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 inferior competition. The combined record of Lynx’s opponents in five consecutive victories was 12-42 entering Sunday’s game against the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces.
The surging Lynx couldn’t prove just how far they have come Sunday night. A career-high and franchise-record 40 points from Kelsey Plum ended their winning streak as the Aces won 113-89 at Target Center.
The Lynx (9-10), who lost for the first time since falling to Connecticut on June 22, had Napheesa Collier and Diamond Miller combine for 33 points, but Lynx starters were outscored 89-58.
Plum’s offensive explosion helped the Aces (17-2) bounce back after watching their nine-game win streak snapped in an 80-78 loss Friday against Dallas. They were back on track from the start at Target Center. The WNBA’s highest scoring team at 92.6 points per game hit its first seven shots Sunday on the way to shooting 59.7% from the field.
Miller scored seven of her team’s first nine points in the second quarter to keep the Lynx within striking distance. But even ex-Gophers star Rachel Banham’s buzzer-beating three-pointer only got the Lynx within 54-42 at halftime.
Coach Cheryl Reeve made it clear that Collier snatching the role of franchise player was the biggest difference during Minnesota’s win streak. The fourth-year forward ranked third in the WNBA in scoring entering Sunday with 22 points per game, including three 30-point performances during a recent four-game stretch.
Reeve needed another breakout game from Collier to keep up with a Las Vegas squad with four all-stars, but she took only nine shots on the night compared 19 attempts by Miller, who had 15 points.
The Lynx showed they could overcome Collier having a slow night offensively Friday when she had just 12 points in a 75-64 win against Phoenix. The Lynx got 31 points off the bench Sunday, but they left much to be desired defensively.
The Aces were comfortable early and often by playing through A’ja Wilson in the post to provide open looks from their outside shooters. Plum, who shot 14-for-18 from the field, hit six of her team’s 17 threes.
In the first two meetings, the Lynx lost to the Aces by a combined 52 points, including a 31-point shellacking on June 18. There was a much different vibe Sunday with a large crowd seemingly hyped about Minnesota’s win streak entering a big game vs. Las Vegas.
Reeve had no clue what the identity of her team was during a six-game losing streak to open the season, but how to play winning basketball got clearer in the last few weeks. Now it’s up to the Lynx to not let one loss steal the momentum before the all-star break next weekend.