ST. PAUL – In the absence of Rebekkah Brunson and Lindsay Whalen, the Minnesota Lynx could be summarized in one word: unpredictable.
The proof is in their offensive production over the last four games. In that stretch, the Lynx have scored 61, 111, 61 and 105 points respectively. On Tuesday night, 105 was more than enough as the Lynx cruised to a 105-69 victory over the Phoenix Mercury at Xcel Energy Center.
With only a 1.5-game lead over Los Angeles for the first playoff seed, victories are crucial for Minnesota. Ending the season with some consistency would help, but the Lynx are still primed for a deep post-season run.
Pinpoint from the perimeter
Perimeter shooting is responsible for the wild fluctuation in Minnesota’s offense. In Sunday’s loss to New York, Minnesota hit 7 of 27 shots from 3-point range, allowing New York to cheat inside. Against Phoenix, Minnesota knocked down 12 of 20 3-pointers, including a perfect 4-of-4 mark from Jia Perkins off the bench. With the Lynx in rhythm, the lead kept growing.
“I thought Jia was really good. When you make shots from the perimeter, it opens things up for (Sylvia Fowles) and I thought we had pretty good focus,” Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve told reporters after the game.
Indeed, Fowles operated far more efficiently compared to Sunday, getting 14 points and 10 rebounds. She wasn’t the leading scorer on Tuesday, but she set the tone early, thanks in part to another commendable performance against Mercury center Brittney Griner.
“I got with my coaches after the New York game and I (saw) how they were guarding me, so if anybody else comes at us like that, I’ll be prepared next time to help my teammates out,” Fowles said.
Phoenix, on the other hand, was caught woefully off-guard. Monique Currie was the only player to reach double-digits in scoring, while Griner and Diana Taurasi were dejected by the Mercury’s eighth straight loss to the Lynx.
“They came out and smacked us. There’s really not much to say. They played really well and we didn’t,” Taurasi said.
Bench support
Production off the bench was virtually non-existent for Minnesota in their loss to New York. Tuesday was a different story, with the Lynx reserves combining for 45 points. Perkins had a season-high 18 points, Natasha Howard added 12 points and eight rebounds, and rookie Alexis Jones had her first double-digit game of the season with 11 points. Even Temi Fagbenle got involved on the stat sheet.
With an injured Whalen affecting the depth chart at point guard, Jones has seen her playing time slowly inch upward. As always, the learning curve for Lynx rookies is steep, but Jones attributes confidence and focus for the moments where she makes an impact.
“When I get in there, try to bring as much excitement as I can…the little spark moments for the team,” she said. “It’s good when we are playing good, because it makes the starters play good and makes the whole team just look good.”
“Mah Na Mah Na”
Midway through the second quarter, officials stopped play to review an offensive foul on Griner. They upheld the original ruling of a common foul, but the review went long enough for Lynx game ops to play the entire Muppets version of “Mah Na Mah Na.” The musical selection had no bearing on a 36-point blowout, but it’s a great excuse to highlight this gem from the premiere episode of The Muppet Show: