Greetings after a very entertaining game here tonight at Target Center.
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve has been saying for a few days that she felt her team was turning a corner after a difficult month of August.
Tonight, even with Seimone Augustus and Lindsay Whalen both out with injuries, the Lynx offense looked very, very good at times.
The victory trimmed the Lynx's magic number to one. One more victory or one loss by Phoenix and the Western Conference title is Minnesota's. Sunday the Lynx will host New York in a battle for the WNBA's best record.
Here are the notes from tonight's game:
--It appears Maya Moore will be OK. There was 2:55 left in the third quarter when Moore and Sylvia Fowles both went for a rebound. Fowles won. Moore's nose and Fowles' elbow collided. There was some blood. The good news: The nose doesn't appear to be broken,and Moore said she's already been given, and passed, some concussion tests. So she should be OK sooner rather than later, though we don't know for sure whether she'll play Sunday against New York.
--This was Rebekkah Brunson's best game in a long, long time. Dominant defense on Tamika Catchings, 14 points, 11 rebounds. If she can score 10-12 points a game from here on out the Lynx will be tough to beat.
--And how about Fowles, who scored Minnesota's first seven points, finishing with 18 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks?
--I continue to like what Anna Cruz and Renee Montgomery can do together on a court. I'm not saying the Lynx don't need Lindsay Whalen and Seimone Augustus back. They do. With Cruz and Montgomery the Lynx are smaller at guard. But they defend the perimeter very well. And, Friday, both guards were very good. Cruz had 12 points, getting to the rim with her quickness. She also had six assists and four rebounds. Montgomery hit three three-pointers, scored 13 points with seven assists and three rebounds.
--So, to summarize, the inside combination of Fowles and Brunson was good for 32 points and 25 rebounds, while the starting guards had 25 points and 13 assists.
--Both Devereaux Peters and Tricia Liston had some very good minutes off the bench at key times. Peters hit two three-pointers from the right corner, scoring eight points with three rebounds. Liston? After the Fever had cut the Lynx lead to eight in the fourth, Liston hit two straight jumpers, the second one a three-pointer, to push the lead back to double figures.
That's about all for now. I'll get back to you after Sunday's game.
