6:30 p.m., Phillips Arena
Where To Watch: Fox Sports North Plus
Where To Listen: 106.1 BOB FM
The Minnesota Lynx have yet another formidable foe in front of them on Friday night as they take on the 6-2 Atlanta Dream.
In a rematch of the 2011 and 2013 WNBA Finals, the Lynx will have their hands full going against Angel McCoughtry and company.
Get your TV-trays out and keep these facts in mind before tuning in to tonight’s heavyweight matchup:
– Seimone Augustus was unfortunately forced to leave the game on Tuesday night against the Phoenix Mercury due to a head injury. Augustus was diagnosed with concussion-like symptoms and is questionable for tonight’s matchup as she is traveling with the team. According to Lynx’ head coach Cheryl Reeve, if Augustus is forced to sit out, Jia Perkins will start in her place.
– Veteran guard/forward McCoughtry has gotten off to a tremendous start to the 2016 WNBA season, averaging 20.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals through their first eight games.
– Going into their first back-to-back of the season, Minnesota is confident in their playing ability after completing a season-sweep of the Phoenix Mercury.
“I feel good about it but first things first, we have to take care of Atlanta, that’s the first agenda that we have,” Rebekkah Brunson said. “We’re not necessarily looking ahead to that next game just yet.”
Coming Off Of…
The Dream last played on June 5th against the Washington Mystics. Despite a solid effort from McCoughtry who put in 28 points, Atlanta lost at home 86-79. Dream’ center Elizabeth Williams had a great game, finishing the afternoon with 21 points, six boards and two blocks.
Minnesota won their eighth game in a row on Tuesday, June 7th when they defeated the Mercury at home 89-81. It was a clean sweep for the Lynx as they have already taken down the talented Phoenix team three times this season. Both Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles contributed 21 points, while Renee Montgomery and Jia Perkins were spark plugs off of the bench, combining for 29 points and five assists.
Last Matchup:
These two squads last faced each other on Aug. 14th, 2015 in an epic game. Minnesota had to rally from beyond and squeaked out the victory 84-82 in Atlanta.
Moore had a monster game with a game-high 36 points, four boards, five assists and two steals. Fowles also had a very efficient game, scoring 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting, grabbing eight rebounds and swatting five shots.
Atlanta’s star McCoughtry had a fantastic game, as she seems to always do against the Lynx, and finished the night with 32 points, three rebounds/assists and an impressive six steals.
Key Matchup: Maya Moore vs. Angel McCoughtry
In most of their recent games against one another, Augustus, being a long 2-guard, has been assigned with the difficult task of guarding McCoughtry. Unfortunately for Minnesota, with Augustus being questionable for tonight’s battle, they will most likely be forced to switch things up a bit.
Since Jia Perkins doesn’t have the length that Augustus offers standing at 5’8, look for the 6’0 Moore to cover the Dream’s 6’1 leader for the most of the game.
Both players have shown to have the capability on any given night to score over 30 points and both happen to be ferocious competitors. The winner of this matchup will without a doubt have a major impact on the outcome of the game.
Projected Starters:
MIN: G- Whalen, G- Perkins, F- Moore, F- Brunson, C- Fowles
ATL: G- Hayes, G- Clarendon, G- McCoughtry, F- Lyttle, C- Williams