The Minnesota Lynx came into this game off of a back-to-back against the Las Vegas Aces where they beat them 98-87. About 24 hours later they had Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings coming into town trying to get a victory. Paige Bueckers is coming into today’s game average and 20.1 points per game for the Dallas Wings and she’s been an MVP candidate all season long. If the Minnesota Lynx were going to win this game it starts with shutting down the homegrown Paige Bueckers as the number one draft pick Azzi Fudd was still out due to injury.
The Minnesota Lynx have been finding a rhythm with Napheesa Collier back in the lineup after her injury. You can tell she’s getting her legs back as she’s been able to play alongside Olivia Miles who’s been spectacular throughout the whole season but both have been learning to play with each other. The great thing is Napheesa Collier can actually take her time with these games to get back into the swing of things but she’s using her defense to create offense for her teammates. Today against the Dallas Wings was a perfect example of that where she had multiple steals and deflections that affected the games outcome. In the first quarter both teams were playing great defense and the offense was stagnant but as soon as that second quarter hit things changed for the Minnesota Lynx. Napheesa has been getting back in the swing of things and when her defense catches up with her offense then the WNBA will be in serious trouble.
Kayla McBride put on a shooting display from three point land that no one has ever seen before in the WNBA. Some of the shots that Kayla McBride was making today were contested, and it didn’t even matter because she was out of this world with her performance. It seemed like Kayla was able to get her shot off whenever she wanted and she made the Wings pay. Every time the Wings went on a run it was Kayla McBride who was able to stop the bleeding with her clutch shooting ability. When it comes to mastering the art of the jumper people need to watch Kayla McBride as she was hitting 3 pointer after 3 pointer the Wings had no answer for her. Kayla was able to get to her spots and was cashing in on every defensive breakdown today.
KMac was on fire and when someone’s shooting as good as she is you definitely don’t want to go to halftime because sometimes the break will cool you down. Well in Kayla’s return to the court she continued to light up the Dallas Wings defense on her way to a historical 10 three pointers performance which was a WNBA single game record. The part that will get missed in all of this is the fact she was able to put up a career high 43 points while guarding Paige Bueckers. Even thought Paige finished with 23 points on 10/15 shooting from the field Kayla McBride was there with her every step of the way contesting every shot. This game defined who Kayla McBride is as a person and player as she was able to showcase why she’s one of the best in the world at what she does on the court.
Olivia Miles will be the side note to this game but the rookie was outstanding today as she finished with 20 points and 13 assists against the Wings. Olivia Miles has been able to grow as the season has gone along and she has let the game come to her. Nothing about Miles game seems forced and that’s what makes her special to watch on a nightly basis. You can tell she wants to get her vets the ball and she can take over at any moment if she needs to as well. Olivia knew KMac was on fire today and was giving her the ball whenever she had the chance. Olivia has some great players alongside her to learn from and she has been able to get in the driver seat when the team needs her to be aggressive.
The Lynx have the next couple of days off as they will be back in action in Portland on Wednesday night. It will be interesting to see how Kayla McBride follows up her 43 point performance today in Portland as wants to continue to stay HOT.
Photo Credit: Matt Krohn / Getty Images
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