Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve faces a tough decision.
Should she rest some of her starters in the final game before the playoffs, or is she better off playing them in hopes that they break out of a recent slump and sharpen up for the postseason?
The answer will arrive when Minnesota (32-11) tips off against the Indiana Fever (28-15) on Thursday night in Minneapolis. It marks the final game of the regular season for both teams.
The Lynx already have locked up the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. But they have skidded recently with losses in four of their past five games, including a 96-77 blowout defeat Tuesday night at Indiana.
Lynx guard Olivia Miles was a late scratch because of a left calf injury. The starters who played struggled, and Reeve rested four of them for the entire second half with the game out of hand.
Reeve said she kept the starters on the bench because she did not want to risk injuries with the playoffs beginning Sunday.
Lynx forward Napheesa Collier understood her coach’s frustration.
“We should be disappointed and embarrassed by the product we put on the floor (Tuesday),” Collier said.
Meanwhile, the Fever are feeling good after winning four of their past five contests. They entered Wednesday’s action with the No. 5 playoff seed.
Caitlin Clark approached a triple-double with 27 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in the win over Minnesota. She will try to maintain her success as the home-and-home series shifts north.
Aliyah Boston said she and her teammates on the Fever needed to keep up their intensity.
“I think for us it’s about staying poised and staying composed,” Boston said. “We talk about it a lot. There’s always going to be ebbs and flows, but I think just the way that we respond has to be pretty level-headed.”
Clark said the Fever were confident facing any team, including the top-seeded Lynx.
“We’re scary when we’re clicking,” Clark said. “We’re the best offensive team in the league, and we’ve shown moments where we can be really good defensively. …
“I feel very confident in everything and everybody that we have in this locker room.”
Kelsey Mitchell leads Indiana with 25.0 points per game. Clark ranks second with 22.8 points per game and Boston rounds out the top three with 16.4 points per game.
Miles is Minnesota’s top scorer with 19.8 points per game. Kayla McBride and Collier are tied for second on the scoring list with 17.5 points per contest.
–Field Level Media
