Sabrina Ionescu clinched a victory for the New York Liberty in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals on Wednesday.
In the final minute of the game, Ionescu scored a 3-pointer to put the Liberty up by four. The Minnesota Lynx came back to tie it, but Ionescu scored a 28-foot logo 3 with one second left to seal the win.
With the finals being a best of five series, the Liberty are now one win away from winning their first WNBA Finals.
New York is the only original WNBA team that hasn’t won a title. It’s been to the finals five times, according to ESPN.
How social media reacted to Sabrina Ionescu’s shot
Ionescu’s game-winning 3-pointer caught the attention of fans, celebrities, and WNBA and NBA players on social media.
Here are the best reactions on X:
Omgoodness!!!!! SABRINNNNAAAAAA!!!!
— Tamika Catchings (@Catchin24) October 17, 2024
@sabrina_i20 Next time just call game!!!! A historic shot for an amazing game🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
— Lisa Leslie (@LisaLeslie) October 17, 2024
What a shot Sabrina 🔥🔥🔥
— Aliyah A. Boston (@aa_boston) October 17, 2024
SABRINA!!!!! STEWIE!!!!! Come onnnnnnnnn!!! Wow! #WNBAFinals I love this game. Game 4 bout to be 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) October 17, 2024
I know the Sabrina Ionescu-Kobe Bryant thing has been way overblown.
But for Sabrina, after a bunch of turnovers and shooting mediocre all night, to still have the confidence to call her own number multiple times in the clutch is textbook Mamba Mentality attitude. pic.twitter.com/vQQNZl7D8w
— Jeff Eisenband (@JeffEisenband) October 17, 2024
Just remembering when Kenny Smith during the three-point shootout with Steph said that Sabrina Ionescu should have shot closer to the hoop because it was unfair to expect a woman to hit long range shots https://t.co/SKi3BgJXFx
— velodus.bsky.social 🎃👻 (@velodus) October 17, 2024
Has WNBA playoffs viewership gone down without Caitlin Clark?
It’s been a record postseason for the WNBA in terms of viewership. For Caitlin Clark’s last playoff game, 2.5 million tuned in to the broadcast.
Caitlin Clark’s last playoff game — a loss to the Connecticut Sun — was “the most-watched WNBA game on cable” with 2.5 million tuning in and the broadcast peaking at 3.4 million viewers, according to Front Office Sports.
While viewership has dropped compared to Clark’s final game, it has been up in games without this year’s Rookie of the Year.
Last week, ESPN said this year’s playoffs have been the most-watched WNBA playoffs in 25 years.
Two hours after Clark’s elimination game tipped off, the Phoenix Mercury faced the Lynx in their elimination game and what could have been Mercury legend Diana Taurasi’s final game. It was ESPN’s third-most watched WNBA playoff game ever with 1.2 million tuning in and the broadcast peaking at 2.1 million, according to Front Office Sports.
The semifinals — which didn’t feature Clark and the Indiana Fever — was the league’s most-watched in 25 years, averaging 850,000 viewers for the nine games, which is a 99% increase over last year’s semifinals, per ESPN.
The Liberty and Lynx have continued to draw in eyeballs with viewership averaging 1.84 million between the first two games.
Game 2 of the series on Sunday was ABC’s most-watched WNBA finals game — despite competing with the NFL for viewers, according to ESPN.
The Utah connection in the 2024 WNBA Finals
Former University of Utah star Alissa Pili plays for the Minnesota Lynx. Minnesota drafted Pili eighth overall in the first round of the 2024 WNBA draft.
If the Lynx can get back on track, Pili could become a WNBA champion in her rookie season.
Pili played 138 minutes in 16 regular season games and has recorded 53 points, 27 rebounds, five steals, five assists and two blocks as well as 19 turnovers. She has only made one playoff appearance for the Lynx so far, which lasted one minute.
When is the next WNBA Finals game?
Game 4 of the WNBA Finals will be played Friday at 6 p.m. MDT in Minnesota.
It is a must-win game for the Lynx, who haven’t won the WNBA Finals since 2017.
If the Lynx can pull off a win and even the series in front of their home crowd, a final Game 5 will be played on Sunday at 6 p.m. MDT at the Liberty’s Barclays Center, where the winner will be crowned the 2024 WNBA champion.
How to watch WNBA Finals
Game 4 and, if necessary, Game 5 will be broadcast on ESPN.
The games will also be streamed on the ESPN app.
