09/24/26 09:18:00
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09/24 21:17 CDT Lynx flex their top-seed muscle without Miles, push Clark and
the Fever to 6th for the WNBA playoffs
Lynx flex their top-seed muscle without Miles, push Clark and the Fever to 6th
for the WNBA playoffs
By DAVE CAMPBELL
AP Sports Writer
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) --- Kayla McBride scored 22 points on 6-for-10 shooting from
3-point range as the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx closed the regular season by
cruising to an 86-66 victory Thursday night that pushed the Indiana Fever into
sixth place entering the WNBA playoffs.
Natasha Howard had 21 points and Courtney Williams added nine points, seven
rebounds and 10 assists for the Lynx, who played without star point guard
Olivia Miles for a second straight game due to a left calf injury. The Lynx
snapped back from a blowout loss to the Fever on the road two days ago.
Kelsey Mitchell had a team-leading 10 points and Caitlin Clark scored a
season-low two points on 1-for-12 shooting as the Fever fell behind 25-4 late
in the first quarter and never recovered.
Minnesota (33-11), which had already secured the No. 1 seed for the second
consecutive year, will face New York in a best-of-three first-round matchup
starting Sunday. The Liberty beat the Lynx in seven games in the WNBA Finals in
2024.
Indiana (28-16) lost the season series tiebreaker in defeat at home to
Washington four days ago, and the Mystics passed the Fever for fifth by beating
Chicago earlier Thursday. Indiana had to wait until the last possible hour of
the regular season to find out its first-round opponent, either Golden State or
Las Vegas pending their results on the West Coast.
After beating the Lynx 96-77 in Indianapolis, the Fever squandered that
momentum with a lifeless performance including a season low in points and field
goal percentage.
The Fever lost backup guard Ty Harris to a left ankle injury in the third
quarter after she landed awkwardly after a drive to the basket. Harris grabbed
her leg and was down on the floor for several minutes before being carried off
the court to the locker room.
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