The No. 3 seed Connecticut Sun opened the 2023 WNBA postseason with a dominant win over the No. 6 Minnesota Lynx, 90-60, and are now one game from advancing to the league semifinals. Game 2 of the series will tipoff at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sep. 17, and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
The Sun’s effort in their first game against the Lynx was, in a word, magnificent. While the hallmarks of what made Connecticut such a tough opponent during the 2023 regular season were certainly there—13 steals, a 36-32 rebounding edge and a 15-point, 10-assist double-double from forward Alyssa Thomas—what made the Sun’s victory particularly impressive was their hot outside shooting. The Sun, who were around the middle of the pack in terms of total offense derived from 3-point shooting during the regular season (29.4 percent 3-point attempt rate and 26 percent of their points coming on 3-pointers), caught fire in Game 1, knocking down 16-of-30 long-range attempts. That figure was a historic one, setting a Sun record for 3-point makes in a playoff game.
As unlikely as another 3-point barrage from Connecticut may be in Game 2, the Sun still are in the driver’s seat to win the series. The play of Thomas and DeWanna Bonner (17 points, 15 rebounds and six assists in Game 1) has…
