Scouting Report | Lynx vs. Sun
Julian Andrews
August 9, 2019
The Game
The Lynx have an opportunity in front of them to pick up a win over one of the best teams in the league on Friday night when they take on the Sun.
Minnesota, which plays four of their next five games on the road, could certainly use a home victory. It won’t be easy though; the Sun are playing their best ball of the season and have won seven games in a row. They currently hold the No. 1 seed in the league.
The Lynx will need everyone at their best to beat the Sun. Sylvia Fowles will have to lock up Jonquel Jones, Odyssey Sims needs to be efficient and get to the line and Napheesa Collier needs to continue her all-around phenomenal play. Minnesota has a recipe for success, they just need to execute their game plan to near perfection in order to beat Connecticut.
The Lynx are currently 11-11 and sitting in the No. 8 seed in the WNBA. The standings are so tight, though, every win has the potential to push a team higher. Minnesota is just a half game out of sixth place in the league. Getting to that position would be big boost because it would give the Lynx the right to host a first-round playoff game instead of going on the road.
What: Lynx vs. Sun
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Target Center
Watch: CBS Sports, Fox Sports Go
Listen: BOB FM 106.1
Lynx Connection
The Lynx executed a draft-night trade with the Sun that brought guard Lexie Brown to Minnesota. Brown never found her footing in Connecticut and though she holds no ill will towards the Sun, she is happy to have found a team in Minnesota that is better able to put her talents to use. In exchange for Brown, the Lynx sent the draft rights to Natasha Hiedeman. Hiedeman hasn’t played much for the Sun but in the nine games in which she has appeared she has played well. It seems like the deal was one that worked out well for both sides.
Something You Might Not Have Known…
The Sun have the second-best offensive rating and the second-best defensive rating in the league. They also have the second-best defensive rebounding percentage in the league and are second in the league in three-point percentage. Only one thing really matters though—they are first in the league standings.
Injury Report:
Lynx: Karima Christmas-Kelly (knee) and Jessica Shepard (ACL) are out, Seimone Augustus (knee) is probable.
Sun: Layshia Clarendon (ankle) is out.
Probable Starters:
Lynx: PG—Sims, SG—Augustus, SF—Collier, PF—Dantas, C—Fowles
Sun: PG—Williams, SG—Thomas, SF—Thomas, PF—Stricklen, C—Jones