New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx to meet for WNBA championship

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Liberty are back in the Finals, looking for the first championship in franchise history. They'll have to beat the Minnesota Lynx to do it.

The Liberty advanced to the WNBA Finals for the second straight year after knocking off the two-time defending Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals. They've made the championship round five times and lost each one.

The Lynx made it this far for the first time since 2017 when they won the last of their four championships during a seven-year span. Minnesota needed five games to advance to the Finals, beating Connecticut at home Tuesday night in the decisive game.

Game 1 of the best-of-5 Finals is Thursday night, giving the Lynx little time to recover and prepare for the Liberty.

“Talk about the schedule, who cares. Nobody’s going to feel bad for us,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said. “Got to go hooping right away and we’ll do that.”

These two teams faced off for a title already this year when Minnesota won the Commissioner's Cup championship back in June.

New York is hungry for a championship after falling just short against Las Vegas last season. The Liberty went to the finals in three of the league’s first four years and lost each time to the Houston Comets. Then they lost two years later to the Los Angeles Sparks.

“We haven’t done anything yet,” said Breanna Stewart, who had 19 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and four blocks in the clinching win over Las Vegas. “This was a tough series, an emotional series, for a number of different reasons (there’s) just the feeling of not satisfied.”

The Liberty have been playing with a scar all season and used that to lead them to the best record in the league which secured home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

“We went to the Finals last year,” Stewart said, “and we didn’t do nothing.”

The Lynx won't be scared of New York, having won two of the three regular season meetings and the Commissioner's Cup championship.

“I think the regular season doesn’t mean anything, they are an amazing team,” Minnesota star Napheesa Collier said. “It’s going to be a great series, great basketball. Two teams with great players competing.”

Collier was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award and was runner-up for the WNBA MVP.

With three more wins, Minnesota will be the first WNBA team to win five championships, breaking a tie with the Houston Comets and the Seattle Storm.

The first two games will be in New York with Minnesota hosting the next two. The series schedule caused a conflict at Target Center for Game 4 on Oct. 18, when the Minnesota Timberwolves were scheduled to host the Denver Nuggets in an NBA exhibition game. The Timberwolves, who share the arena and the practice facility across the street with the Lynx, announced Wednesday they moved their game against the Nuggets up one day to Oct. 17.

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington (21) works toward the basket as Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) defends during the first half of Game 5 of a WNBA basketball semifinals, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) reacts after a Connecticut Sun timeout called during the first half of Game 5 of a WNBA basketball semifinals, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

New York Liberty forward Jonquel Jones and guard Courtney Vandersloot defend Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum (10) during the second half of a WNBA Semifinal basketball game, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

New York Liberty forward Leonie Fiebich goes up for a basket past Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) during the second half of a WNBA Semifinal basketball game, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx to meet for WNBA championship

New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) drives past Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12) during the second half of a WNBA Semifinal basketball game, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx to meet for WNBA championship

Manchester City’s stunning slump continued Saturday with a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Goals from Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers at Villa Park consigned the four-time defending champion to a ninth defeat in 12 games in a season that is unravelling. Pep Guardiola’s team has won just once during that run.

“We have to stay positive, even though it’s difficult, and we have to keep working hard,” City striker Erling Haaland said.

Phil Foden pulled a goal back for City in stoppage time, but it wasn’t enough to spark a late comeback.

City dropped to sixth in the standings — nine points below leader Liverpool, having played two games more. Villa climbed to fifth.

Nottingham is up to third after ending Brentford's unbeaten home record with a 2-0 win, and Newcastle routed Ipswich 4-0. West Ham drew 1-1 with Brighton.

City’s remarkable fall shows little sign of stopping, with Guardiola admitting last week that he had not been good enough to turn his team’s form around.

Defeat meant the once-dominant City is without a win in any of its last eight away games in all competitions. While it looks unlikely to win a fifth-straight title, a place in the top four and Champions League qualification could also be in jeopardy.

“We concede the goals we don’t concede in the past, we (don’t) score the goals we score in the past,” Guardiola said. “We have to think positive and I have incredible trust in the guys. Some of them have incredible pride and desire to do it. We have to find a way, step by step, sooner or later to find a way back.”

Only once under Guardiola has City managed to win the title when losing six times in the league. That was in the 2020-21 campaign, when it lost two of its last three games, having already been confirmed champion.

City lost nine times when Liverpool won the title in ’19-20, but its sixth defeat didn’t come until the February of that campaign. Guardiola also lost six times in the league in his first season in English soccer in ’16-17 and City finished third in the standings.

The latest defeat could have been even more emphatic against a dominant Villa.Duran scored his sixth goal in as many starts in the 16th minute from Rogers’ assist.

Duran had a goal disallowed for offside in the second half and Rogers hit the post before doubling Villa’s lead in the 65th.

Foden’s goal in the third minute of added time came too late for City.

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Newcastle United's Jacob Murphy celebrates scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Ipswich Town and Newcastle United at Portman Road, Ipswich, England, Saturday Dec. 21, 2024. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Newcastle United's Alexander Isak celebrates scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Ipswich Town and Newcastle United at Portman Road, Ipswich, England, Saturday Dec. 21, 2024. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Nottingham Forest's Anthony Elanga, centre right, shoots on target during during the English Premier League soccer match between Brentford and Nottingham Forest at the Gtech Community Stadium, London, Saturday Dec. 21, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Nottingham Forest's Anthony Elanga, right, celebrates after scoring his sides second goal during during the English Premier League soccer match between Brentford and Nottingham Forest at the Gtech Community Stadium, London, Saturday Dec. 21, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola, center, and players leave the field at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Aston Villa's Jhon Duran celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Manchester City's Phil Foden reacts after Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)