New York Liberty beat Minnesota Lynx 99-86, denying Cheryl Reeve a WNBA wins record

Breanna Stewart scored 36 points to lead the New York Liberty to a 99-86 victory over the Minnesota Lynx, preventing Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve from becoming the WNBA’s career wins leader. Reeve remains tied with Mike Thibault at 379 regular-season victories, with her next opportunity to break the record coming on Monday against Chicago. The Liberty, fresh off winning the WNBA’s Commissioner’s Cup, were determined to stop history from being made. Jonquel Jones contributed 14 points and 15 rebounds, while Sabrina Ionescu added 17 points for New York. Despite Minnesota’s Kayla McBride scoring 18 points and Courtney Williams adding 16, the Lynx struggled without star player Napheesa Collier, who is recovering from surgery. New York was also missing Satou Sabally due to concussion protocol. The game was attended by NBA Hall of Famer Yao Ming. QUESTION: How might the absence of key players like Napheesa Collier and Satou Sabally impact their teams’ performances and strategies in future games?