It will be a battle of two of the best teams in the WNBA on Saturday night when the Minnesota Lynx pay a visit to the Las Vegas Aces.
The Lynx (28-7) have won three consecutive games and own the best record in the league. The reigning champion Aces (24-11) are third overall and four games behind the Lynx.
Minnesota survived at Portland on Wednesday, winning 85-81 after leading by as many as 26 in the first half, and improved to a league best 14-2 on the road.
If the league leaders learned anything, it is that they have another gear at their disposal when they need it.
“It builds character when you have something like that, being up 29 and having to grind it out,” veteran Lynx guard Kayla McBride said.
McBride finished with 19 points and was one of five players in double figures. Rookie Olivia Miles scored 13 and dished out seven assists as she became the fastest in league history to reach 650 points and 200 assists.
Miles leads the team in scoring (19.1 points) and assists (6.1) per game, while trying to chase down the Rookie of the Year Award.
Las Vegas is fresh off clinching a playoff spot. The Aces defeated the Washington Mystics 83-76 on Thursday behind a season-high 32 points from Jackie Young, while winning for the sixth time in their last nine games.
Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon lauded her team’s ability to stand its ground late in the game.
“A couple of games now, back-to-back games that we’ve won the fourth quarters, so we like that,” Hammon said. “That’s been a little of a struggle area for us, but I see our defense picking up.”
It marked the Aces’ second victory over the Mystics in a span of three days, while holding their opponent to 76 points in each game. A’ja Wilson leads the team in scoring at 25.9 points and also leads in rebounding at 9.7 per game.
Minnesota and Las Vegas have split the two previous meetings this season, with the Lynx earning a 98-87 home victory over the Aces last Saturday. Las Vegas is 11-5 at home.
–Field Level Media
