The end of the regular season is in sight as this potential first-round matchup kicks off on ESPN sans each team’s best player. This penultimate matchup was hoped to be a high-leverage battle between two of the league’s best.
Unfortunately, Caitlin Clark was ruled out for the season with a groin injury earlier this week, a brutal blow for the Indiana Fever. The Minnesota Lynx have a much more positive reason for their star missing, as they are resting Napheesa Collier up for the playoffs after clinching
the #1 seed. The Lynx are still looking to stay in a rhythm and start the playoffs rolling as they prep for this weekend.
A sloppy start out of the gate for the Lynx, combined with the Fever effectively pushing the pace, led to a 10-0 run to begin the game for Indiana. After a Lynx timeout, Kliundikova entered the game and helped get Minnesota back on track with a couple of buckets out of the post. Aerial Powers gave the Fever a boost against her former team with eight quick points, which helped Indiana to double up Minnesota 28-14 after one. The Lynx were ice cold from downtown, going 0/9 in the quarter as the offense struggled as a whole.
The Lynx had much better spacing to start the second quarter, which helped them work into a rhythm on offense. Even with the better shooting, the Fever kept up their efficiency to maintain their double-digit advantage through much of the second.
Indiana stayed on fire from distance while the Lynx could not buy a bucket from downtown as they went 0/12 in the first. Odyssey Sims scored 11, which led the Fever, while Jess Shepherd led the way for the Lynx with 10. A Courtney Williams layup cut the lead to 13 at the end of the quarter, 49-36
The Lynx came bursting out of the gates in the third quarter with an immediate 6-0 run to cut the lead down to seven. After this burst and getting the lead down to as low as six, Kelsey Mitchell took over the game. She helped the Fever go on an extended 19-8 run over the last seven minutes with a few threes and overall command of the offense.
The Lynx showed some fight in the quarter, but the Mitchell and the Fever held strong to their lead; they were up 70-53 after three.
After the run in the third quarter, Coach Reeve and the Lynx waved the white flag and decided to look forward to Thursday’s game. Jaylyn Sherrod did record her first career basket in the 4th.
Stuck in the Mud Start
The Minnesota Lynx’s slow start set the tone for the rest of the game in this one. They started sluggishly as the Fever got out to a fast start, going up 10-0 to start the game. This led to a 28-14 first quarter, which was a hole that the Lynx could not dig themselves out of. The dog days of the season are here, and while it is frustrating to watch some of these starts to games, I have no worry that this is the thing that will be rectified come playoff time.
Kelsey Mitchell’s Third Quarter
When the Lynx were making their run, as they tend to do in most games – even the ones where it feels like they are out of it – Kelsey Mitchell was the cold water to put out the fire. She drilled a few threes and commanded the Fever offense, orchestrating them to not only regain their lead but push it up to 17 by the end of the quarter. That seemed to be the breaking point for the Lynx and put the nail in the coffin. Props to Minnesota for mounting the comeback and props to Kelsey Mitchell for her performance.
Camryn Taylor’s First Bucket
Quick positive note and a shout out to Camryn Taylor for her first career WNBA basket. Jaylyn Sherrod rejected a screen and timed a jump pass to Taylor, who took the three with confidence and knocked it down. Hope it’s the first of many!
Up next
The Minnesota Lynx finish up their season at home against the Golden State Valkyries, who qualified for the playoffs in their inaugural season.
