The Minnesota Lynx are rolling once again, still sitting atop the WNBA standings now 26 games into the 44-game regular season.
It was a busy week for Minnesota, with three back-and-forth battles taking place, but the Lynx came out victorious in all three of those contests to extend their winning streak with tow games left until the All-Star break.
Let’s look back on the week that was.
Week in Review
The Lynx opened up the week of games on July 13 against Phoenix, SLAM Night dedicated to Olivia Miles and her recent
SLAM Magazine cover. On that night, Miles only dropped a career-high 33 points, eight assists and three rebounds in 31 minutes, only to be topped by Kayla McBride with a near-career-high of 37 points.
Two days later, Minnesota welcomed Los Angeles into a Target Center filled with thousands of screaming kids during the annual Camp Day game on July 15. The Lynx and Sparks both struggled a bit in that contest, notably in the first half, but Minnesota got things rolling in the second half and pulled away with nine-point victory.
To cap things off on July 18, the Lynx hosted Sylvia Fowles and the Portland Fire on Sylvia Fowles night, a night dedicated to honoring the recent Hall of Fame induction for the Lynx legend and current Fire assistant coach. Minnesota played spoiler in that celebratory night, taking care of business to improve to 10-4 at home.
- Monday, July 13: Lynx 104, Mercury 100
- Wednesday, July 15: Lynx 96, Sparks 87
- Saturday, July 18: Lynx 101, Fire 93
WEEK 10:
OFFRTG: 112.1 (2nd) ↑
DEFRTG: 101.6 (2nd) ↓
NETRTG: 10.5 (1st) –
eFG%: 54.4 (2nd) ↑
FTr: 26.0 (14th) –
TOV%: 16.9 (5th) ↑
OREB%: 33.0 (4th) ↓
WEEK 9:
OFFRTG: 110.8 (4th) –
DEFRTG: 100.1 (1st) –
NETRTG: 10.8 (1st) –
eFG%: 53.6 (4th) –
FTr: 25.3 (14th) ↑
TOV%: 17.3 (8th) –
OREB%: 34.2 (2nd) –
Streaking Once Again
Lynx are riding a five-game winning streak heading into Monday’s game against Seattle, the third time this season the Lynx have had a streak three games or longer, and the second time they have won five consecutive games.
Over the current five-game streak, Minnesota has taken down Connecticut, New York, Phoenix, Los Angeles and most recently Phoenix, four of those five games taking place at Target Center. Kayla McBride has been on a tear over that span, leading the Lynx in scoring in all five of those victories and having scored over 20 points in six straight contests (*cough, cough* All-Star *cough, cough*).
As a team over the winning streak, Minnesota has ranked third in offensive rating (118.1), ninth — surprisingly — in defensive rating (110.4) and fourth in net rating (+7.6). The Lynx, however, have ranked second in shooting (49.8%), threes (41.7%) and — probably the most important stat — fourth in turnovers (12.4).
The Lynx have a chance to enter the All-Star break with a seven-game winning streak, depending on how the next two games go in Seattle on Monday and Wednesday.
All-Stars Ready to Take on Chicago
As of writing this, the Lynx have three All-Stars heading to Chicago this weekend for the annual All-Star festivities — not mentioning Cheryl Reeve and the Lynx coaching staff will also be going to coach in the game as well.
We say “as of writing this” because that could change, as in that number could grow as we await any injury replacement news for the current All-Stars selected to take part in the game. If that does take place, we could see someone like Kayla McBride get a nod as a replacement player for the second straight year.
But even if that doesn’t take place, Minnesota will be well represented in Chicago, with Reeve and her staff taking part as mentioned, but with Lynx players Olivia Miles, Natasha Howard and Courtney Williams participating on the court.
Miles and Williams will be part of Team Spoon, which will be coached by Reeve and the Lynx coaching staff. Former Lynx Jessica Shepard will also be on that squad.
Howard will starting for Team Coop, facing off against her coach and two Lynx teammates on the other side.
The All-Star Game will take place July 25 at 7:30PM CT on ESPN, serving as the centerpiece of the weekend that includes the Shooting Stars and 3-Point Contest on July 24 in Chicago.
Honoring Sweet Syl
Capping off the week of action was the second matchup of the year against the Portland Fire on Saturday, with the Lynx once again taking care of business at home against one of the WNBA’s newest teams.
But the action on the court wasn’t the biggest storyline, though it was a solid battle between the two teams. Minnesota honored Lynx legend and current Portland assistant coach Sylvia Fowles by adding a “Hall of Fame” banner onto her retired jersey hanging in the Target Center rafters. This honor recognizes Fowles’ induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025 — which also featured Maya Moore.
Fowles sported her No. 34 Lynx jersey while sitting on the bench, with former teammates and current Lynx reminiscing about Fowles’ playing career and the impact she made both on and off the court.
It’s been said over and over, but Fowles truly is one of the best the WNBA has seen — and not just because of what she was able to accomplish on the court, but who she is as an all-around player and human.
Well deserved, Sweet Syl. Well deserved.
