Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams is aware of the doubters.
Yes, the Lynx lost a few key players to free agency and the WNBA expansion draft during the offseason. Yes, the Lynx have lost others to injuries to start the season.
No, Williams and the Lynx do not plan to go away quietly.
“We know what we’ve got,” Williams said. “We don’t worry about what those folks got to say. They’re just going to have to see what we do.”
Minnesota (2-1) will go for its third win in a row when it tips off against the Chicago Sky (2-1) on Sunday evening in Minneapolis.
The contest will mark the Lynx’s first home game since their season opener against the Atlanta Dream. They squandered a lead to lose that game 91-90, but they bounced back on the road with back-to-back four-point wins over the Phoenix Mercury and Dallas Wings.
Defense is the key to the team’s recent success, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said.
“We couldn’t have played any worse defensively in the first half (of our most recent game),” Reeve said. “We really committed at halftime to play like we know how to play. … We just stuck with it. That’s what I appreciate about this group.”
Chicago also is off to a good start this season.
The Sky started off with back-to-back wins over the expansion Portland Fire and the second-year Golden State Valkyries. They lost 91-83 to the Mercury in their most recent contest.
Rickea Jackson leads the Sky with 22 points per game to go along with 6.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 blocked shots per contest. She is in her first season with Chicago after spending the previous two seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks.
Sky coach Tyler Marsh said Jackon’s skill-set on offense was impossible to ignore. Jackson scored 29 points in her last game and tried to lead a second-half comeback.
“We were communicating with her to stick with it, we’re going to keep finding you the ball, because that’s what her ability commands,” Marsh said. “That’s who she is for us. We were able to get her some clean looks, and sometimes she was able to make things happen.”
Behind Jackson, Kamilla Cardoso ranks second on the Sky with 12.3 points and a team-high 9.7 rebounds per game. Skylar Diggins rounds out the top three scorers with 12.0 points per contest, but her status is uncertain after she was hit in the face against Phoenix and needed to leave the game.
Minnesota’s top scorer is rookie guard Olivia Miles, the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft. The TCU product is averaging 16.3 points and 7.0 assists in her first three games.
Natasha Howard and Williams are tied for second with 15.3 points per game. Kayla McBride is not far behind with 15.0 points per game.
The Lynx will play their first game since losing rookie Emma Cechova to injury. Cechova injured her knee against Dallas, and subsequent tests showed that she suffered a torn ACL.
In three games, Cechova averaged 8.3 points and 3.7 rebounds.
–Field Level Media
