Greeting for a final time tonight from Target Center, where the Lynx held off the Sparks 82-76.
It was an entertaining, if often sloppy game. Not surprising considering Sylvia Fowles was playing her first game for the Lynx and Candace Parker her first for the Sparks.
Here are some final thoughts on the game:
--Fowles started, played 26 minutes and was very, very tired at the end. But she scored 11 points and had five rebounds and three steals. Afterward she said her timing was off and would get better. But even so there were moments where her defense and rebounding were impressive. The Lynx allowed the Sparks two offensive rebounds all night. Think about that. Minnesota wouldn't have won without that and….
--The turnovers. Four of five Lynx starters had three steals. Minnesota forced 22 L.A. turnovers and scored 21 points of them. That, plus rebounding is why the Lynx won despite allowing L.A. to shoot 56.4 percent.
--Anna Cruz left the game late in the fourth quarter with a sprained right ankle. She was helped off the court and limped out of the arena bowl to the locker room. But she was moving relatively well after the game and said it was not a bad sprain. She even spoke hopefully about playing Friday.
--Lindsay Whalen hadn't played in 10 games, missing one game and the All Star game with an eye injury. Well, she came back strong, scoring 24 points on 8-for-15 shooting with six assists.
--Maya Moore extended her franchise record for consecutive 20-point games to nine with her 27-point performance tonight. She wasn't always on, going 9-for-22 overall. But she had two key late hoops to seal this game.
That's about it for now. Have a good Thursday and I'll get back to you after practice tomorrow.
