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WNBA Playoffs Round 1
Minnesota Lynx vs. Los Angeles Sparks
SERIES WINNER: MINNESOTA
What to Expect:
In my opinion, this series is the most likely to result in an upset. Looking at the respective records of the Minnesota Lynx and the Los Angeles Sparks (22-12 vs. 14-20), one might think that this would be a blow-out by the Lynx.
One would not be considering Candace Parker, and as a multiple-time MVP, that’s a player who it’s never safe not to consider. She sat out during the first half of the regular season, but after her return for the Sparks they have won 11 of their previous 18 games. She gets nearly a triple-double in points, assists, and rebounds regularly. She’s far from the Sparks’ only threat, as Kristi Toliver can light up to score over 40 points in a game from the guard spot, and the Nneka Ogwumike Jantel Lavender combo in the front court has been deadly all year (or at least the parts in which Nneka was healthy).
Minnesota has had a dangerous and championship-contending team for years, but they slipped considerably in the last several games of the season mainly due to the injuries of Lindsay Whalen and Seimone Augustus. The dynamic three (those two plus Maya Moore) have been the dominant force that has allowed them to win the championship in 2011 and 2013. Maya Moore in particular is expected to carry her team as last year’s MVP and someone they can consistently look to for 30+ point games. Lindsay Whalen provides assists and aggressive driving layups, while Augustus has one of the smoothest shots in the league and averages 18.2 a game. In addition to those three, they have new addition Sylvia Fowles and old-hand Rebekkah Brunson as their bigs, Fowles known for her defense and ability to score, Brunson known for her vicious rebounding.
Game 1: Minnesota 67, Los Angeles 65
Key Players (Lynx):
Maya Moore- 33 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals
Seimone Augustus- 17 points, 4 assists, 2 steals
Rebekkah Brunson- 6 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals
Sylvia Fowles- 5 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 turnovers
Key Players (Sparks):
Candace Parker- 16 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 turnovers
Nneka Ogwumike- 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 turnovers
Jantel Lavender- 12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 turnovers
Kristi Toliver- 12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 turnovers
The Lynx got out to an early 22-15 lead going into the the second quarter behind 9 from the heavily guarded Maya Moore. Their stingy defense also forced LA to shoot only 6/15 from the field and led to 4 Sparks turnovers. The Lynx went cold in the second quarter and missed all 6 of their first shots, allowing the Sparks to go on a 14-1 run and take a 29-23 lead. The Lynx went on an 8-2 run to cut the lead to three by halftime.
Maya came out on fire in the third quarter, scoring 15 points of a 20-4 Lynx run with a three pointer and several driving lay ins. She forced three of LA’s seven turnovers in the period for 13 total Minnesota points. The Sparks closed the gap in the third quarter with a 9-0 run, getting as close as a one-point deficit at 64-65, but Maya Moore took a Brunson steal and ran the court for a layup on the other end that gave Minnesota the 67-65 victory.
Game 2: Los Angeles 81, Minnesota 71
Key Players (Lynx):
Maya Moore- 27 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 5 turnovers
Seimone Augustus- 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists
Sylvia Fowles- 10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks
Lindsay Whalen- 10 points, 5 assists
Key Players (Sparks):
Candace Parker- 25 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 5 turnovers
Ana Dabovic- 19 points, 7 assists
Jantel Lavender- 11 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists
Alana Beard- 11 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals
In an offensive first quarter, Maya Moore had 9 points before being benched along with Rebekkah Brunson with 2 fouls apiece. With those two out, the Sparks went on an 8-2 run that resulted in a 24-23 LA lead after 10 minutes of action. The second quarter was all Los Angeles- in fact, Parker alone outscored the Lynx 15-12 (partially because Brunson, who had been guarding her, was benched with 3 fouls). They started out the quarter with a 9-1 run and continued to produce throughout, out-assisting the Lynx 8-1, and at one point outshooting Minnesota 71% to 30% from the field.
Minnesota never recovered from their 35-53 halftime deficit. They made a valiant effort, cutting the lead to 9 with 5 and a half minutes left to go in the third quarter, until Lavender finally made LA’s first basket of the half a few seconds later. The Sparks’ defense stumbled further and the lead was as low as 5 before they stabilized, ending the third leading 63-55. Parker found her game again in the fourth quarter and scored 8 points along with surprise performer Ana Dabovic. Swarming defense from the Sparks resulted in a scoreless final 3 minutes for the Lynx and LA pulled ahead for the 81-71 win.
Game 3: Minnesota 91, Los Angeles 80
Key Players (Lynx):
Maya Moore- 20 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists
Seimone Augustus- 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
Lindsay Whalen- 14 points, 6 rebounds
Sylvia Fowles- 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks
Devereaux Peters- 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks
Rebekkah Brunson- 7 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals
Key Players (Sparks):
Candace Parker- 28 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks
Nneka Ogwumike- 12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists
Kristi Toliver- 12 points, 3 assists
Jantel Lavender- 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals
LA had a sloppy start, with 5 turnovers in the first 8 minutes. Minnesota held the Sparks to only 10 points and Parker scoreless with stifling defense while scoring 18 themselves during the first quarter. The Lynx out-hustled LA on the boards, too, nabbing 8 offensive rebounds to the Sparks’ 4 with 8 minutes left to go in the half. Despite Parker’s 8 second quarter points, 20 minutes in, Minnesota had 17 more shot attempts, led 14-0 in second chance points, forced 11 LA turnovers, and were winning 43-30.
The second half began with a 6-0 Sparks run. The Lynx rallied behind 6 of Devereaux Peters’ career high 12 points off the bench and kept LA at arm’s length, staying up by 6 to 11 points through the end of the third quarter, Ogwumike’s 8 point burst, and Parker’s 13 point explosion. The Sparks had only 2 turnovers in the entire second half and made it a game early in the fourth quarter, narrowing the deficit to 64-65. The Lynx responded with a 9-0 run of their own which pretty much sealed the deal for them- LA never got closer than 4 and lost 80-91.
So, once again, we will see the Minnesota Lynx take on the Phoenix Mercury in the Western Conference Finals. Last year, the Mercury beat the Lynx 2 games to 1 to advance to the Championship. Last year, the Mercury had Diana Taurasi, though, and the Lynx didn’t have Sylvia Fowles. We’ll see if Brittney Griner’s dominant defense and DeWanna Bonner’s crazy three-pointers can give Phoenix a repeat.