Lynx Playoff Recap | August 15, 2018
Julian Andrews
August 15, 2018
Well, yesterday didn’t go as planned.
Pretty much everything that could have gone wrong did. The Lynx dropped an absolute heartbreaker to the Sky 91-88, and both the teams in the most direct competition with the Lynx won.
The good news is that the Lynx have clinched a playoff spot, so they don’t have to worry about missing the postseason. The bad news is that it’s looking a whole lot harder for Minnesota to move up in the standings. They’re probably looking at a finish in either sixth or seventh place.
Here’s what went down around the league last night:
Sun Blow Out Wings
Behind an excellent all-around defensive performance and a scorching 27 points on 10-of-12 shooting off the bench from Jonquel Jones, the Sun defeated the Wings 96-76 in Connecticut.
With the win, the Sun have a record of 19-13, and hold a two-game lead over the Lynx. Jones has been playing very well lately, and her contributions have been key in helping the Sun play some of their best ball of the season at the perfect time. They have pole position in the race for the last first-round bye.
For the Wings, on the other hand, things are looking grim. They have a record of 14-18, and hold just a half-game lead on the Las Vegas Aces for the eighth and final spot in the playoffs. This outcome sets up an insanely pivotal game against the Aces on Friday. The Aces play the Liberty tonight, and if they win the two teams will go into Friday’s showdown with the exact same record. That’s good stuff.
While the Sun winning makes it harder for the Lynx to move up in the standings, because the Lynx lost anyway this outcome might have actually been for the best.
Sparks Survive Slugfest Against Liberty
The Liberty had the Sparks right where they wanted them—struggling to score, being outrebounded and unable to move the ball. Unfortunately, New York couldn’t hold onto the rock.
While the Liberty dominated almost every statistical category, they turned the ball over 18 times, giving the Sparks a 74-66 victory. Chelsea Gray and Nneka Ogwimike bailed Los Angeles out on the offensive end, scoring 26 and 20 respectively, and New York’s turnovers gave the L.A. enough extra possessions to earn a victory.
This is obviously not the outcome Lynx fans were hoping for. Now, at 19-13, the Sparks are two full games ahead of the Lynx, putting the No. 5 seed out of reach.