Practice Report | Lynx Focusing On Improvement Following Loss

Mitchell Hansen
Web Editorial Associate
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The Minnesota Lynx may be the top team in the WNBA so far this season, but that doesn’t stop them from working on improvement.

On Monday afternoon, they were back at practice working on how they can get even better in 2017.

The Lynx are coming off of losing two of their last three games, falling to Indiana on Aug. 6 and Los Angeles last Friday.

But even with those two losses, Minnesota still sits atop the WNBA standings with a record of 21-4 overall, leading the Sparks by three games for first place.

“We’re not in a place where we are unhappy because we are a good team and we do some good things, but there are some places where we can improve,” Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said after practice Monday. “That’s really what we looked at in those two games. In order for us to be the best that we can be and the healthiest we can be from a basketball standpoint in the playoffs is to use those two games and improve.”

Reeve added that, although it’s never enjoyable losing, the two losses have given the Lynx a chance to work on certain areas of their game to better prepare themselves for the end of the season.

“It does make you stronger, how you deal with it,” Reeve said. “It’s better to go through stuff now than to see stuff in playoffs when you don’t have time to get better at it.”

Minnesota looks to bounce back on Wednesday when they head to Seattle to take on the Storm at 9 p.m. That game will be aired on NBATV, 106.1 BOB FM and TuneIn Radio.

“It’s important. We take losses hard,” Renee Montgomery said. “We take every game serious. Like coach says, our next important game is our next game.

“Seattle is going to be a super important game off the top because it’s our next game.”

Whalen Progressing In Her Recovery

Reeve said after practice Monday that guard Lindsay Whalen has made progress in her recovery from a fractured left hand.

Whalen was able to get a workout on Sunday and again on Monday during practice using her right hand.

“She’s advancing, she’s getting some court workout in. Obviously, the left hand isn’t under any impact, but it’s great that it’s not her shooting hand so she can get a lot of work in,” Reeve said. “She’s trying to perfect her one hand through her leg and form shooting. More than anything, it’s just sweating, running and just doing stuff.

“Just being there with us and using her voice in practice is good. So I’d just say she’s progressing.”

Reeve added that there is still no timetable for when Whalen could return to the court for the Lynx.

“Everyone heals differently. If you ask somebody, a few weeks or several weeks, I don’t know,” Reeve said. “Right now, there’s not a timetable for a return. We have an eye on the process and each step for that process. We are still in the early stages of that.”