The Lynx boasted their stout defense in an undefeated week that has them in first place in the WNBA for three weeks.
Week in Review
The Minnesota Lynx had a lighter week with only two games, but convincingly took both. They showed their range and versatility on both sides of the ball, winning one matchup with their smooth offense and the other with their physical defense. Another win against the Atlanta Dream and a win against the Chicago Sky have brought the Lynx to 6-2 and to the top of the WNBA.
All of this without
their best player, by the way.
- Wednesday, 5/27: Lynx 96, Dream 81
- Friday, 5/29: Lynx 79, Sky 58
WEEK 1:
OFFRTG: 104.8 (10th)
DEFRTG: 105.5 (9th)
NETRTG: -0.6 (10th)
eFG%: 55.3 (3rd)
FTr: 28.7 (10th)
TOV%: 18.7 (10th)
OREB%: 28.2 (11th)
WEEK 2:
OFFRTG: 107.3 (9th) ↑
DEFRTG: 100.4 (2nd) ↑↑
NETRTG: 6.9 (3rd) ↑↑
eFG%: 54.8 (4th) ↓
FTr: 28.9 (12th) ↓
TOV%: 20.2 (13th) ↓
OREB%: 35.6 (2nd) ↑↑
WEEK 3:
OFFRTG: 107.1 (8th) ↑
DEFRTG: 96.8 (1st) ↑
NETRTG: 10.3 (1st) ↑↑
eFG%: 54.8 (2nd) –
FTr: 26.7 (14th) ↓
TOV%: 19.4 (9th) ↑
OREB%: 34.0 (3rd) ↓
Impenetrable Defense
After a rough first week on the defensive end of the floor, the Lynx have raced up the ratings numbers on that end of the floor over the last two weeks. They hit number one in the league in terms of defensive rating after the pair of games this week, and have looked scary to try to score against. The Lynx are doing all of this after losing Co-Defensive Player of the Year Alanna Smith in the offseason, and with 2024 DPOY Napheesa Collier not having played a minute yet this season. Ridiculous.
Tons of credit go to Coach Reeve for this, her ability to set her players up for success, and the players’ ability to execute the scheme that the Lynx roll out on a game-to-game basis. Reeve always has her players ready to go for any given game, and it’s shown up early in the season. The connectivity and toughness that they have been playing with over the last couple of weeks have been impressive, and should only continue to get better with the return of Collier looming.
New Face
Outside of the two wins this week, the other big news is that the Lynx shifted their roster around slightly to add a piece to their front court. After waiving Eliska Hamzova early in the week, they brought her back on a developmental contract and waived Emus Hof. The biggest part of these transactions is that Minnesota also brought in Teaira McCowan for some front-court depth.
McCowan is best known for her size and rebounding prowess, and can also bring some solid screen setting to the table. She will need some time to acclimate to the Lynx system and find her fit, particularly within the offense, but this should help take some pressure off of Natasha Howard and lessen the heavy load that she has taken on early in the season. Howard has been incredible early on in this season, and you want to preserve that version of her as the season goes along and you (hopefully) prepare for a postseason run.
Two Opposite Wins, Two Different POTG’s
These two wins this week were very dichotomous – they won one with offense and one with defense. With this, there were two different heroes that helped power the Lynx to victories and propel them to the top of the standings.
Against Atlanta, it was the Courtney Williams mid-range show. She scored 25 points on 10/15 shooting and caught fire with her unique shot diet. She also added seven assists to her line and handled a heavy load with no Napheesa Collier.
Against Chicago, it was a Nia Coffey masterclass that helped power the Lynx to victory. Coffey scored a career-high 20 points on 7/12 shooting, including six 3-pointers. She added eight rebounds to her line, with her shot confidence growing as each jumper grazed the bottom of the net.
This Minnesota team can hurt you in so many ways, and they are all bought into the cause of winning. They don’t care who goes off on any given game, and it is something that has been a staple of Cheryl Reeve’s teams for years.
