Scouting Report | Lynx vs. Dream

The Game

The Lynx came out of the All-Star break with back-to-back games against Seattle and Los Angeles on the road. They honestly couldn’t have gotten a worse draw, and to make matters worse, they didn’t play particularly well, losing two games.

Things don’t get easier on Sunday, although they are at home, against the Atlanta Dream.

This game is full of playoff implications. Atlanta goes into the game with a 17-10 record, good for second place. The Dream are 3.5 games back from first and three games up from the eighth seed. This is a team that’s been extremely hot lately, winning nine of its last 10.

The Lynx are in unfamiliar territory, sitting at 15-12, seventh in the West and just one game up from eighth. Minnesota is 1-1 against Atlanta this season.

What: Lynx vs. Dream
When: Sunday, August 5, 6 p.m. CT
Where: Target Center
Watch: Fox Sports North
Listen: Bob 106.1 FM

All About The Defense

In Minnesota’s 85-74 home win over Atlanta on June 29 (that seems like a year ago), it was all about the defense for the Lynx.

Dream All-Star Angel McCoughtry shot just 2-for-10 from the field. And Atlanta as a whole shot 29-for-67 from the field (43.2 percent) and 3-for-14 (21.4 percent) from the 3-point line.

The key for Minnesota isn’t to outscore teams (well, kind of because you need to score more points to win the game), but it’s about making teams force bad shots and capitalizing. If the Lynx can do that on Sunday, they’ll snap out of their funk, if not, we are entering dangerous territory.

Welcome Back, Renee Montgomery

Technically this is Montgomery’s third return to Minneapolis since she left for Atlanta this offseason. Montgomery was part of Minnesota’s 2015 and 2017 championship teams and was a fan favorite.

Now, a full-time starter in Atlanta, Montgomery is having an OK season. She’s averaging 9.6 points (highest since 2013), but she’s shooting just 36.8 percent from the field. In two games against Minnesota this season, she’s averaged six points and 5.5 assists per game.

Projected Starting Lineups

Lynx: PG – Whalen, SG – Augustus, SF – Moore, PF – Brunson, C – Fowles

Dream: PG – Montgomery, SG – Hayes, SF – McCoughtry, PF – Breland, C – Williams 

Injury Report

Lynx: No injuries to report.

Dream: No injuries to report.