Lynx gameday
7 P.M. VS. tulsa • Target Center• No TV, 106.1 FM
Lynx update: The Lynx begin their quest for a third WNBA title in five years in a healthier place than they were a year ago. In 2014, they opened the season without forwards Rebekkah Brunson and Devereaux Peters and guard Monica Wright for extended periods because of knee surgeries. That said, there are some minor concerns. New center Asjha Jones is likely out for two weeks recovering from a blood deficiency, though she did some limited work in practice Thursday. Wright is questionable for Friday because of a calf injury. Damiris Dantas will start in Jones' place.
Tulsa update: Looking to make the playoffs for the first time since the franchise moved to Tulsa from Detroit in 2010, the Shock is a young, athletic team that led the WNBA in scoring (88.3) and field-goal percentage (46.0) last season. Guard Skylar Diggins, already a star — she averaged 20.1 points last season, second in the WNBA — is on the verge of becoming one of the league's best players. Center Courtney Paris has always given the Lynx trouble, and the signing of Plenette Pierson and the drafting of former Gophers star Amanda Zahui B. gives the Shock a strong frontcourt despite the fact that Glory Johnson, who already was to serve a seven-game suspension, now will miss the season entirely because she is pregnant.
Kent Youngblood
