One defensive stop and everyone associated with the Lynx would have walked out of the Target Center Wednesday afternoon feeling very differently.
If the Lynx had two key defensive breakdowns and had held on to win, the Lynx would have headed into the All Star break on a five-game winning streak having won a game without Seimone Augustus and Lindsay Whalen playing and despite Maya Moore having a 9-for-32 shooting night.
That, of course, didn't happen. So, in light of their 78-77 overtime loss, here are some thoughts:
--Moore struggled mightily for her shots. And even coach Cheryl Reeve said she might have been forcing it a little bit. But I'll say this: Moore worked very hard for all of the 45 minutes she was on the court tonight. She set the Lynx record with her eighth straight game with 20 or more points, had eight rebounds, five assists and a block.
--Devereaux Peters played very well at the three tonight. Reeve went with a big lineup against the Sun, and it very nearly worked. Peters scored 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting with seven rebounds and a block.
--Renee Montgomery played under some very difficult circumstances. Battling a stomach virus, she had to get IV fluids Wednesday morning. She played 12 minutes, hit her first shot – a three pointer – but finished with four points on 1-for-6 shooting. But her play should improve over her health. She is, by the way, giddy about her return to Minnesota. "Who wouldn't want to be traded to the best team in the league," she asked.
--Rebekkah Brunson had a very big game tonight, scoring 14 points and muscling herself to 15 rebounds, six on the offensive end. She also had three steals and three assists.
--Tricia Liston got her first WNBA start, but she ended up playing just 16 minutes after Reeve went to her bigger lineup. At times Liston looked to be struggling on the defensive end.
--Center Asjha Jones scored 12 points, her third straight game in double figures. She and Anna Cruz were the only Lynx players with a positive plus/minus number today.
That's about it for now. Have a good rest of the week.
