The Minnesota Lynx are rolling into Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Sparks with a mind-boggling 10-game winning streak, the absolute longest in the WNBA this season. But here’s the kicker: even with their offense cooking at an absurd level, there’s a strong argument they haven’t actually been playing their *best* basketball during this incredible run.
Rolling Through The League…Mostly
This Lynx squad has been on a tear, no doubt about it. They already beat the Sparks once during this stretch, snagging win number four. Remember that game? Olivia Miles left early with an ankle scare, but Kayla McBride stepped up HUGE, dropping 24 points to guide Minnesota to a nine-point victory. After that, they enjoyed a softer stretch of opponents, including five straight against teams like the Portland Fire, our own Seattle Storm, and the Toronto Tempo. That changed on Sunday, though. They got their first real test in a while against an Indiana Fever team that had also won five games in a row. Despite Kelsey Mitchell going off for a season-high 37 points, the combined scoring power of Miles and Courtney Williams, plus some clutch buckets from Napheesa Collier, secured the double-digit winning streak for Minnesota. This team knows how to close.
The Three-Point Machine (And The Hidden Warning)
Okay, let’s talk about this offense. It is absolutely electric. During their 10-game streak, Minnesota’s offensive rating has been a ridiculous 120.2. For the entire season, their offensive rating sits at 113.8, which ranks third in the whole league. What’s driving this? Three-point shooting, baby! They’re drilling almost 44 percent of their triples, hitting 11 made 3-pointers, which translates to 33 points from behind the arc per game. Seriously, they’re the best three-point shooting team in the league for the season, even if their usual 39.1 percent and 8.9 threes per game isn’t quite the absurd level they’ve reached lately. Napheesa Collier, after her injury absence, is shooting 43.8 percent from deep in her four games. Kayla McBride, whose three-ball was off to start the season, is now making almost four threes a game at nearly a 49 percent clip during the streak. And Olivia Miles? She’s in the best three-point shooting stretch of her rookie year, nailing 45.5 percent of her triples over the last 10 games. So, with all that going on, how could they *not* be playing their best ball? Well, if the offense is this good, their overall metrics should probably be even better. That’s the unsettling truth buried under all those wins.
Can the Lynx make it 11 straight wins on Thursday against the Sparks? Absolutely. But the real question is, how much longer can they ride this offensive wave without their overall game catching up? It’s going to be interesting to watch what happens next.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Swish Appeal.
Leave a Reply