The gloves are off: Intensity in Lynx-Sun playoff series goes up a notch with every game

The WNBA semifinals’ Game 2 turned chippy and chirpy Tuesday at Target Center, where the Lynx evened their best-of-five series with a rugged 77-70 victory over Connecticut.

It shouldn’t have surprised anybody, least of all the Sun’s DeWanna Bonner because, well, these are the playoffs.

“We knew they were going to be physical from the jump,” said Bonner, whose team took Game 1 with a 73-70 victory. “This is what they do. We knew the game was going to be like this. This is not a surprise. This is how they’ve been playing all year. It’s on us.”

The Sun had won seven consecutive games at Target Center before the Lynx stopped the streak with a desperate defense that often forced Connecticut deep into the shot clock. The Lynx built a 15-point lead and won by seven even though the Sun’s own defense held Lynx All-Star Napheesa Collier to a 3-for-14 shooting night.

Guard Courtney Williams helped overcome Collier’s rough night with an 11-point third quarter that included nine scored consecutively late in the quarter. She finished with 17 in a bounce-back performance from Game 1 while her dad watched courtside.

“It’s playoff basketball, we’ve got to match their energy,” Williams said. “The first game, they were chirping and chatting so we had to give it back to them.”

Williams went face to face in jawing with former Chicago Sky teammate Marina Mabrey for more than a moment during a dead ball in the midst of her third-quarter scoring binge.

“Oh, we were chatting,” Williams said slyly. “I was telling her she couldn’t guard me. She told me I didn’t have that many good games. A little back-and-forth action. It’s the playoffs, man. We’re going to talk a little bit. We’ll be cool after we’re done playing.”

Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve sought a better flow to the game and during an in-game ESPN interview called the officiating “not managed very well,” chaotic, and said, “Hopefully, they’ll clean it up.”

Two of the league’s best defensive teams, the Sun and Lynx missed the game’s first 14 field-goal attempts. The Lynx started 5-for-20 and led 12-10 after the first quarter, but later quickly found space to explore in the Connecticut defense. They shot 45.2% from the field while the Sun shot 36.4% after making some Game 2 adjustments.

Game 3 is Friday at Connecticut.

“It’s a series for a reason,” Sun coach Stephanie White said. “We have to regroup and get ready for Friday.”

The Lynx made six consecutive shots in the second quarter after they had missed 15 of their first 18. With physical Connecticut star Alyssa Thomas defending her, Collier didn’t take a shot in the second quarter during her nine-point night.

“The defenses were good, but they weren’t that good,” Reeve said. “Both teams were playing defense, but it’d be a stretch to say that was all defense. … We need more shots than zero. We need more shots for our best players.”

The Lynx compensated when their bench outscored Connecticut’s 16-4.

“We talked before the series, the bench is going to be important,” Reeve said. “The team that has the bench that shows up and contributes is going to have the big advantage.”

The sellout Target Center crowd clamored for fouls all night, many of them involving Mabrey. Late in the second quarter, the Lynx’s Kayla McBride stole Mabrey’s entry pass and went three-quarters of the floor to score on a driving layup. She pushed off Mabrey with an arm toward the face after the made basket and Mabrey responded with a push back. McBride got a technical foul out of the exchange.

“Everybody wants it and emotions are high,” Bonner said. “We’re just two competitive teams going after it.”

The Lynx are a team that overcame Game 1′s adversity to win Game 2.

“I believe to be successful, you do have to experience adversity,” Reeve said. “You have to play through it, run through it, take the lumps. It’s the only way. Separately we have playoff experience, but as a team it’s our first experience together. I’m disappointed we didn’t win the first game, but I feel really, really good about this team.”