Scouting Report | Lynx vs. Fever

Lynx vs. Fever, 7 p.m.
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The Lynx are taking on the Indiana Fever on Tuesday night in what very well could be a highly lopsided contest, but could be dangerous if Minnesota doesn’t bring their best.

The Fever have the worst record in the WNBA at 1-16. They have the second-worst offense in the league and allow their opponents to shoot a league-high 46.9 percent from the field. They’re not a great rebounding team, they don’t move the ball particularly well. They own the second-worst shooting percentage in the league. Despite all this, however, the future may be quite bright for the franchise.

Kelsey Mitchell, the Fever’s first-round pick in last year’s draft, has the look of a generationally talented shooter.

In her first year in the WNBA Mitchell is shooting 37.8 percent from three on 7.0 attempts per game. Those are elite numbers. Only Diana Taurasi has made more threes this year, and at 22 years old, Mitchell could develop into one of the WNBA’s best shooters of all time. The Fever might not seem like a tough matchup for the streaking Lynx, but they’ll have to keep a hand in Mitchell’s face or she might drop seven threes on them like she did the Dream in Indiana’s only win of the season.

Fellow rookie Victoria Vivians has also come on strong as of late. She caught fire for 27 points in Indiana’s last game versus the Dream, and has hit double digits in four straight games. Also of note, the Fever signed released Sparks guard Cappie Pondexter on Sunday. Pondexter should provide a steady veteran presence and a winning attitude for the Fever, and offers valuable production off the bench as well.

The question on the Fever’s side is if they have anyone on their roster capable of slowing down Maya Moore. Moore was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for the second straight week today and has scored over 20 points in every single game of the Lynx’s seven-game run. With Moore in form, the Lynx’s offense has caught up to a resurgent defense that is allowing the fewest points per game in the WNBA over their last seven. In that span, the Lynx are also shooting the highest percentage from the field—a scorching 47.3 percent.

A Lynx team operating at its peak should have no trouble dispatching with the Fever, but we’ve seen this season that nothing can be taken for granted. If the Lynx don’t bring the energy, they could fall to an Indiana team that is motivated and hungry for wins. They need to stay sharp.

Starting Lineups:

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

Fever: PG—K. Mitchell, SG—T. Mitchell, SF—Vivians, PF—Dupree, C—Achonwa

Injuries:

Lynx: Danielle Robinson (hamstring) is questionable.

Fever: No injuries to report.