WASHINGTON D.C., DC — Editor's note: The video above originally aired on July 20, 2020.
Aerial Powers scored 27 points and the Minnesota Lynx sank four free throws in the final 30 seconds to knock the Washington Mystics out of playoff contention with an 83-77 win.
Needing a win to secure the eighth seed, the Mystics cut a 12-point deficit with less than 4 1/2 minutes to just two points when Ariel Atkins made two free throws.
But the Lynx responded, with Layshia Clarendon making two free throws with 27.5 seconds to play, and Powers following with two more following a Mystics turnover to seal the win.
Natasha Cloud scored 22 points for Washington.
The game marked Powers' return to the nation's capitol, where she helped the Mystics win the 2019 WNBA Championship before joining the Lynx.
Minnesota ended the regular season by winning nine of 10, and now has a first-round playoff bye after winding up as the WNBA's third seed. The win over Washington also means the Lynx wouldn't play the league-leading Connecticut Sun until the finals, if Minnesota is able to advance that far.