The Lynx are one step closer to their goal of securing home court advantage in the 2019 playoffs after they absolutely put the hammer down on the Mercury in the third quarter of Friday night’s contest to earn an 83-69 victory.

Odyssey Sims, as she has been all season, was brilliant. She finished with 22 points and nine assists, going 10-for-16 from the floor. Sims has now had five games with at least 20 points and eight assists this season. The Lynx have had 20 such performances in franchise history. Think about that—all the legendary players this team has had in uniform and Sims has turned in a quarter of Minnesota’s 20-8 games just this season. She is on another level.

It was also a special night for Sylvia Fowles, who became the second-leading rebounder in WNBA history. Only Lynx great Rebekkah Brunson remains ahead of her. It’s starting to become hard to keep track of all the records Fowles has broken this season. Though things are coming to a head this year, all these milestones are a testament to her hard work over the course of many years.

However, as special of a night as it was for those two players, we need to talk about that third quarter.

Heading into halftime, the Lynx looked like the worse team. They were hanging around, but a lot of easy looks were rimming out and they were not asserting their dominance. It wasn’t a bad first half, but it wasn’t fantastic either.

Whatever head coach Cheryl Reeve said in the locker room lit a fire under the team.

The Lynx came out firing in the third and never looked back. They were the aggressors and as they started to bend the game to their will, Phoenix started to get frustrated. Brittney Griner picked up two technical and was ejected and it was obvious the Mercury started to get into their own heads. Through it all, the Lynx just kept executing their game plan and pouring on the points. Minnesota outscored Phoenix 29-9 in that third quarter. Through three quarters they only turned the ball over eight times. That’s a good way to win a game.

That’s five Lynx wins in a row if you’re following along at home.

Now, the Lynx just need to win one more game—what is sure to be a brutal matchup on the road in L.A.—in order to secure home court. Even if they are unable to complete the perfect road trip, Minnesota is playing its best basketball of the season at the perfect time and they have clinched their ninth-consecutive winning season. With all the new faces on this roster, that’s one heck of an accomplishment.

However, it’s not enough for the players on this team. This is a squad that clearly thinks it is capable of making a run in the playoffs and obviously has the talent to do so. I would not want to face them. See you Sunday!