wing, her foot was on the line so the Mercury led 87-86.
A second later Sabally made two free throws and Plum’s half-court heave wasn’t close.
Monique Akoa Makani scored 11 points for the Mercury (2-0), who turned 17 L.A. turnovers — eight by Plum, who played all 40 minutes — into 23 points.
Plum had 25 points for the Sparks (1-2) and Azura Stevens had 23 with 17 rebounds. Dearica Hamby added 15.
