MINNEAPOLIS (Interstat) – Natasha Howard scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Minnesota Lynx to a 90-85 victory over the New York Liberty on Saturday at Target Center. The Lynx improved to 17-6, while the Liberty fell to 13-10. Minnesota led 42-32 at halftime behind a balanced attack, but New York surged in the third quarter, outscoring the Lynx 30-19 to take a 62-61 lead. Sabrina Ionescu paced the Liberty with 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Kayla McBride also scored 25 points for Minnesota, and Olivia Miles added 23 points. The game featured 14 lead changes. The Lynx shot 14 of 28 from three-point range and made 18 of 23 free throws. The Liberty shot 13 of 38 from beyond the arc and eight of nine from the line. Minnesota held a 40-35 rebounding advantage and committed 12 turnovers to New York’s 14. A crowd of 12,405 watched the contest. The Liberty next play at Toronto on Sunday.

MINNEAPOLIS (Interstat) — Kayla McBride scored 17 of her 25 points in the second half, including four fourth-quarter 3-pointers, and Natasha Howard added 16 points and nine rebounds as the Minnesota Lynx defeated the New York Liberty 90-85 on Saturday afternoon at Target Center. The Lynx improved to 17-6, while the Liberty fell to 13-10 in front of an announced crowd of 12,405. Minnesota led 42-32 at halftime after a back-and-forth first half that saw both teams exchange runs. The Liberty scored 13 points in the first quarter on 5-of-18 shooting and trailed 17-13 after the opening period. New York’s offense found some rhythm in the second quarter with 19 points, but Minnesota answered with 25, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Olivia Miles that put the Lynx up 10. The Liberty came out firing in the third quarter, outscoring Minnesota 30-19 to take a 62-61 lead entering the fourth. Sabrina Ionescu scored 10 points in the period, including a 27-foot 3-pointer with 1:22 left to put New York ahead 57-58, then added a driving layup and a free throw to push the lead to 62-58 with 27.6 seconds remaining. But McBride answered with a 24-foot 3-pointer with 20.1 seconds left to cut the lead to 62-61, a fitting prelude to the fourth quarter. The most critical stretch of the game came in the final six minutes of the fourth quarter. After Jonquel Jones opened the period with a 3-pointer to give New York a 65-61 lead, the Lynx responded with a 12-2 run that turned a four-point deficit into a six-point advantage. Miles hit a two-point shot to make it 65-63, then after a New York turnover, McBride drew a foul and made a technical free throw following a Han Xu technical foul. Miles made two free throws to give Minnesota a 66-65 lead with 8:18 left. Marine Johannes answered with a 26-foot 3-pointer to put New York back up 68-66, but McBride hit a 23-foot 3-pointer to tie it at 69 with 7:36 left. The Liberty regained a 72-69 lead on a layup by Raquel Carrera and a free throw, but Courtney Williams drilled a 24-foot 3-pointer to tie it at 72 with 6:42 remaining. Howard then made two free throws to put Minnesota ahead 74-72, and McBride followed with back-to-back 3-pointers, the first from 23 feet and the second from 24 feet, to give the Lynx a 78-72 lead with 5:36 left. New York cut the lead to 78-77 on a 3-pointer by Han Xu with 4:26 remaining, but McBride answered again with a 24-foot 3-pointer for an 81-77 lead. The Liberty kept fighting. Breanna Stewart made a turnaround jumper to cut it to 81-79 with 3:39 left, and Jones made one of two free throws to make it 81-80 with 3:05 remaining. McBride then delivered the dagger, a 24-foot 3-pointer with 2:43 left to push the lead to 84-80. Johannes answered with a 26-foot 3-pointer to cut it to 84-83 with 2:27 left, but Howard made a layup for an 86-83 lead with 2:06 remaining. New York had several chances to tie, but Jones missed a 3-pointer, Stewart missed a jumper, and Han Xu committed a turnover with 1:21 left. Miles made two free throws with 52.9 seconds left for an 88-83 lead. Jones scored on a putback with 36.8 seconds left to make it 88-85, but the Liberty could not get a stop. Miles made two more free throws with 8.4 seconds left for the final margin. Ionescu had a team-high 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Jones finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and a block. Stewart had 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a block. Johannes added 14 points off the bench, including four 3-pointers. New York shot 32 of 75 from the field, 13 of 38 from 3-point range and 8 of 9 from the free throw line. McBride shot 8 of 16 from the floor and 6 of 8 from 3-point range. Miles had 23 points, five rebounds and four assists. Williams contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds. Howard, who was Minnesota’s top star, shot 5 of 10 from the field and made 6 of 8 free throws while grabbing nine rebounds and dishing two assists. Howard had a double-double in her previous game against Connecticut on July 8 with 12 points, 10 rebounds and two assists, and scored 18 points with six rebounds on July 6 against the same opponent. She had seven points and six rebounds on July 3 against New York, and 21 points and 14 rebounds on June 28 against Dallas. The Lynx shot 29 of 69 from the floor, 14 of 28 from 3-point range and 18 of 23 from the free throw line. They outrebounded New York 38-35 and committed 12 turnovers to New York’s 14. Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Minnesota 96, New York 78, and Interstat’s ELO system gave Minnesota an 80.1 percent probability to win. The Lynx were installed as a 3.5-point favorite. The total score of 175 went under the over-under line of 172.5.

WNBA: New York Liberty at Minnesota Lynx Preview MINNEAPOLIS (Interstat) — The Minnesota Lynx (16-6) host the New York Liberty (13-9) on Saturday, July 11, 2026, at Target Center in a matchup of two of the WNBA’s top teams. Minnesota enters the game on a high after an 86-80 win over Connecticut on Wednesday, July 8. The Lynx have won three of their last four games and hold a strong 16-6 record. New York, however, is coming off a 77-88 home loss to Dallas on Tuesday, July 7, and has dropped three of its last five contests. The last time these teams met, the Liberty defeated the Lynx 99-86 on July 3 in New York, snapping a two-game losing streak to Minnesota. Players to Watch New York forward Breanna Stewart has been a consistent force. In the July 3 win over Minnesota, Stewart recorded 36 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. Over her last five games, she has averaged 21.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists, though the Liberty have gone 2-3 in that span. In New York’s loss to Dallas on July 7, Stewart played 33 minutes and finished with 29 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. She is a leading candidate for league MVP honors. For Minnesota, guard Kayla McBride has been a key contributor. In the July 8 win over Connecticut, McBride logged 38 minutes and posted 23 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. She previously scored 28 points in a one-point loss to Connecticut on July 6. McBride is averaging 18.8 points over her last five games and provides reliable perimeter scoring for the Lynx. Recent Results New York’s recent performances have been inconsistent. After beating Minnesota on July 3, the Liberty lost to Golden State (67-76) on June 28, lost to Seattle (88-99) on June 25, and defeated Las Vegas (87-76) on June 23. The Libety have allowed opponents to score 88 points or more in three of their last five games. Minnesota’s win over Connecticut on July 8 was their second win in three meetings with the Sun this season. Prior to that, the Lynx lost a narrow 89-90 decision to Connecticut on July 6. The Lynx have won seven of their last 10 games overall. Interior defenders Natasha Howard and Dorka Juhasz have provided strong support on both ends. Simulation Projection Interstat’s game simulator projects a final score of Minnesota 96, New York 78. The Lynx’s depth and home-court advantage are expected to be decisive factors. Next Up Following Saturday’s game, New York travels to face Toronto on Sunday, July 12. Minnesota returns to Target Center on Monday, July 13 to host Phoenix. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast nationally.