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Lynx guard Aerial Powers breaks out of slump with help from … Michael Jordan

Aerial Powers hadn’t experienced a shooting slump since she was in college at Michigan State, and even that stretch may not have rivaled her early-season struggles this spring.

Through five games, the shooting guard made just 14 of 57 shots from the field — 24.6 percent — and 2 of 15 from deep. Not good.

Powers wasn’t feeling well ahead of Thursday’s game in Las Vegas. She was congested with cold-like symptoms, and Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve asked Powers if she felt like maybe she wanted to sit the game out.

Not a chance. She was playing.

Reeve and Lynx wing Bridget Carleton then reminded Powers of Michael Jordan’s famous “flu game,” in which he scored 38 points in an NBA Finals game after apparently battling a stiff case of food poisoning.

That was an ironic message from teammate and coach, given the person Powers reached out to the night before the game was Michael Jordan.

“I texted Michael Jordan (on Wednesday) night, and I told him, ‘I’m shooting bad. I’m in a shooting slump. I’ve never been in a shooting slump before,’ ” Powers said.

She was out of answers. Powers had made a point to put in extra work, getting up additional shots before and after practice. But the reps weren’t leading to results.

Jordan said that Powers was pressing.

“He said, ‘Let the game come to you,’ ” Powers said.

He didn’t want Powers putting up even more practice reps — she was clearly doing the requisite work, so that wasn’t the issue. She just needed to relax. Powers said she felt like she did that in Tuesday’s victory over the Sparks, yet she went 1 for 9 in that game, including a number of missed open looks.

“And he said, ‘That’s OK, just take a break and let the game come to you,’ ” Powers said.

So that’s what Powers tried to do in Las Vegas. The result was a breakout offensive performance in which she scored a season-high 25 points on 9-for-21 shooting.

“I just relaxed and played my game,” Powers said, “so, shoutout to Michael Jordan.”

It was exactly the advice she needed to hear. Because during the slump, Powers said every miss just felt “heavier and heavier.”

“I felt like in the last couple of games, it’s like every miss felt like it was another brick on my back,” Powers said.

Jordan reminded her that it’s OK to miss shots. It’s part of the game. Powers put that advice into practice. When she missed a good look, she thought ‘Whatever,’ then went back to playing defense and didn’t hesitate to put up a shot on her next good look. It was a healthier way to approach the game.

“Those few games where I was like 1 of 10, 1 of 12, it was like, ‘OK, what the hell is going on?’ ” Powers said. “Now I’m tense in all my shots, and I don’t want to feel that way. You shouldn’t feel like that.”

You want to feel the way Powers felt Thursday. She did say she wanted to get another good performance under her belt before she felt the proverbial monkey was off her back.

“I definitely feel like I’m shaking that monkey off me a little bit,” Powers said. “I put a lot of work in that maybe people don’t see. So it’s not like I can’t shoot, I think I was just in my head a little more than usual. Because usually I’m a confident player, and I wasn’t playing with that confidence. So just relaxing and letting the game come to me.”

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