The Lynx won what might have been their ugliest game in years on Thursday night, beating the Phoenix Mercury 58-56 on Thursday night.

Thursday night’s contest was defensive battle through and through. Buckets were hard to come by for both teams and the entire game had a gritty, uneven quality to it. It was one of those games where every basket felt like it could be the last one of the night. This was not the beautiful version of this game.

However, given the outcome, it’s safe to say this is the kind of game Minnesota wants to play every night (with a little more offense on their end). It was tough, hard-fought, low-scoring and physical. When games end up like this one the Lynx will more often than not have the edge.

Needless to say, Minnesota won this game because of their defense. Not only do the final defensive numbers look favorable, but they got the two stops that mattered most. Though DeWanna Bonner torched Minnesota for 25 points, Napheesa Collier locked her up twice in the last two possessions of the game, securing the victory for the Lynx.

🔒 PHEE-NIED 🔒 pic.twitter.com/KJ8PPFVRrt

— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) June 7, 2019

On offense, the Lynx were out of rhythm for most of the night. They got too deep in the shot clock on several occasions and had to find a way to get buckets in broken plays. Two things helped a lot in those situations: Odyssey Sims’ ability to find a shot anywhere (more on that below) and the entire team’s domination over the paint. They outscored Phoenix 36-to-18 in the paint and only allowed 13 shots there.

A huge part of that was Sylvia Fowles’ incredible work on Brittney Griner. Griner finished with just four points and six rebounds on the night and attempted just three shots. Fowles did a phenomenal job of denying Griner the ball and forcing her to move outside of her comfort zone in order to make catches. That’s exactly the scouting report on Griner and Fowles executed it perfectly.

Jessica Shepard had a great game including what had to be the best sequence of the contest where she ripped a rebound away from the Mercury and dished to Lexie Brown for a three. She does all the little things that make for winning basketball—creating extra opportunities for her team and never giving an inch even when it seems like she has a disadvantage. She finished with seven points, six rebounds and a steal. She was a plus seven on the night—the highest on the team.

Lexie Brown was big down the stretch and finished with a career-high 12 points. She hit two threes in the fourth quarter and drew a key charge late in the game. She also had two rebounds, two assists and a steal. Rounding out the scoring for Minnesota was Fowles with 10 points. 

Sims The Sparkplug

Sims led the Lynx with 15 points, but her most important ability for the team might be to take over games and get a bucket when the team needs one. She’s the best player on the team at creating her own shot. This was especially on display in the second quarter, when the Lynx were playing incredible defense but couldn’t seem to run their offense.

While that was frustrating to head coach Cheryl Reeve, she’s lucky that she has Sims to bail the team out. The Lynx have a lot of talented players, but they have a tendency to stagnate on the offensive side sometimes. Sims can bring energy to a possession all on her own. She’s a phenomenal passer too, so when defenses overcommit to stopping her, she makes them pay.

Quick Hits

• Alaina Coates got into the game for just under eight minutes tonight and played well, allowing the Lynx to maintain their size in the middle with Fowles on the bench. She’s big and strong and gives the Lynx a different look compared to Fowles’ mobility. Coates had a nice basket on an offensive rebound and also knocked down two foul shots to finish with four points and four rebounds.
• It was a quieter game for both Damiris Dantas and Collier on the offensive end. They both finished with four points. However, two of Collier’s points came on an extremely important possession late in the fourth quarter and had six rebounds.