The Minnesota Lynx hold a commanding lead for the top playoff seed. A win against the Los Angeles Sparks Friday night would go a long way toward securing it. The Lynx hold a 3.5-game lead over the Sparks and would clinch the regular season series with a victory; the Lynx defeated the Sparks 88-77 on July 6.
The series tiebreaker isn’t the only imperative for Los Angeles entering Friday’s match-up at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The Sparks are only two games ahead of the Connecticut Sun for the second seed, which awards an automatic berth to the semifinal round. Both teams have nine games remaining. With the Sun on a four-game winning streak, a Sparks loss could set up a frenetic fight for the second seed.
Minnesota’s major change
The Lynx have two games of experience with Renee Montgomery as the point guard while Lindsay Whalen recovers from a hand injury. After a loss on the road at Indiana, Minnesota bounced back to sweep the regular season series against Atlanta.
Not surprisingly, Montgomery’s involvement influenced the outcome of both games. She couldn’t generate much against Indiana, getting just two points and three assists. Montgomery stepped up against Atlanta with 13 points and 6 assists, including a buzzer-beater triple at the end of the third quarter to stem an Atlanta run.
“When you come off the bench, you have less room for error…because you have to come in there and impact the game in some type of positive manner. When you’re playing lead guard, you can feel your way in through the game. You don’t have to worry about trying to do too much in a hurry,” Montgomery told reporters following a Thursday practice.
Montgomery is among Minnesota’s many symbols of their depth. Although Whalen is the stronger facilitator, Montgomery’s quickness and defensive skill carries strong value; Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve still references Montgomery’s role in the team’s 2015 title run.
“That’s why we have Renee,” she said. “She has to bring us the intangibles of toughness, focus…and discipline. Renee’s floor game needs to be at a high level.”
One thing that hasn’t changed is Sylvia Fowles. Foul trouble limited her impact with Indiana, but she didn’t let the setback snowball against Atlanta, hitting 7 of 8 shots and 13 of 16 free throws. Feeding her the ball is a bit trickier without Whalen, but Fowles is resourceful enough to still make her mark down low.
Finding Parker
The most glaring aspect from the first meeting between the Lynx and Sparks was Candace Parker’s lack of production. She managed just two points on 1-of-6 shooting (her lone field goal coming on the fast break) and was unable to penetrate inside. Going up against Fowles in the paint is never easy, but Parker has enough of an outside game to draw defenders away if her shots fall this time around.
Another problem for the Sparks is their lack of rebounding, ranking 10th in the league. In their most recent game, the Dallas Wings built a 47-31 edge on the boards en route to an 85-79 win. The Sparks made up that discrepancy last year from the perimeter thanks to Kristi Toliver. Since her departure for Washington, outside shooting has been more difficult for Los Angeles. A year ago, they led the league in three-point field goal percentage (37.5). This year, the Sparks have fallen to fifth (33.8). A drop of 3.7 percent appears minuscule, but in the WNBA, a small change can mark the difference between a team who won 20 of its first 21 games last year and an 18-7 mark this year.
Of course, a hot streak can change a fortune in a hurry, and sharp-shooters like Chelsea Gray and Sydney Wiese are formidable options. Los Angeles isn’t lacking in talent, and five of their losses came within six points or less. One way or another, the Sparks will likely determine the race for the top playoff spots.