Lynx 90, Wings 78: Balanced Attack Leads Minnesota to Fourth Straight Win

The Minnesota Lynx remained at home Monday night, hosting a rare Monday contest while taking the court for the second game in a season-long four-game homestand.

Entering Target Center in the contest was the struggling Dallas Wings, who entered the game with a league-long seven-game losing streak while also being shorthanded.

Minnesota took advantage of that, despite dealing with some injuries of its own, improving to 7-1 at home this season while extending its winning streak to four in a row with a 90-78 win over Dallas.

“I feel like you have to have chemistry to have significant success,” Cheryl Reeve said about her team after the win. “This year’s team has maturity with their chemistry. They are smart basketball players. ... They are just really good people and good basketball players.”

With the victory, the Lynx improved to 11-3, marking their best start to the year since 2017 (12-1) and inching closer to the Connecticut Sun (12-1) and New York Liberty (12-2) atop the WNBA standings.

“Our team is amazing from the top-down. I can’t explain this team, the chemistry we have,” Natisha Hiedeman said. “I have been on a lot of great teams, but this is just different. I’ve never been a part of something like this my whole life.”

Both Teams Shorthanded

Minnesota and Dallas both entered Monday’s game a bit shorthanded, though the Wings held the advantage in that area.

The Lynx announced prior to tip-off that Bridget Carleton would join Diamond Miller (knee) on the injury report while dealing with an elbow injury. Carleton had entered the starting lineup earlier this season in place of Miller, and both of them inactive left Minnesota a bit thin at the position.

The Wings, on the other hand, have been dealing with injuries all season long, and the injured list grew prior to the game in Minneapolis. With Natasha Howard (foot) and Satou Sabally (shoulder) yet to appear in a game for Dallas this season, leading-scorer Arike Ogunbowale was also held out of Monday’s game with an Achilles injury.

The depth on both teams was tested as a result, something that leaned towards Minnesota in holding the advantage.

Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images

Spread Out Attack for Lynx

With a shakeup in the starting lineup and a few players absent, Minnesota had to dig deeper into its rotation Monday and rely a bit more on bench players against Dallas.

That became even more important with the early offensive struggles from two players who led the Lynx in Friday’s victory, Napheesa Collier and Courtney Williams. The duo struggled from the field in the opening half, going on to finish shooting a combined 8-of-28 from the field. They did contribute in other ways for Minnesota and turned things around a bit late, which played a big factor down the stretch in the win.

As a result, players such as Dorka Juhász, Natisha Hiedeman, Cecilia Zandalasini and others had to step up. Hiedeman, in particular, stepped up big in the second half, giving Minnesota valuable minutes off the bench with a season-high outing. The guard posted a season-best 17 points to go along with five assists over 23 minutes off the bench.

“My teammates just made everything easy,” Hiedeman said. “I’ve just always been ready my whole life with everything. Just being ready for the moment when my number is called. ... So that come game time, I’m ready to go.”

Along with Hiedeman, Zandalasini added seven points in 13 minutes, while the Lynx bench finished with 26 points as a unit.

“They know, at any given time when opportunity knocks, they have the ability to do what (Hiedeman) did,” Reeve said. “Hiedeman, it was her best game as a Lynx.”

Dallas also saw some players step up in the absence of its three best players with injuries. Sevgi Uzun shined at point guard, finishing with 17 points and six assists, followed by Maddy Siegrist with 17 points and seven rebounds, and Monique Billings with a near triple-double of 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

Juhász Gets First Start

With Carleton (elbow) held out of Monday’s contest, second-year forward Dorka Juhász got her first start of the year after coming off the bench to this point.

Juhász made her presence known immediately, helping Minnesota to a fast start in the opening quarter. The Pécs, Hungary native tallied nine points in that first frame alone, finishing the game with 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 25 minutes.

Having a player like Juhász that is able to come off the bench and step right in as a starter is valuable, and there are a few Lynx players that can — and already have — done just that.

---

Up Next

The Lynx will remain at home during the season-long four-game homestand, hosting Atlanta on Wednesday at Target Center. The game will tip off at 7 PM CT and can be seen on Bally Sports North Extra.

Minnesota and Atlanta have faced off once so far this season, with the Lynx coming away with a 92-79 win over the Dream on May 26 in Atlanta.

---

Highlights

Coming soon.