Alexander Shun

Web Editor Associate | @alexpshun 

Minnesota Lynx (22-11) at Seattle Storm (9-23) | 9:00 P.M. CT

WHERE TO WATCH: No TV

WHERE TO LISTEN: 106.1 BOB FM

With the 2015 WNBA playoff match-ups mostly set, the Minnesota Lynx travel to Seattle tonight to take on the Storm in a game that has absolutely no effect on Minnesota’s playoff seeding. Win or lose, the Lynx will be taking on the Los Angeles Sparks in the Western Conference Semifinals starting next Friday night.

Given such circumstances, it would seemingly be easy for any team in Minnesota’s position to look ahead to playoff basketball and let the final regular season game play out as it may, but the Lynx are not like any other team. Their playoff fate may already be decided, but they’re not overlooking tonight’s game against the Storm.

Lynx captains Maya Moore and Rebekkah Brunson will be playing with the hopes of closing out Minnesota’s season on a positive note, giving them momentum heading into the playoffs. After Tuesday night’s game against the Storm was much close than it probably should have been, or that Minnesota probably desired, they will aim to close out tonight’s game much stronger than they did previously.

Seattle will be looking forward to next season, having been eliminated from playoff contention and will simply be looking to end the season on their home floor with a victory over the West’s top team. As Minnesota found out on Tuesday night, Seattle is a very prideful team and, despite their playoff aspirations being long gone, play their hearts out every night and can be an extremely difficult team to deal a loss.

For Minnesota to end their regular season with a win, they will simply need to maintain focus on Seattle and not look ahead to the playoffs while closing out the Storm in a more definitive fashion than their last meeting with Seattle.

LAST MEETING

Speaking of these team’s last meeting…they last met on Tuesday night at the Target Center, and the Lynx were looking to clinch the top seed in the Western Conference and achieve homecourt advantage throughout the West’s playoffs.

Minnesota ran out to an early lead, building their lead as big as 18 at one point, only to see the Storm come…well, storming back, to pull themselves within just a single point late in the fourth quarter. Lynx forward Maya Moore made sure that her team’s lead held up, scoring back-to-back buckets while helping to hold off a late Seattle run and leading her team to a 73-67 victory.

Moore led all scorers, pouring in 20 points while adding seven rebounds and five assists. Guard Anna Cruz came out hot offensively, dropping 10 first quarter points on Seattle and finishing with 15 points and eight assists. Center Sylvia Fowles also added 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in Minnesota’s victory.

Center Crystal Langhorne led Seattle with 14 points, five rebounds and two assists while rookie guard Jewell Loyd continued her strong play by adding 13 points, three assists and a blocked shot in the Storm’s loss.

KEY MATCH-UP: RENEE MONTGOMERY VS. SUE BIRD

Once teammates in Seattle, guards Renee Montgomery and Sue Bird will now be closing their season on opposing teams, and it’s going to be exciting to watch.

For Montgomery, she will be making yet another start in place of the injured Lindsay Whalen (who is expected to be back come playoff-time) and, if her previous play is any indication, Montgomery is going to play well. Beaming with talent and clearly not lacking any sort of confidence, Montgomery has proven her ability to take over games on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. Though she may have struggled to score on Tuesday night, Montgomery used her stellar defense to make her mark on Minnesota’s incredibly important game; the Lynx will need her to do just that once again tonight.

For Bird, she will be closing out another season with the Seattle Storm and, being the veteran player she is, will receive a nice salute from Seattle fans as there is no real certainty as to how many more years Bird will play. Drafted as the number-one overall pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft, Bird has had an illustrious career for Seattle, compiling a long list of accomplishments including winning two WNBA championships, being named to the All-WNBA First Team four times, being named a WNBA All-Star nine times while also being named to the WNBA All-Decade Team. Oh, and to top it all off, Bird has also won multiple gold medals while playing for Team USA in the Olympics. With such a dazzling list of accomplishments, the 34-year old guard has nothing left to prove and is easily considered one of the better guards to ever play in the league.

If such a game turns out to be Bird’s last, it will be exciting to see just how she closes out such an amazing career, especially against a scrappy and physical defender in former teammate Montgomery.

PROJECTED STARTERS

Lynx: PG – Montgomery, SG – Cruz, SF – Moore, PF – Brunson, C – Fowles

Storm: PG – Hollingsworth, SG – Loyd, SF – Clark, PF – Tokashiki, C – Langhorne