Mitchell Hansen
Web Editorial Associate
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The Minnesota Lynx and the Los Angeles Sparks square off at 7 p.m. Wednesday night in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.

Here are our three Keys to the Game heading into the winner-take-all game:

1. Hustle Plays 

One of the biggest keys in Game 5 will be the amount of hustle plays each team makes.

For the Lynx, their hustle pays in Game 4 in Los Angeles were the difference maker in putting them over the top to force a Game 5.

Minnesota held advantages over Los Angeles in rebounding, 48-28, and recorded 21 second chance points in the game, while holding LA to five.

In Wednesday’s game, hustle plays will be just one of the numerous things Minnesota will try and make sure goes its way to come away with the win.

2. Strong Performance From Lynx Frontcourt

In the win in Game 4, the Lynx frontcourt of Sylvia Fowles and Rebekkah Brunson stepped up big for the Lynx in leading them to the win.

Fowles led the way for Minnesota with 22 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks, while Brunson tallied 18 points and 13 rebounds.

Combined, Fowles and Brunson had 40 points and 27 rebounds, finishing with 50 percent of Minnesota’s points and 56 percent of the teams rebounds.

If Fowles and Brunson can put together another performance like they did in Game 4, the Lynx should put them in a good chance to take Game 5.

3. Start Strong Early On

Through the first four games of this best-of-five game Finals series, the team that has started off strong has come away with the victory in the game.

In any game, postseason or not, starting strong is important for both teams. But especially in this series, getting off to a fast start has been and will continue to be key for Minnesota and Los Angeles.

But as we’ve seen numerous times this series, the team who starts in a whole early in the game ends up fighting their way back late. With these two teams, it’s truly anyone’s game until the final horn sounds.

When that final horn sounds, who will be on top and claim their fourth championship in team history? Will it be Minnesota or Los Angeles?

We are about to find out Wednesday night.

The Lynx and Sparks will tip off at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Minneapolis. The game will be aired on ESPN, 106.1 BOB FM, TuneIn Radio and the Lynx App.