The Sparks Took Game 1 Of The WNBA Finals On A Game-Winning Chelsea Gray Jumper

The WNBA Finals got off to a great start on Sunday afternoon as the Los Angeles Sparks edged out the Minnesota Lynx in Game 1 with an 85-84 victory. After L.A. jumped out to a huge first quarter lead, Minnesota stormed back to take a late lead as the Sparks and Lynx traded buckets back-and-forth down the stretch with four lead changes in the final minute and a tremendous individual duel between Maya Moore and Chelsea Gray.

Both Gray and Moore finished the game with 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting, leading both squads, and each played a huge role in the fourth quarter. Moore brought the Lynx back from an 12 point deficit late in the fourth and then traded buckets with Gray in the final minute. Gray put the Sparks up with just a minute to play with a pull-up elbow jumper, but Moore and the Lynx continued to battle back.

A layup by Moore gave the Lynx a one-point advantage with six seconds to play, but after advancing the ball, the Sparks drew it up for Gray to once again get to her spot on the left elbow for a similar pull-up jumper for the win with two seconds to play.

The alternate angle from the sideline shows how they freed her up to take the inbound and then she drove directly to that spot on the left elbow.

If Game 1 is any indication of what’s to come, this Finals series should be an absolute treat for basketball fans. For NBA fans waiting for training camp to get going, I’d highly recommend tuning in for the rest of this series because Moore, Gray, Candace Parker, and the rest played this first game at an extremely high level.