Scouting Report | Lynx vs Sparks - Game 3
Alexander Shun
Web Editor Associate | @alexpshun
Minnesota Lynx (1-1) vs. Los Angeles Sparks (1-1) | 8:00 P.M. CT
WHERE TO WATCH: ESPN 2
WHERE TO LISTEN: 106.1 BOB FM
Entering a decisive game three of the Western Conference Semifinals tonight, the obvious mindset for both the Minnesota Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks is this: Win or go home (although technically, since the game is being played in Minnesota, it would be win or stay home, but you get the idea).
The Sparks took game two of the series on Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles, beating the Lynx 81-71 and forcing the decisive game three in Target Center tonight. The Lynx entered Sunday’s game with the 1-0 series lead and an opportunity to close-out the series, however, early foul trouble on forwards Maya Moore and Rebekkah Brunson caused the Lynx offense to stall and Minnesota, despite a close first quarter, was unable to recover from a difficult second quarter and ending up taking the loss.
“We never want to be in that situation when we are on the road. We do not want to put ourselves in that big of the hole, but that was the situation we were in; but we did not hang our heads or gave up. We kept on trying to make plays, but when you are in that big of a hole, it’s hard mentally and physically to regain momentum,” said Moore. “However, we showed a lot of heart in that’s second half and we plan to bring that momentum into game three in Minnesota.”
“I never thought for a second that we were out of the game,” said Lynx center Sylvia Fowles. “Throughout the game, they had us in the hole, but we had opportunities in the final minutes of the game, however, we were just lazy and gave the basketball away.”
After a game one in which the Lynx committed only 12 turnovers which led to 13 Sparks’ points, Minnesota came out in game two and committed 16 turnovers which led to 25 Sparks’ points. With tonight’s game being an elimination game and every possession being so important, the Lynx will surely clean up their turnovers and take much better care of the ball tonight.
With guards Lindsay Whalen and Seimone Augustus returning from injury in game one, the Lynx have a completely healthy roster; the Sparks may not be able to say the same tonight.
After being struck while tangled with other players fighting for a rebound, Sparks All-Star forward Nneka Ogwumike left game two in the third quarter with a neck strain and did not return.
“She wasn’t feeling very good, obviously,” Sparks coach Brian Agler said. “I don’t know what the status will be on Tuesday with her.”
If Ogwumike cannot play tonight, Los Angeles will be without their second-leading scorer as well as one of their best defensive players. Ogwumike frequently defended Maya Moore which, should she not play, would give Minnesota an even bigger advantage in Ogwumike’s absence.
The biggest key for Minnesota will be stopping the three-point shot that the Sparks continued to hit throughout game two, finishing the afternoon shooting 9-of-18 (50 percent) from beyond the arc.
LAST MEETING
Game two was Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles and, although the game was not technically a home game for the Sparks, they played like it was, taking full advantage of the energy the hometown crowd provided them and ran away from the Lynx early in the game, then held on late for an 81-71 victory, forcing a decisive game three tonight in Minnesota.
“It’s playoff time, so I think they’re pretty engaged defensively, and I think they were more impactful in the way they were double-teaming and just being really aggressive” Lynx head coach Chery Reeve said. “We didn’t handle those situations very well in the first half. Obviously, some things were different in the second half, but most of their offense in the first half came off of our poor offense, so they were playing off our defense.”
Forward Candace Parker did it all for the Sparks on Sunday, finishing the day with 25 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals. Guard Ana Dabovic came off the bench and provided the Sparks with a huge boost to close the game. Dabovic finished with 19 points on 5-of-10 (50 percent) shooting, including 3-of-4 (75 percent) shooting from beyond the arc. She also added seven assists on the day in just 24 minutes off the bench in the Sparks’ win.
Forward Maya Moore, like she did in game one, had a stellar game, scoring a game-high 27 points to go with her six rebounds, two assists and four steals while playing 37 of the game’s 40 minutes.
“I’m not sure if Maya has been stopped yet,” Reeve said. ” We don’t have a chance to win this game without Maya Moore doing what she’s doing and score the ball the way that she does.”
Guard Seimone Augustus had another great game for Minnesota, chipping in 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists in Minnesota’s game two defeat.
Here are some quick notes about Sunday’s game two loss:
–Minnesota will return home to play game three of the Western Conference Semifinals. In franchise playoff history, the Lynx are 2-0 in first round series when decided by a game three
–All-time, the Sparks are 4-2 in first round series when decided by a game three
–In franchise playoff history, Minnesota has advanced to the second round of playoffs in each postseason appearance (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)
–Minnesota gave up 81 Sparks points in the game – this season the Lynx were 10-12 when allowing 70-plus points by an opponent
–The Lynx had four players score in double-figures (Moore – 27, Augustus – 14, Fowles – 10, Whalen – 10)
– Forward Maya Moore led all scorers with 27 points (5-8 3FG) to go along with six rebounds and four steals. Moore is averaging 30.0 points and 4.0 steals through two games in the 2015 Western Conference Semifinals against Los Angeles
–The Sparks scored 32 points in the paint and grabbed 36 (11 offensive) rebounds compared to the Lynx’s 26 in the paint and 33 (8 offensive) boards
– Los Angeles’ 51 points in the first half was the most points scored in any half against Minnesota this year (including regular season)
–Forward Candace Parker led the Sparks with a double-double of 25 points and 10 rebounds, her 9th career playoff double-double. Her 25 points was also the 13th time she’s scored 20-plus points in the playoffs.
KEY MATCH-UP: MAYA MOORE VS. CANDACE PARKER
Yes, these two again. Every fan watching game two on Sunday saw that series is going to be won or lost following the lead of forward Maya Moore or forward Candace Parker.
Having led their respective teams in scoring in both games in the series, Moore and Parker are considered two of the best players in the WNBA today and have been playing like it, both in the regular season and in the playoffs thus far.
Moore has averaged 30 points, 5.5 rebounds and four steals in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Parker has averaged 20.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, five assists, two steals and a blocked shot in the same two games.
Yeah, these players are pretty good.
Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve has said that during the playoffs, great players make great plays; tonight, these great players are going to make a ton of great plays as they fight to send their team to the Western Conference Finals to take on the Phoenix Mercury.
It is a series-deciding game tonight, and it’s the playoffs so obviously anything can happen, but with Moore and Parker on the floor tonight, fans can be certain that both players are going to play their hearts out in any attempt to will their respective team to victory.
PROJECTED STARTERS
Lynx: PG – Whalen, SG – Augustus, SF – Moore, PF – Brunson, C – Fowles
Sparks: PG – Toliver, SG – Beard, SF – Ogwumike, PF – Parker, C – Lavender