After sweeping the Golden State Valkyries, the Lynx hope to beat the Mercury and punch a ticket to their second consecutive finals appearance. Game 1 against the Mercury was a hard-fought battle. The game was tied 59-59 going into the fourth quarter. Minnesota won the last quarter decisively, scoring 23 points compared to Phoenix’s ten.
The Lynx’s three top scorers were Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride, and Napheesa Collier—no surprises there. However, after the game, Williams, McBride, and Cheryl Reeve gave an unexpected difference-maker credit for helping the stars carry the team over the finish line. Maria Kliundikova had only played four total minutes in the Lynx’s first-round series. Nevertheless, she was ready to help the team win in the semifinals—just like she did for most of the regular season.
“Eight minutes, plus 14–that’s huge,” McBride said about Kliundikova during the postgame press conference. “That’s the difference between winning and losing.”
Cheryl Reeve agreed wholeheartedly, saying that Kliundikova’s minutes were “the best eight minutes of the game.”
Maria Kliundikova impacted the game by making all the right plays
Kliundikova’s overall stat line may not jump off the page. She finished the game with 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals. However, she had one of the highest plus/minuses on the roster and made all the right plays in her limited time on the court.
Kliundikova first came into the game late in the third and also opened the fourth, giving Napheesa Collier some time to rest. She opened up the fourth quarter with a steal and got a big offensive rebound that led to a three from Kayla McBride with 8:35 left.
Collier came back into the game not much later, but Kliundikova didn’t stay on the bench long. Alanna Smith gave up an offensive rebound to DeWanna Bonner with 5:21 left in the fourth, so Reeve sent Kliundikova to check in. She entered the game with 4:17 left and a three-point lead in the fourth quarter.
In the last four minutes, Kliundikova got another offensive rebound that led to a three from McBride, grabbed a defensive rebound, won a jump ball, scored two points over Satou Sabally in a pick-and-roll with Courtney Williams, and got a layup with about seven seconds left in the game. She also guarded Alyssa Thomas, allowing Collier to take a break from going up against one of the most versatile and physical players in the league.
Having a reserve who can compete with Thomas and battle on the boards will be invaluable for the Lynx as the series continues. Kliundikova may have just played her way into more opportunities.