The Minnesota Lynx know they will battle for the Commissioner’s Cup in less than two weeks.
For now, however, the Lynx do not want that opportunity to become a distraction. They will try to stay focused on non-tourney action when they play the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday night in Minneapolis.
This will be the third matchup of the season between the Lynx (11-1) and the Sparks (4-9). Minnesota has won each of the first two games: an 89-75 road win over the Sparks on May 18 and a 101-78 home win last Saturday.
Kelsey Plum, who missed Los Angeles’ most recent game because of a leg injury, will return for Saturday’s game. She leads the team with 20.9 points and 5.6 assists per game on the season.
Meanwhile, the Lynx hope to have their top scorer, Napheesa Collier, available to play. Collier left her most recent game because of a back injury, and she finished with seven points in 19 minutes.
This season, Collier is averaging 24.4 points and 8.5 rebounds, both tops on the team.
The Lynx have won 11 of their first 12 games thanks in large part to their depth — a factor that could prove to be important if Collier is limited or cannot play. Minnesota rallied to beat the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday night as Diamond Miller came off the bench to score 12 points in 14 minutes.
Miller, who battled injuries for most of last season, got emotional after the performance.
“This moment means a lot to me,” Miller said.
Her contributions going forward could mean a lot to the Lynx, too.
“She has been through a lot,” teammate Natisha Hiedeman said. “But her bringing her energy, being a good teammate despite all the stuff she’s been through? She just shows up, every day, with a smile on her face. I don’t know how she does that.”
The Sparks will look for a bright spot after losing two games in a row, three of their past four and six of their past eight. Injuries have hindered Los Angeles throughout the season.
Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said she has confidence in her team in the long term.
“I still believe strongly in this group, and we’re not even close to full strength,” Roberts said. “We have Kelsey Plum, Odyssey Sims, Julie Allemand, Rae Burrell and Cameron Brink all out. And when we’re going into the season, we’re thinking, Plum, Sims, Allemand, Burrell and Brink are all going to be huge parts. So we cannot lose perspective.”
–Field Level Media
