Lynx Win Third-Straight, Back To .500

The Minnesota Lynx came away with their third-straight win on Friday night, beating the Phoenix Mercury 83-72 on the road.

Heading into the game, Phoenix held sole possession of first place in the WNBA while the Lynx were a game under .500. With the win, Minnesota moves to 6-6, eighth in the league, but just a game back from fifth.

Maya Moore led the Lynx with 23 points, six rebounds and five assists. Lindsay Whalen added 15 points and five steals. Seimone Augustus finished with 14 points and two steals, shooting an efficient 5-for-9 from the field. Sylvia Fowles rounded things out with an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Defense was key for the Lynx as they held Phoenix to just 40-percent shooting from the field and 28.6 percent from the 3-point line.

“We just wanted to try to make it difficult,” Moore said after the game. “They have great scorers and we had to have an understanding of what they were trying to do, because they do it so well. I thought our focus and our intensity came together pretty well for the most part on defense.”

Diana Taurasi led Phoenix with 23 points, six assists and three steals. Brittney Griner added 18 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks. Briann January finished with 10 points.

The Lynx don’t get much of a rest. It’s their first of three games in five nights. They’ll play against the Aces in Las Vegas on Sunday evening before hosting the Seattle Storm on Tuesday night.