Courtney Williams and Alanna Smith embody Lynx teamwork

Connecticut had cut its 15-point Lynx lead to seven in the fourth quarter when Smith hit a three-pointer with 3:09 left. Twice in the final minutes, when the lead was back down to seven, Williams scored, first with a 19-footer, the second with a layup.

“It’s almost a relief,” Smith said. “As a shooter, you shoot hundreds of thousands of shots in your career. Before the game, I write everything down in the warm-up. So I know I'm capable of taking these shots.

“So when you see the hard work pay off? It's worth it. I get this confidence from the people around me. “If I miss, everyone tells me the next one will come in. That’s the attitude that everyone on this team maintains.”

For Smith and Williams in particular, the collective nature of this Lynx team is special. They were teammates in Chicago last year. And although they were at different points in their careers, they both experienced some difficult times there.

Smith has already spoken about this without elaborating.

The Sky were a playoff team last year. But there was controversy. Coach James Wade left the team mid-season to join the NBA's Toronto Raptors. Emre Vatanserver took over management on an interim basis. The Sky finished in eighth place but were defeated by Las Vegas in the first round. After the season, Sky hired a new general manager and coach – Teresa Witherspoon, who only stayed with the team for one season – and several of the team's best players, including Kahleah Copper, Williams and Smith, left the team.