The Minnesota Lynx clawed back from a halftime deficit to beat the Golden State Valkyries 81-75. In a back-and-forth contest, the Lynx defeated the Valkyries to extend their winning streak to three. But one moment of celebration, involving an Olivia Miles teammate, stole the spotlight.

The play in question occurred in the third quarter of the game when the Lynx were on a fast break. Miles made a long pass to her veteran backcourt partner, Courtney Williams, near the paint, who missed her attempt at the layup. Subsequently, Nia Coffey got the offensive rebound and passed the ball to Kayla McBride.

McBride, in turn, found Williams near the corner, who nailed down a 23-foot three-pointer in her second attempt in that sequence of play. Williams didn’t stop there; after scoring the three, she faced the crowd and made a flying kiss gesture. The moment even put the WNBA to notice, as they shared a glimpse on their Instagram handle with a fitting caption.

“Second time’s the charm ✨” the caption read. “Courtney Williams nails the triple then blows the crowd a kiss!”

The moment carried special significance in the context of the game. Williams’ three-pointer gave Minnesota a two-point lead, definitely asking for a special celebration. Furthermore, it was the Golden State Valkyries who were mostly dictating the proceedings in the first two quarters of the game.

By the time the halftime buzzer went off, the Lynx were trailing by five points. It was the third quarter where Minnesota actually began to take control of the game at the Chase Center. And this moment was one such instance in which they stated they were not done yet.

The Minnesota Lynx eventually outscored the Lynx in the third and fourth quarters (40-29) to clinch an impressive win in a tightrope game. However, for the Lynx, the game wasn’t short of caveats as well.

In a surprising turn of events, Minnesota’s golden rookie, Olivia Miles, was completely locked down in the game. The No. 2 draftee scored just 7 points on 1-for-10 shooting. Furthermore, Miles had six turnovers in the game, which further plagued Minnesota’s performance.

In Miles’ quiet night, Courtney Williams really stepped up her game. The shooting guard recorded a double-double with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists to anchor the team’s offense. Kayla McBride and Nia Coffey also racked up impressive performances on the night, recording 17 and 22 points, respectively.

Nevertheless, Miles did try to complement her cold scoring night with an all-around performance. The Minnesota guard just recorded 5 rebounds and 4 assists in the game. Furthermore, Miles also blocked three shots, including one against Cecilia Zandalasini in the final seconds of the game, which could have shifted the momentum and the result in favor of the Golden State Valkyries.

After the game, Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve dissected Olivia Miles’ performance, with special emphasis on her defensive efforts.

Cheryl Reeve Sheds Light on Olivia Miles’ Rare Off-Night Against Golden State

For most of the season, Olivia Miles had perfectly anchored the Minnesota Lynx’s offense. She fits perfectly into the field general role, dictating the playmaking while uplifting the tempo with her scoring burst. But against the Golden State, Miles’ performance flipped.

Following the game, Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve spoke about Miles’ performance, noting that the game would be immensely helpful to her future development.

“I mean, Golden State, it’s us and them are the two best defensive teams in the league,” Reeve said in the post-game presser. “So, what she saw was actual defense. She saw physicality; she saw aggressive trapping. You know they play hard and fly around, and they protect the paint.”

“And I mean, Liv kind of really appreciates, like, she needed a game like this. This was a tremendous growth point for her,” Reeve added. “When things don’t go your way, how do you show up? And what she showed is that she’ll show up on the defensive end.”

Reeve’s assessment is backed to the hilt. The Valkyries have one of the best defensive ratings in the league (102.2). So, Miles’ faceoff against a tight defense wasn’t just another game for Miles. Instead, it was a learning curve about what’s possibly coming against her in the future.

Now, it will be up to Olivia Miles to learn from this game and tackle tough defensive schemes while keeping her production intact. Miles will have a great opportunity to do well in Minnesota’s next game against the Las Vegas Aces on June 21.