August is somehow already nearing its midway point and the Minnesota State Fair will be here before we know it (IYKYK).
What that also means is the WNBA regular season is winding down, with 10 or so games left for the Minnesota Lynx and the rest of the league. However, we do still have nearly a month and a half left of the season, with the action taking a two-plus-week break at the end of August and into early September for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin from Aug. 31-Sept. 16.
Until
then, we’re in the heat of playoff positioning and seeding battles throughout the league, with the Lynx remaining the constant at the top of the league.
Let’s dive into what took place over the last week.
Week in Review
Minnesota played three games over the week, all three of which came at home at Target Center.
To open up the week after a few days off, the Lynx came out with a bit of a dud of a disappointment against Los Angeles to snap a 10-game winning streak, but bounced back in a big way — and even historic way … more on that later — against two playoff teams in Las Vegas and Dallas in a back-to-back.
- Thursday, Aug. 6: Sparks 89, Lynx 82
- Saturday, Aug. 8: Lynx 98, Aces 87
- Sunday, Aug. 9: Lynx 103, Wings 90
WEEK 13:
OFFRTG: 114.1 (2nd) ↑
DEFRTG: 103.3 (3rd) ↓
NETRTG: +10.8 (1st) –
eFG%: 55.0 (3rd) ↑
FTr: 24.2 (15th) ↓
TOV%: 16.1 (5th) –
OREB%: 33.2 (3rd) ↑
WEEK 12:
OFFRTG: 113.8 (2nd)
DEFRTG: 102.7 (2nd)
NETRTG: +11.1 (1st)
eFG%: 54.7 (3rd)
FTr: 25.2 (14th)
TOV%: 16.1 (5th)
OREB%: 33.5 (3rd)
Impressive Back-to-Back
Riding into the game against Los Angeles last Thursday on a 10-game win streak, Minnesota took a step back in that game, losing to the Sparks and then getting called out by Cheryl Reeve, who said “every player, at every position, was terrible.”
With that game behind them, the Lynx quickly turned the page and had a big test ahead of them with a back-to-back at home against Las Vegas and Dallas — both teams still trying to fight for playoff positioning and even a playoff spot.
Minnesota went shot-for-shot with Las Vegas in a matchup between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the WNBA (at the time), putting on a strong showing in the potential playoff preview with a 98-87 victory.
Just over 24 hours later, the Lynx had to get back to it with the second game of the back-to-back against the Wings, which wasn’t going to be an easy test especially after the tough battle the day before. However, Minnesota responded in a big way and improved to 10-0 in games where it scored over 100 points, taking down Dallas 103-90.
Good teams are able to weather the storm and bounce back when needed and when a big test presents itself. That’s exactly what the Lynx did over the weekend against the Aces and Wings.
Historic McBuckets
Going into Sunday’s game against Dallas, we all knew it was going to be one that Minnesota would have to gut out. The Lynx were coming off of a hard-fought No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup just 24 hours prior when facing Las Vegas, and now a somewhat rested Wings squad was coming into Target Center looking for their first win over Minnesota this season.
But, as we’ve seen on numerous occasions when her team needs her most, Kayla McBride stepped up — in a big, even historic, way.
McBride not only led her team in the opening half with 19 points, she absolutely exploded in the second half en route to a historic 43-point showing. The 34-year-old guard played in 32 minutes, going off for 43 points while breaking the WNBA record for threes in a game with TEN.
She finished the game shooting 16-of-21 from the field, 10-of-14 from three and a plus/minus of +16 in her time on the court.
McBride continues to impress in Year 13, enjoying not only one of her best seasons in Minnesota, but one of the best seasons of her entire career.
Creating More Space at No. 1
With the pair of victories, the Lynx continue to expand upon their lead atop the WNBA standings while locking up a playoff spot during the back-to-back as well — the first team in the league to clinch a spot in the postseason.
Minnesota has been atop the league standings all season long, and with 10 games left in the regular season it is sitting at 27-7 overall and looking like a lock to take home that No. 1 seed.
Through Sunday’s games, the Lynx are three games ahead of the Golden State Valkyries for the top seed. Minnesota owns a 2-0 season series advantage over Golden State, with the two teams set to face off twice more on Aug. 19 and Aug. 24.
Beyond that, the Lynx have a 4.5-game lead on Las Vegas, a six-game lead on Indiana and a 6.5-game lead on Washington, Atlanta and New York.
As the regular season winds down, it’s looking more and more like the Lynx will at least claim a top-two seed, currently holding a strong grasp on the top spot.
