The Minnesota Lynx had a 16-point win over the Los Angeles Sparks in a home game to mark their 12th win of the season and their seventh home win for an unbeaten run at home. They played against the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday, where they handed the 2023 WNBA champions their sixth loss of the season.
Minnesota 76 – 62 Aces
The Las Vegas Aces have struggled this season to have a consistent scoring streak both in the paint and outside. Despite posting a 37.5% 3-point game, the Aces were unable to secure a win as they had a high of 17 turnovers compared to the Lynx’s eight turnovers. A’ja Wilson did not play due to the concussion protocol she has been following for the past weeks. Her absence has strongly hurt the star-studded team, which has had a struggling start. The Lynx were held scoreless until the sixth minute while the Aces led by eight points.
It was a good start for the Aces, who finished the first half, 18-15. They maintained this momentum into the second quarter, finishing with nine more points (39-30). The third quarter was the difference maker for the Lynx. Despite a slow start, by the fifth minute, the two teams were going basket for basket until the last minute, when Natisha Hiedeman and Alanna Smith combined for six points to give the Lynx a lead of four points. In the fourth quarter, the Lynx held the Aces to only ten points while they enjoyed a 20-point quarter, which was their second-highest scoring quarter of the game.
Jewell Loyd led the Aces with 12 points and eight rebounds. Tiffany Mitchell scored 10 points and had five rebounds. And for the Lynx, Napheesa Collier had her lowest scoring game of the season with only seven points and six rebounds. She did not play the entire game as she left in the third quarter and did not return. Courtney Williams had a 20-point game with Hiedeman and Diamond Miller scoring 24 points off the bench.
Minnesota 82 – 66 Sparks
Throughout the game, the two teams exchanged leads and neither had a lead higher than 10 points throughout all three quarters until the fourth quarter. At halftime, the Sparks led by one point (35-34) after Kelsey Plum had a great second half despite a slow start in the first half.
The lead turned in the third quarter with the Lynx leading by three points and they maintained this momentum to blow away in the fourth quarter. Kayla McBride had a season high of 29 points. Williams had 18 points and Collier did not play. Plum had 15 points for the Sparks and was backed by Azurá Stevens, who had 11 points and Dearica Hamby with 13 points. Cameron Brink, Odyssey Sims, and Rae Burrell did not play.
