Olivia Miles scored 26 points, and Napheesa Collier added 22 as the Minnesota Lynx beat the Las Vegas Aces 98-87 on Saturday at Target Center.
Olivia Miles scored 26 points and Napheesa Collier added 22 as the Minnesota Lynx beat the Las Vegas Aces 98-87 on Saturday afternoon at Target Center.
Minnesota made a season-high 15 3-pointers on 15-of-29 shooting from behind the arc. The Lynx turned 16 Las Vegas turnovers into 22 points and finished with 24 assists to 17. Minnesota improved to 26-7, the best record in the WNBA.
All five Minnesota starters scored in double figures. Natasha Howard had 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals, with 6 of the rebounds coming on the offensive glass. Courtney Williams added 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and a block. It was Williams' fifth game this season with at least 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, and the 62nd of her career.
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said the players reacted in the locker room when she told them Las Vegas had been held under 40% for three quarters, and that the reaction had been a while coming.
"Yeah, we obviously found our footing after the first quarter," Reeve said. "Held them to 37% the rest of the way. Points in the paint had a lot to do with that.
"First quarter, they had their way inside. Thought that there were things that we were guarding pretty well, and then all of a sudden we'd have a breakdown. Somebody off-ball not paying attention, or an easy putback, that sort of thing. But we found our way, and thought we were relatively hard to play against in most possessions."
Las Vegas shot 61.1% in the first quarter on 11-of-18 from the floor. The Aces went 19-of-51 over the final three quarters. Kayla McBride scored 12 points in the opening 10 minutes and made all 4 of her 3-pointers in the quarter, and Miles banked in a buzzer-beater from just beyond half-court for a 28-25 Minnesota lead.
Jackie Young converted all three free throws after being fouled beyond the arc in the second quarter, and Young and NaLyssa Smith later added a pair apiece to bring Las Vegas within a point. Collier found Miles at the top of the key for a 3-pointer and a 49-45 halftime score.
Reeve said she did not think the officiating was a factor and that Minnesota's shooting from 3-point range meant free throws did not cost the Lynx.
"Yeah. I just thought we had the right mindset and not giving her space to be in an iso, where she's so darn good," Reeve explained. "I thought most times she kind of had to think about where we were, and that's certainly the path to— We just didn't want her to have 37, you know. We wanted to make her earn it. If she was gonna score 20 on us, that she earned it. And I think by and large that was the case, and having bodies near her, and we, uh—
"It's a challenge guarding that team. There's a lot of different things you have to worry about. And they're obviously very well-versed in whose turn it is and what the action is and getting what they want. And so, with those challenges, to find success here at home, that was good for us."
A'ja Wilson finished with 16 points and 8 rebounds on 5-of-17 shooting. Collier blocked 3 of her attempts. Wilson entered the game with 6,491 career points and now has 6,507, becoming the second player in league history with at least 6,500 points, 2,500 rebounds, and 500 blocked shots. She reached the mark in 106 fewer games than Candace Parker.
Dorka Juhasz found Williams on the wing for a 3-pointer late in the third quarter, and Williams set up Juhasz for a 3 from the top of the key on the next possession to make it 66-55. Las Vegas answered with a 7-0 run keyed by a three-point play from Young. Collier scored the next seven points, including back-to-back 3-pointers off feeds from Miles.
Collier said Minnesota emphasized helping down against Wilson and that no single defender stops her.
"A lot, especially with it being at home," Collier said. "I don't think we've defended our home court the way that we have wanted to this year. And so going against a good team like Vegas at home, especially after, like you said, the performance that we had last game, I think we came in knowing that we had to take care of business. Putting a really big emphasis on our defense especially, and that's the mindset we need coming into every game.
"This is the end of the season. People are gonna play even harder because we're working for playoff spots now—some teams to be in the playoffs, some teams for seeding—and so every game is gonna be hard. And so we need to come with that correct mindset as well.
"We wanna make sure that we're sharpening all of our tools as much as we can heading into the playoffs, so that we're putting ourselves in the best position to be successful."
Los Angeles beat Minnesota 89-82 on Thursday at Target Center, ending a 10-game Lynx winning streak.
Collier shot 7-of-14 from the floor and 5-of-7 from 3-point range. The 5 made 3s were a career high, and she became the fourth different Lynx player to make 5 or more in a game this season, joining Nia Coffey, Miles, and McBride.
Collier said Minnesota got what it wanted on points in the paint after the first quarter.
"I think the first couple times I shot-faked and they weren't biting, so it's like, all right, I guess I'm shooting tonight," Collier explained.
Aces coach Becky Hammon said the team has had to learn off film on this trip because there is no room to practice while traveling.
"Yeah, it was like swarm ball, you know?" Hammon said. "I thought our spacing didn't help us at times. And then also just a sense of urgency to get the ball out. This team is gonna stay there and put two on the— They're gonna make you pass. I thought they dared us to pass today, and we just didn't pass the ball well enough to beat a good defensive team today.
"So their crowds, the amount of bodies that they put around the ball, became a real—I mean, a positive factor for them, 'cause we were just not able to get the ball back out and swung to people that were wide open when you put that many people on the ball. So I would describe it as swarm ball, and we didn't do a good job handling it."
Hammon said Minnesota's shooters got comfortable after a first quarter she called atrocious defensively.
"Just what I said," Hammon explained. "Swarm ball. And instead of anticipating those double and triple teams coming, we ran to them, let them double and triple team, and then tried to pass it out. So just really poor execution on how to attack a defense that's gonna put that kind of pressure and multiple defenders on the ball."
Young led Las Vegas with 23 points on 6-of-13 shooting and went 8-of-8 at the free throw line. Smith had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the game's only double-double. Dana Evans scored 11, a season high since returning from injury on June 12, and Jewell Loyd added 10. Young, Wilson, and Miles each committed 5 turnovers.
Young said the approach on the trip has been to avoid getting too high or too low with a game every other day.
"I think, well, I had too many obviously on my part," Young said. "I just gotta get rid of it a little bit earlier. Obviously we know they're gonna be heavy nail and low man rotation, so I just have to be able to read that defense a little bit better. So a lot of those turnovers are on me. But yeah, I just have to get rid of it early."
Las Vegas outscored Minnesota 23-5 off the bench and shot 17-of-18 at the free throw line. The Lynx went 9-of-10 at the line, their seventh game this season at 90% or better and the 121st in franchise history. Las Vegas grabbed 12 offensive rebounds to 9 for Minnesota and scored 18 second-chance points to 14.
Loyd said a lot of the turnovers were uncharacteristic and came from rushing passes when a second defender showed.
"Just making quick decisions," Loyd said. "You know that they like to load up, so trying to move the ball as quick as possible, and the ball will find the energy and rhythm.
"So we were just trying to attack and play to our strengths."
Loyd was called for a foul on a closeout of a McBride jump shot in the fourth quarter that was upgraded to a Flagrant 1. McBride made all three free throws, and Collier followed with two more to put Minnesota up 85-72. Miles scored 10 points in the quarter.
Loyd said the ball went through her hands on one pass she does not normally drop.
"I mean, that's just the rule," Loyd explained. "Whether you think it's fair or not, you got to let people land.
"That's the rule. Obviously, I'm not trying to do anything malicious to anybody, any shooter. As a shooter myself, I understand that. But sometimes that's just how the cookie crumbles."
Miles shot 11-of-23 from the floor and added 7 assists, 4 rebounds, and a steal. It was her 12th game this season with at least 20 points and 5 assists, and she became the fastest player in league history to reach 600 points and 150 assists.
Collier did not play in the teams' first meeting this season. Miles said she carried more of the offensive load without Collier and is now learning to share the floor with her.
"I mean, it's everything," Miles said. "Obviously Defensive Player of the Year caliber player every single year. And having her to stop one of, if not the best player in the league is very important. And obviously for her to produce like that on the offensive end after playing such tough defense is even more impressive. Given that, what, it's her sixth game? Fifth game, sixth game back? She's playing really well, so I'm proud of her."
Seven Minnesota players recorded a steal: McBride, Howard, and Williams with 2 apiece, and Collier, Miles, Coffey, and Maya Caldwell with 1 each. The Lynx finished with 10 steals to 3 for the Aces and scored 38 points in the paint to 34.
Minnesota posted on social media after the game that it had clinched a playoff berth. The WNBA said tiebreaker scenarios, while unlikely, still left the Lynx short of securing a spot with Saturday's win.
Wilson has scored in double figures in a league-leading 55 straight games. Chelsea Gray's run of 20 consecutive games with at least 4 assists is the longest in the league. Loyd passed Lisa Leslie for 15th on the WNBA career scoring list and now has 6,272 points.
Las Vegas played without Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, who is in concussion protocol, and Justine Pissott, who has a right leg injury. The Aces erased a 20-point deficit to beat Indiana 86-84 earlier in the week.
Las Vegas plays at New York on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET on ABC. Minnesota hosts the Dallas Wings on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
