A key for the Lynx entering Thursday’s game was being strong defensively, especially in the paint.
Minnesota struggled with that early before finding its groove on both ends of the court en route to a 92-75 win over Washington at Target Center.
Napheesa Collier overcame a slow start and scored 18 of her 28 points in the second half. She was named June’s Western Conference Player of the Month earlier in the day, her second straight month with the honor.
Three other Lynx starters finished in double figures: Alanna Smith, Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams each had 10 points. Williams added eight assists, grabbed six rebounds and also had five steals, all team highs.
It was a nice bounce back performance for the Lynx (15-2), who played one of their worst games of the year Tuesday in losing the Commissioner’s Cup championship 74-59 to Indiana, a game that does not count in the standings.
Minnesota shot a season-worst 34.9% in that one but, after missing 12 of its first 15 shots, finished at 46.3% on Thursday.
Washington (8-9) entered second in the WNBA by scoring 48.6% of its points in the paint and scored 16 there in the first quarter, but just six in the second and the same in the third. Down 24-16 after one quarter, the Lynx led 70-52 after three.
The Mystics turned the ball over three times in the first but finished with 20 that the Lynx turned into 28 points. The Lynx had a season-low six turnovers, three combined in the final three quarters.
Trailing by as much as 10 in the first half, the Lynx finished the second quarter on a 19-7 run, capped by a Smith a 3-pointer at the buzzer, for a 43-38 halftime lead, much to the delight of the 8,824 in attendance.
Another Smith trey followed by a Williams jumper and a Collier 3-pointer quickly pushed the lead to 13 early in a third quarter that saw Minnesota score 19 of the first 25 points.
Related Articles
Red Panda recovering after fracturing wrist during Lynx game
Lynx lay an egg, fall to Indiana in Commissioner’s Cup final
Mizutani: GOAT halftime performer Red Panda shockingly injured at Lynx game
Lynx log third-largest win in team history to begin busy stretch of games
Napheesa Collier and Caitlin Clark to captain WNBA All-Star teams
Leave a Reply