WNBA Finals rematch takes place in Minnesota originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
MATCHUP NOTES
The much-anticipated showdown from last season’s WNBA Finals takes place at Target Center in Minneapolis.
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The New York Liberty (17-8) faces off with the Minnesota Lynx (22-6) as both teams are coming off losses in their last game.
It’s been a struggle of late for the Liberty, who lost back-to-back games to Dallas and Los Angeles. New York lost in the final seconds to L.A. last Saturday, 101-99, followed by a 10-point defeat to the Wings on Monday.
The game at Dallas wasn’t as close as the final score indicated, as the Wings jumped out to a 63-36 halftime lead. The Liberty played without second-leading scorer Breanna Stewart, who was sidelined with a leg injury.
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The Lynx fell in a 13-point halftime hole in Sunday’s 90-86 to Atlanta, ending a four-game winning streak. It also marked the second home loss of the season for Minnesota, who also dropped the Commissioner’s Cup final to Indiana at Target Center.
HEAD-TO-HEAD MATCHUPS
Minnesota captured three of four regular season meetings last season, but the Liberty finished off its first WNBA title by holding off the Lynx in five games of the Finals.
These teams have not met since New York’s controversial overtime win in Game 5 last October. The Lynx led the Liberty, 60-58 with five seconds remaining in regulation as Stewart attempted the tying shot.
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The officials called a shooting foul on Minnesota even though after review it looked like the defender got all ball and made no contact.
Stewart knocked down both free throws to force overtime and New York pulled away in the extra session for the title.
Wednesday marks the first matchup of the season between these teams that many are expecting to hook up once again in October for the WNBA title.
FIRST QUARTER BETTING TRENDS
Since the All-Star break, the Liberty have not led after the first quarter in three of four games. Dating back to June 25, New York owns a dreadful 2-10 against the spread record in the opening 10 minutes.
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Minnesota trailed Atlanta after the first quarter on Sunday. That is meaningful here as the Lynx are 9-1 straight-up and against the spread following a game that they did not lead following the opening 10 minutes.
BETTING PREDICTION
Stewart will be out once again on Wednesday, which certainly won’t help the Liberty’s cause.
However, there is value in New York here, sitting in its biggest underdog spot of the season. Last season, the Liberty were favored in all five games of the WNBA Finals and each of the four regular season matchups.
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Minnesota hasn’t lost consecutive games this season and the revenge narrative is in the Lynx’ corner. But this an opportunity for New York to sure up its defense after two horrible performances in losses to Dallas and Los Angeles.
Best Bet: Liberty +7.5 (DraftKings)
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
