Lynx take step up in competition, get knocked down in blowout loss to Aces
Stringing together victories in the WNBA isn't easy. Still, the Lynx had doubters during a five-game winning streak that helped them get to .500 after an 0-6 start this season.
The biggest knock against Minnesota's turnaround was relatively inferior competition.
The combined record of Lynx's opponents in those five consecutive victories was 13-42 after Sunday's game, a bit different than the 17-2 record of the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces.
The surging Lynx couldn't reinforce just how far they have comet. A career-high and franchise-record 40 points from Kelsey Plum ended their winning streak as the Aces won in blowout fashion 113-89 in front of 7,701 at Target Center.
"I don't think we have a locker room that thought they had arrived," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. "Teams go on runs and have good parts of the season. The schedule has a lot to do with that. … You still have to beat the teams."
The Lynx (9-10), who lost for the first time since June 22 against Connecticut, shot 50% and had Napheesa Collier and Diamond Miller combine for 33 points, but they committed 14 turnovers. Their starters were outscored 89-58.
If anyone had to guess which player might have a 40-point night, they probably would've guessed Collier, ranked third in the WNBA in scoring with 22 points per game. Plum, one of four WNBA All-Stars on the Aces, averaged 17.8 points, but she shot 14-for-18 from the field and 6-for-9 from three-point range Sunday.
Reeve felt she could've gotten Collier more involved offensively (she was 7-for-9 from the field), but the Lynx allowed too many uncontested shots at the rim and gave up 17-for-39 shooting from beyond the arc.
"Our team defense was really lacking," Reeve said. "Plum made everything, obviously. Made her threes. Made her floaters. Got to the rim and made her layups. I just [wanted] the points in the paint she was getting to be a little harder. We just weren't there for each other."
Plum's offensive explosion included 24 second-half points to help the Aces (17-2) bounce back after their nine-game win streak was snapped in an 80-78 loss Friday against Dallas. The WNBA's highest-scoring team at 92.6 points per game, Las Vegas hit its first seven shots Sunday on the way to shooting 59.7% from the field.
Ex-Gophers star Rachel Banham, who scored 10 points, nailed an off-balanced buzzer-beating three-pointer going into halftime, but the Lynx still trailed 54-42.
Collier scored 10 of her 18 points in the second half. Miller had 15 points but shot 7-for-19 from the field, including 2-for-8 in the second half. Minnesota's gifted rookie often got into the paint but couldn't finish against Las Vegas' long and physical frontcourt of A'Ja Wilson and Kiah Stokes, who combined for 17 rebounds and seven of their team's 11 blocks.
"If two people are there, then someone is open," Miller said. "Just [need to work on] simple things like that and making game reads. Missing all those shots didn't help us tonight."
BOXSCORE: Las Vegas 113, Lynx 89
The Lynx showed they could overcome Collier and Miller not having big scoring games in their victory over Phoenix. The Lynx got 31 points off the bench Sunday, but they left much to be desired defensively. That's what it has been like facing Las Vegas previously.
In the first two meetings, the Lynx lost to the Aces by a combined 52 points, including a 31-point shellacking on June 18. But Reeve didn't think her team needed to beat Las Vegas to legitimize the winning streak. They're still figuring out how far they need to go to contend.
"The Aces are good," Reeve said. "Plum was exceptional. I was hoping for a little more resistance than what we got."
