With 1.2 seconds left in the third quarter Saturday night, Karlie Samuelson grabbed a defensive rebound and passed to Natisha Hiedeman, who quickly found Diamond Miler for a driving layup and a 57-54 lead as the clock hit triple zeroes.
The play added even more momentum to the shorthanded Lynx, who pulled away to beat Los Angeles 82-66 at Target Center and improve to a WNBA-best 12-1.
Minnesota outscored the Sparks 48-31 in the second half, including 25-12 in the fourth quarter. The Lynx shot 64.3% (9 for 14) in the final frame, including 5 of 8 from deep, while limiting the Sparks to 26.3% (5 for 19).
Kayla McBride dominated down the stretch, scoring 15 of her game-high 29 points in the fourth quarter (she played just 5:48 of the 10 minutes), including four of her five makes from deep, much to the delight of the 8,777 in attendance for Pride Night.
Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride (21) plays against the Las Vegas Aces during a WNBA basketball game Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
“This is Mac, this is what she does. She knows this kind of game is just around the corner. Stick with it,” said Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve
A top outside shooter, McBride was 5 for 22 in her previous two games, including missing 12 shots from outside the arc, but it’s widely accepted that to get out of a slump, a shooter’s got to shoot.
McBride scored a 3-pointer followed by a three-point play 36 seconds later for a 66-59 Lynx lead. A jumper by Courtney Williams pushed the lead to nine midway through the fourth quarter.
Los Angeles scored inside, but Alanna Smith made a trey at the other end. After a Sparks miss, McBride swished home a triple. “McBuckets” drained two more from outside the line after another Los Angeles bucket, and the lead became 17.
Williams finished with 18 points and six assists.
Lynx star Napheesa Collier missed the contest after leaving Tuesday’s win with lower back soreness. The team had no update for a potential return.
That gave Maria Kliundikova her first career start. The 6-foot-4 forward, who signed with Minnesota on June 6 after being waived by Los Angeles on May 15, was an inside presence all night finishing with 12 points, eight rebounds and a couple of blocks.
“I believe that Masha was pretty uptight going into the game. … She was still earning plays in today’s shootaround, and we were still on the fly trying to teach her stuff,” Reeve said.
Alanna Smith, whom Reeve said has been playing at “a high level” battled foul trouble but was strong in the fourth quarter, grabbing four of her eight rebounds and blocking a shot.
With reminders from a week ago still fresh, Reeve said a key for the Lynx would be keeping Los Angeles (4-10) out of the paint.
They did better than a week ago against the Sparks, but Los Angeles still had a 32-24 advantage. However, it was 22-8 at the half when the Lynx trailed 35-34.
Minnesota beat Los Angeles 101-78 last Saturday despite the Sparks having a 50-30 advantage in close.
The Lynx played without their top two rebounders.
Collier leads the team in points (24.4) and rebounds (8.5) and is second in assists (3.6). Forward Jessica Shepard, a strong inside presence with seven boards per game, missed her fourth straight game while competing for Slovenia in the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2025. She’s expected back soon.
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