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WNBA playoffs takeaways: Lynx dominate Valkyries, Cloud thrives in OT Liberty win

Natasha Cloud felt hurt when the Phoenix Mercury traded her to the New York Liberty this past offseason. She spent the 2024 campaign in Phoenix, starting 38 games and feeling so connected to the organization that she spent time last winter at Unrivaled trying to recruit Satou Sabally to the Mercury.

If Cloud still felt any pain six months after the offseason deal, she channelled it well on Sunday in Game 1 of New York’s first-round WNBA playoff series against Phoenix.

Cloud finished the fifth-seeded Liberty’s 76-69 overtime win over the Mercury with 23 points, tying her season-high. Cloud’s nine field goals were the most she’s hit since joining New York. She added six rebounds, five assists and a game-high four steals while trying — largely successfully — to keep Phoenix star Kahleah Copper in front of her on defense.

Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said that Cloud was “massive” on both ends of the floor.

“She made some really timely shots and she controlled the game for us,” Brondello said.

Whether Cloud can replicate her performance will be all the more important on Wednesday in Game 2. Breanna Stewart suffered a left leg injury with 3:01 to play in overtime while making a contested layup.

Brondello did not have an update on Stewart postgame, only saying that the Liberty’s star forward, who finished with 18 points and six rebounds, will undergo an evaluation “soon.” Stewart missed a month of the season with a right knee bone bruise in late July. She returned on Aug. 26, playing in New York’s final seven regular-season games.

Stewart played 54 more seconds after the injury before asking to be subbed out, Brondello said, as New York led by seven points. “We’ll just be hoping that she’ll be OK,” she said.

On the possession after Stewart went to the bench, Cloud split a pair of free throws. Cloud’s final assist of the night, on New York’s ensuing trip down the floor, was to Leonie Fiebich for a game-sealing 3-pointer.

Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts wasn’t exactly surprised by Cloud’s outing. “She’s kinda done this traditionally throughout her career. She steps up in the playoffs,” he said.

That’s an understatement.

Cloud has averaged 12.7, 11.5 and 10.1 points per game in her last three regular seasons with Washington, Phoenix and New York, respectively. Albeit in small samples, she averaged 18.5 points per game in both the 2023 and 2024 playoffs, improving her field goal percentage as well. She’s off to another good start.

The Mercury dared Cloud to beat them from the perimeter, going under ball-screens. Cloud has seen defenders give her space all season. Nine times this season she has attempted multiple 3s but hit none. Yet, Cloud remained confident in the playoff opener with her new team. Now she has made multiple 3-pointers in each of her last four postseason games, the longest streak of her playoff career.

With Stewart’s status uncertain, even more could be on Cloud’s shoulders when the series flips back to Brooklyn.

“Tip her hat,” Tibbetts said. “She had a hell of a game.”

Lynx dominate … for three quarters

It took the Minnesota Lynx just over a quarter to adjust to what was at stake in Sunday’s WNBA playoff game against the Golden State Valkyries.

After clinching homecourt advantage at the end of August, the Lynx spent the last few weeks of the regular season fine-tuning for a playoff run, sometimes resting Napheesa Collier and Alanna Smith in the waning games. With only eight losses at that point, they went 3-2 in the lead-up to Game 1.

The Lynx surely hope the first 10 minutes of their best-of-three series with the Valkyries are their worst of the series. Golden State jumped out to a seven-point lead after one quarter at Target Center, scoring 28 points and making 5 of 8 3-pointers. Then, as great teams tend to do, the Lynx shook off the rust. Their defense stiffened. Its offense came alive.

“They still go through being disappointed in themselves, but it doesn’t last long,” coach Cheryl Reeve said. “I think that wisdom that the crew has gained along the way applies there.”

Minnesota won 101-72, leading by as many as 36 points in the second half. Sans the first quarter, the Lynx’s performance reminded spectators why they have been the league’s best team all season.

The Lynx demonstrated why the Valkyries, who are playing in their first playoffs as an expansion team, have a tough road ahead against the championship contenders. Collier, an MVP candidate, scored the first basket in each half en route to a game-high 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting. She was one of five Lynx players to score in double digits, including 17 points from Kayla McBride and 18 points from Natisha Hiedeman off the bench.

“She changed the game today,” Reeve said of Hiedeman. “She’s just playing her best basketball of the season. She’s confident. Her decision-making in their pick-and-roll coverages, she’s doing a nice job freezing the post-player about where to go. She seeks the paint well. Her play, particularly in the first half, was vital to us getting through that little bit of a slower first quarter.”

There wasn’t much to dislike from the Lynx’s performance, once you throw out the first 10 minutes. They outrebounded the Valkyries 24-17 in the final three quarters and allowed only three more 3-pointers. Golden State shot below 25 percent in the final three quarters. The Lynx’s bench outscored the Valkyries’ reserves 42-17.

Game 2 will be on the road Wednesday in San Jose, Calif., notably not in San Francisco, where the Valkyries normally play, due to an arena scheduling conflict. The Lynx have little reason for concern despite needing to travel halfway across the country.

“We were really locked in on some of the schemes we were trying to get done,” Reeve said.

Dream neutralize Aliyah Boston to take Game 1

Against a shorthanded Indiana Fever team, Atlanta was able to focus its defensive efforts on All-Stars Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell. Although Mitchell found her individual offense to the tune of 27 points and four assists, the Dream stifled Boston, and in doing so, captured their first playoff win since 2018.

Boston is at the hub of everything Indiana does. With all of the Fever’s backcourt injuries, Boston brings the ball up and operates the offense out of the top of the key; she is constantly setting screens — several on the same possession — to spring open her teammates and force the defense to make quick decisions. She is the fulcrum of the defense, providing help on drives and protecting the paint. Brionna Jones was tasked with occupying Boston in the post to prevent her from giving help and also make her life difficult offensively.

The battle between Boston and Jones was physical throughout, with the two centers jostling for position from baseline to baseline. Jones’ strength helped push Boston away from the basket and limit her easy finishes, as the Indiana big shot 3 of 9 from the field. Jones also muscled her way through Boston on the other end, drawing five fouls on arguably the Fever’s most important player.

When Boston subbed out with her fifth foul, Indiana trailed by eight with about nine minutes to play in the game. By the time she checked back in about two minutes later, the Fever trailed by 14 and never got within single digits again. Playing Brianna Turner instead of Boston makes Indiana stagnant, as Turner couldn’t handle the ball and wasn’t a threat to score. Atlanta left her open in the midrange and easily navigated through her screens and hand-off attempts. The Fever were outscored by nine points in Turner’s 12 minutes compared to six points in the 34 minutes that Boston played.

Jones wasn’t exactly prolific in her matchup against Boston, but she did record 12 points and three steals, using her quickness to poke away the ball on entry passes. After struggling mightily in the first-round matchup against Indiana in 2024 (when she played for the Connecticut Sun), Jones redeemed herself in a different setting.

The Dream could have survived an off night from Jones, but the Fever can’t win if Boston doesn’t perform like a star. Atlanta’s defense won the game by making her look ordinary.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Minnesota Lynx, Golden State Valkyries, WNBA

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