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Connecticut had trimmed a 15-point fourth-quarter Lynx lead to seven when Smith hit a three with 3:09 left. Twice in the closing minutes, the lead back down to seven, Williams scored, first on a 19-footer, the second on a driving layup.
“It’s almost a relief,’’ Smith said. “As a shooter you take hundreds of thousands of shots in your career. Before the game, I’m knowing down everything in warmup. So I know I’m capable of making those shots.
“So when you see the hard work pay off? It’s all worth it. I get that confidence from the people around me. If I miss, everyone is telling me the next one is going in. That’s the mindset everyone perpetuates on this team.’’
For Smith and Williams especially, the collective nature of this Lynx team is special. They were teammates in Chicago last year. And while they were at different points in their career, they both went through some difficult times there.
Smith has talked about it before, without getting specific.
The Sky was 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 as interim. The Sky finished eighth, but were swept by Las Vegas in the first round. After the season the Sky hired a new general manager, a new coach — Teresa Witherspoon, who only lasted one season — and several of the team’s top players, including Kahleah Copper, Williams and Smith, left.
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