The Lynx are back at home with the chance to actually get a good day of practice in before they take on the Mystics on Friday.

The last time the Lynx played the Mystics (last Sunday) it did not go well with Minnesota taking the 101-78 loss. Having played Washington so recently the Lynx feel like they are better prepared this time, but when it comes down to it, the Mystics are just an extremely quality group and execution is paramount.

“We know what we didn’t do last game, I’m quite sure we’ll do that better this game,” said head coach Cheryl Reeve. “But when you play Washington it’s like you’ve got a ship that’s got a hole in it, then you plug that hole and another one springs over here, and this is all in game, and you plug that and another one springs, because they’re good. They’re able to poke holes in everything that you do.”

Of particular issue was the Lynx’s struggles defending in the post. However, in their next game against the Liberty the Lynx did a good job containing Tina Charles. They’ll need to figure out what worked and didn’t work from those two games and put it all together nicely in order to get revenge on Friday.

“The ways that [Washington] scored was simple post-ups. We didn’t play our defense in terms of preventing catches and we didn’t have much of a will in that regard. It was very simple, it was quite embarrassing,” said Reeve. “Probably the only time I’ve been that unimpressed with our post defense… but then we turned around and defended Tina Charles like nobody’s business.”

Even with the loss to the Mystics, the Lynx have won three of their last four games and are well-positioned for a playoff push. One of the key factors has been the stabilization of their guard rotation with Odyssey Sims starting and playing her best ball of the season.

“[Sims’] burst of speed is unbelievable and she’s kind of getting back to that. She’s playing in transition well, she’s getting into small spaces in the pick and roll game,” said Reeve. “She’s also shooting the three when she’s open, shooting more effectively, a little bit of everything.”

In her own perspective, Sims is doing what she has done all season. She doesn’t control things like the calls she’s getting or whether her shots are falling but she is trying to keep playing her game no matter what.

“Just doing what I do best—trying to stay in the lane and get some wins. Trying to stay aggressive on offense and do whatever my team needs me to do,” she said.

In addition to Sims’ play in the starting group, Danielle Robinson has been excellent coming off the bench with that smaller, faster, better-shooting group.

“She’s been very effective, recognizing the shots, getting into the paint,” said Reeve. “She changed the New York game. She absolutely changed where we were getting shots. She got into the paint and got layups and that changes everything for the defense. I told her ‘OK, now you’re getting there, now spray it around on the perimeter,’ and she just did a little bit of each.”