The Minnesota Lynx put on a defensive clinic against the Dream on Friday. Tonight that tried their best to follow that up as they went against Brittney Griner and the Phoenix Mercury. The Lynx knew coming into this game that they were one win away from a playoff spot in the WNBA Playoffs.
This game started out very sluggish on both ends but the Lynx quickly turned that around in the 2nd half. Phoenix was led by Moriah Jefferson who was clearly on one tonight as the young people say. She finished the game with 32 points and her teammate Brittney Griner was unstoppable as well with 17 points and 10 rebounds. The Lynx slowed the Mercury team down and focused on allowing their leaders to get the minimum. Dorka Juhasz is a rookie but I’ve already promoted her to sophomore the way she’s played this season. She’s had a physical weekend after dealing with the Dreams Parker and now dealing with Griner. Dorka was able to defend at a high level and she finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. Dorka’s looking like the steal of the WNBA Draft with her play this season by far.
Napheesa Collier became the 1st player in WNBA History to have consecutive games with 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Her game this season has been on another level and if she continues at this pace the Lynx will be tough to beat. Napheesa gave the Mercury problems tonight as she was able to grab offensive rebounds and get to her spots with ease tonight. When Phee plays like this the Lynx can only be stopped by themselves. Napheesa put the team on her back in that second half and was determined to lead this team to the postseason. Napheesa didn’t do it alone as her running mate Kayla McBride was shooting lights out and finished with 23 points. This has been my 1st season watching Kayla in person and her game is legit. The way that she’s been able to score but lockdown on the opposing offense has been special. She did that tonight as the Mercury had no answers for her or the Lynx.
The Lynx are heading to the 2023 WNBA Playoffs and the only thing we wait for now is seeding for what will shape out to be a very competitive run. Shoutout to Coach Reeve on her 300th Career Win in the WNBA as well.
Photo Credit: David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images
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