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Lynx have lost the magic that sparked them to wins over Aces, Sky

The Minnesota Lynx are a team that you never count out because they have Cheryl Reeve, Sylvia Fowles and the championship culture left over from the dynasty years. But the team is back to its 2022 struggling ways after a brief sign of hope.

By Zachary Ward
/ new
Minnesota Lynx v Phoenix Mercury
Nikolina Milić (with ball) had 12 points and five rebounds in defeat on Friday.
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The last time we checked in on the Minnesota Lynx, they had defeated the Phoenix Mercury 118-107 in double overtime and gained a game on each of the next five teams above them in the standings to place themselves just 1.5 games back of a three-way tie for sixth.

The time before that, we were talking about how they had just defeated the two best teams in the league in back-to-back games, including a blowout win over the Las Vegas Aces.

But the Lynx have gone 1-3 since their win over the Mercury, with the lone win coming over the last-place Indiana Fever, the one WNBA team that has already been eliminated from playoff contention. Minnesota (10-18) is in second-to-last and is two games back of a two-way tie for eighth with eight games to go. As we wrote about the New York Liberty before they beat the Chicago Sky on Saturday, things are getting dire for the Lynx, who are now a half a game behind the Liberty.

Minnesota’s latest loss to the Connecticut Sun on Friday was only by 10, but the final score wasn’t indicative of how comfortable a win it was for CT. Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve was not happy with the defense her team played (94 points allowed) and said “it’s not a good night for the Lynx” when the Sun could be heard celebrating Alyssa Thomas’ triple-double during her press conference. That was at Target Center no less.

The Lynx shot a phenomenal 54.8 percent against Connecticut and outrebounded the Sun 28-22, but their defense just could not get it done, allowing 55.2 percent from the field and 10-of-21 (47.6 percent) from three. They also turned the ball over 17 times, losing that margin by eight.

Last Sunday against the Mystics, offense was the problem as the Lynx lost 70-57. They shot 33.3 percent from the field, 4-of-20 (20 percent) from three and turned the ball over 16 times.

Minnesota faces the Sun again on Sunday, again at Target Center, hoping for a better result. The Lynx haven't missed the playoffs since 2010, but are definitely in danger of snapping that streak.

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