Lynx dispatch Sun in Game 5 to book ticket to WNBA Finals

The Minnesota Lynx are back. Back to the WNBA Finals that is.

The Lynx stormed out of the gates to take a big early lead. They responded in full force when they faced adversity. And that added up to an 88-77 victory over the Connecticut Sun in the win-or-go-home Game 5 of their WNBA semifinal series Tuesday night at Target Center in Minneapolis to book their ticket to the WNBA Finals.

It will be the Lynx's first appearance in the WNBA Finals since 2017. They face the top-seeded New York Liberty, and Game 1 is at 7 p.m. on Thursday in New York.

In win-or-go-home games like Tuesday, it's important to get off to a strong start, and that's exactly what the Lynx were able to do on their home court. The first quarter included a 21-5 Lynx run as Minnesota outscored the Sun 31-18 in the opening frame.

They kept that momentum going in the second quarter as they outscored the Sun 22-16 to take a 53-34 lead into the halftime break. The 53 points were the most the Sun had allowed in a half all season. Minnesota was prepared for Tuesday's occasion.

But at the same time, the Sun weren't going down without a fight. They were never going to let the Lynx sleepwalk to the Game 5 victory. The Sun opened the second half on a 7-0 run to cut their deficit to 53-41 midway through the third quarter.

The Lynx had to call a timeout. They were in desperate need of a response.

The Lynx responded with a vengeance. They went on a 9-0 run of their own that was capped with back-to-back buckets from star forward Napheesa Collier.

The Lynx lead was right back up to 62-41.

The Sun ultimately won the quarter, outscoring the Lynx 14-12 in the frame, but the Lynx won the war. They took a 17-point advantage into the final frame, and that wasn't a lead a Cheryl Reeve-led team was going to give up with 10 minutes left to play.

DeWanna Bonner made back-to-back 3s to get the Sun within 13 with 3 minutes, 39 seconds remaining. After a Lynx timeout, Kayla McBride immediately answered with a layup. Veronica Burton hit a 3 the next Sun possession to make it 80-68 with 3:09 remaining, but again McBride answered right back with a 3-pointer of her own.

Tyasha Harris' 3 got the Sun within 11 with a minute remaining, but by then it was far too little, far too late. The Lynx were already packing their bags for New York.

Collier, as she so often does, led the Lynx with a game-high 27 points and 11 rebounds, but she got plenty of help from her teammates. Courtney Williams got off to a hot start and finished with 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting and seven assists.

McBride scored 19, including the two big shots in the fourth quarter.

DiJonai Carrington led the Sun with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Brionna Jones scored 16 and had 10 boards; Bonner finished with 14 points; and Harris contributed 12.

The Lynx collectively shot 49% from the field and 39% from 3-point range. Meanwhile, they held the Sun to 39% shooting from the field and 35% from long range. The Lynx also forced 18 Sun turnovers while holding Connecticut to just 11 assists. The Lynx's offense and defense were firing on all cylinders together at the right time.

And now the Lynx are headed back to the WNBA Finals, where they've won four titles before. Their four titles are tied for the most by any franchise, and now they'll have the chance to add their fifth, though it certainly won't be easy against the mighty Liberty.