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Connecticut Sun’s win over Minnesota Lynx delivers the perfect WNBA playoffs showdown

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Connecticut Sun’s win over Minnesota Lynx delivers the perfect WNBA playoffs showdown


MINNEAPOLIS — Basketball might be a game of runs, but Connecticut vs. Minnesota basketball is a game of inches. Regardless of which arena, which lineup or which month — no two WNBA teams have been better matched, blow-for-blow, this season than these. The latest data point — Connecticut’s 73-70 win over Minnesota in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals — was another one of those nail-biter, stomach-clenching, it’s-anyone’s-game kind of contests.

For that, basketball fans should rejoice. This is what you want to see in the playoffs. Two teams so perfectly matched that truly every possession — and really, every decision within every possession — could be the moment that changes everything.

That Marina Mabrey 3. No, it was the Bridget Carleton 3. Wait, it was that Alyssa Thomas shot feels most important. No way, that Alanna Smith block is going to change everything.

It was a game in which every moment felt monumental because you just knew the final margin would be microscopic. It’s a series that oozes with the parity of the 100-meter dash, a basketball game in need of whatever the equivalent of a photo finish might be.

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The three regular-season matchups between Connecticut and Minnesota were decided by just eight total points. Heading into the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s game at Target Center, after 155 minutes of Lynx-Sun basketball this season, Minnesota — in aggregate — had outscored Connecticut by a single point (Lynx 295 – Sun 294).

“All season long, it has been a physical series. Every game has come down to the wire in the fourth quarter,” Sun forward Alyssa Thomas said. “We expected nothing less.”

In Game 1, Connecticut got the advantage, stealing a win on the road. Thomas, who finished one assist short of a triple-double, continued her season-long role as the Sun’s steadying force. She understood the gravity of each possession and her intention with which she pursued every rebound spoke to that.

Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve is well acquainted with Thomas’ specific kind of drive and how it can change possessions and games. It was the reason why, after being named the Paris Olympic coach in 2022, Reeve brought Thomas back into the player pool after a decade of Thomas declining camp invites.

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On Sunday night, Thomas battled against Olympic teammate Napheesa Collier. After setting records in the first round of the playoffs, Collier was held to just 19 points and nine rebounds. On another night, that might feel like a pretty good stat line, but Collier — the Lynx’s catalyst — will likely remember the nine shots she missed or the 50-50 balls that went the other way. Pretty good is not good enough for a Minnesota-Connecticut game, and certainly not a WNBA semifinal matchup between the two.

Reeve emphasized that she was preparing the Lynx for the long haul against Connecticut. No one was planning on getting out of this matchup without going nine rounds. The 13 lead changes in Sunday’s game? That was to the script. So the Lynx going down 0-1? Not ideal, but also not a reason to panic. “It’s 40 minutes of 200 minutes,” Reeve said. “That’s the good news for us.”

It wasn’t the prettiest 40 minutes of basketball for either team, but with the two best defensive teams in the WNBA on the floor, pretty isn’t exactly the goal. Minnesota and Connecticut will look back at their game film and see plenty to clean up, but that’s only because the margin here is so small.

“The further you go in the playoffs, the harder it gets,” Reeve said. “Now it’s two teams just going back and forth, not making anything easy. And then it’s just about players finding a way to make a play.”

The good news for both teams is they have rosters full of players who can find ways to make plays. They might not have the free-agency name recognition or star power that the other semifinal between Las Vegas and New York has, but these rosters are stacked with players who created careers by making the most out of opportunities.

Mabrey, who was traded to Connecticut in July, has been a sharpshooting threat and pick-and-roll power for the Sun since her arrival. DeWanna Bonner quietly picks up double-doubles while being a matchup head-scratcher 14 years into her career. DiJonai Carrington, who played all 40 minutes on Sunday, has had a coming-out party in her first full season starting in the W.

Carleton, a second-round pick in 2019 (in a league in which lottery picks have been cut), has worked her way into the Lynx starting lineup and become “Big-shot B.C.” in the Twin Cities. Alanna Smith, who thought her WNBA career might be over when she was cut in 2022 by the five-win Fever, gives Collier — the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year — a run for her money as the league’s best undersized paint defender.

If the past is any indication, these two teams have a lot more (tightly contested) basketball to play. It’s the kind of basketball and importance a WNBA semifinals should exhibit. Both teams are preparing to deliver.

“It’s a long series,” Carleton said. “It’s a five-game series for a reason.”

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(Photo of Napheesa Collier and Alyssa Thomas: David Berding / Getty Images)





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Vikings Have a Dubious Connection to the Dexter Lawrence Trade

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Vikings Have a Dubious Connection to the Dexter Lawrence Trade


Of the many terrible roster decisions Minnesota sports teams have made over the past 30 years, the worst of the bunch may have been trading Randy Moss to the Raiders for the No. 7 pick in the draft and linebacker Napoleon Harris.

Why are we bringing up a trade that happened 21 years ago? Because the New York Giants traded defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 10 pick in this week’s NFL Draft. It was the first time a non-quarterback has been traded for a top-10 pick since the infamous Moss trade in 2005.

Minnesota traded Moss for the Raiders’ first-round pick, Harris, and a seventh-round pick on March 2, 2005. The Vikings used the No. 7 pick on wide receiver Troy Williamson, who never panned out in the NFL. He had 24 catches for 372 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie, 37 receptions for 457 yards and zero touchdowns in 2006, and just 18 catches for 240 yards and one touchdown in 2007.

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Williams led the league with 11 dropped passes in 2006. Minnesota traded him to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick after the 2007 season, where he played in 10 games over two seasons and totaled just eight catches for 64 yards. He was cut before the start of the 2010 season, and that was a wrap on the former South Carolina speedster’s NFL career.

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Sept 11, 2006; Landover, MD, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver (82) Troy Williamson is unable to make the catch against the Washington Redskins in the first quarter at FedEx Field in Landover, MD. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images Copyright © James Lang | James Lang-Imagn Images

Moss didn’t put up jaw-dropping numbers with the Raiders for two seasons, but he set an NFL record with 23 touchdown catches in 2007 with the New England Patriots. He caught 47 touchdowns in 48 regular-season games with the Patriots from 2007 to 2009.

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Whether it was trading Moss to the Raiders, the Timberwolves sending Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics — or drafting Ricky Rubio AND Johnny Flynn over Steph Curry — or the Twins cutting David Ortiz and watching him become one of the greatest players in MLB history with the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota sports teams have a long history of making terrible decisions.

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The Bengals, meanwhile, gave up the 10th overall pick for one of the best defensive tackles in the league. They’ll likely get great production from Lawrence, while the Giants are now under pressure to get the 10th pick right. New York also holds the No. 5 pick in Thursday’s first round of the draft.

By the way, the Vikings had two picks in the first round of the 2005 draft. After taking Williamson, they used the No. 18 pick on defensive end Erasmus James. He was just as much of a bust as Williams, playing in 23 games in three years with the Vikings. He had four sacks as a rookie, but injuries wiped out most of his 2006 and 2007 seasons before he was traded to Washington for a conditional seventh-round pick.

James was cut by Washington in December 2009, marking the end of his NFL career.

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Boldy, Eriksson Ek help Wild cruise past Stars in Game 1 of Western 1st Round | NHL.com

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Boldy, Eriksson Ek help Wild cruise past Stars in Game 1 of Western 1st Round | NHL.com


Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and two assists, and Ryan Hartman had a goal and an assist for the Wild, who are the No. 3 seed in the Central Division. Wallstedt made 27 saves in his Stanley Cup Playoff debut, and Zuccarello had three assists.

“I was definitely nervous,” said Wallstedt, a rookie. “I think it shows that it means something to you. I like a little bit of nerves. I think it’s something good. There were definitely some nerves throughout the day and then a little bit extra rolling into the game. But after the national anthem was over and the first couple pucks started coming, you’re good. 

“I wanted to play and I felt like I have been going good. I was a little surprised (to get the start). But I was very excited as soon as I got the news. I just wanted to make sure I was ready today.”

Jason Robertson scored, and Jake Oettinger made 23 saves for the Stars, who are the No. 2 seed in the Central.

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“We didn’t deserve to win,” Dallas forward Mikko Rantanen said. “I think two power-play goals for them, two a little-bit bounces for them where we had guys in the right spot. Just even keel. Playoffs are like this. Sometimes you lose a game, you can feel like you’re done. But that’s the mentality you need to have, you’ve got to reset and learn from mistakes. 

“First 30 minutes, we didn’t win enough battles. They were just that little bit stronger in the battles and that’s why they were able to make us defend more than we want to. Just got to be stronger.”

Game 2 is here on Monday (9:30 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNO, Victory+, ESPN, TVAS2, SN360).

“We prepped for a couple days coming into this one. Now, we will gather information from this game and continue to move forward,” Minnesota coach John Hynes said. “For me, it’s game to game and day to day. We want to continue to get better. We won and they [Dallas] lost. It’s not so much being satisfied where you’re at or that’s what it is. We need to continue to find ways to get better.”

Eriksson Ek gave the Wild a 1-0 lead at 5:35 of the first period on the power play. He scored on a one-timer from the left hash marks to finish a tic-tac-toe passing play with Zuccarello and Boldy, who found an open Eriksson Ek with a pass from the goal line.

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“I think every team in the playoffs talks about not getting too high or too low. Just enjoy every day and each game and then we will go from there,” Eriksson Ek said. “I think we played pretty good today. The next game is a new game, so we just have to do it over and over every game. We know they are probably not the happiest with that game, so I am sure it’s going to be hard next game.”



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ICE agent assault charge marks a ‘milestone’ for Minnesota prosecutors

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ICE agent assault charge marks a ‘milestone’ for Minnesota prosecutors



Minnesota prosecutors charged a federal immigration agent with assault accusing him of involvement in a February road-rage incident.

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Minnesota prosecutors charged a federal immigration agent with assault, saying the agent was involved in a February road-rage incident during the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., 35, faces two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, according to April 16 Hennepin County court records. He has a nationwide warrant for his arrest.

On Feb. 5, prosecutors said Morgan allegedly drove illegally on the shoulder of a congested Minnesota highway in an unmarked SUV and pointed his weapon at two people in another car.

Morgan is the first agent charged in Operation Metro Surge, the controversial Minneapolis-area federal immigration operation that resulted in two American citizens fatally shot by federal officials, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

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The charges “reflect an important milestone in our efforts to seek accountability for the harms inflicted on our community during Operation Metro Surge,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in an April 16 video statement.

Second-degree assault with a gun has a presumptive sentence of 36 months in prison if convicted, she said.

“Mr. Morgan’s conduct was extremely dangerous,” she said, adding his actions could have led to “another disastrous incident” in the community.

Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security immediately responded to email requests for comment. A cell phone listed for Morgan, identified as a Maryland resident, didn’t immediately respond to a call or text message.

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The incident came less than two weeks after two Customs and Border Protection officers shot and killed Alex Pretti, 37, during a protest in Minneapolis. Pretti would be the second American killed during Metro Surge after an ICE agent in early January fatally shot Renee Good, 37, while she drove her SUV in Minneapolis near an immigration operation.

Later in February, the Trump administration drew down Metro Surge, which officials called the largest immigration operation in modern American history.

Investigators said they interviewed Morgan, who identified himself as the driver. Morgan told investigators he and the other ICE employee were returning from a surveillance shift. Morgan said he feared for his life and others’ safety, so he pulled up alongside the vehicle and drew his Glock 19 firearm. He said he identified himself as police. 

State investigators said neither Morgan nor the other ICE agent reported the incident to an ICE supervisor.

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The April 16 warrant, signed by District Court Judge Paul Scoggin, said there was a “substantial likelihood” Morgan would fail to respond to a summons, and officials couldn’t locate him.

On April 18, Daniel Borgertpoepping, a spokesperson for the county attorney’s office, said there is no knowledge of Morgan being arrested yet.

Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or on Signal at emcuevas.01.



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