Lynx seek to bounce back against Sparks (Jul 04, 2018)
The Minnesota Lynx are going to need a quick fix.
Just 48 hours after suffering a stunning home loss to the WNBA's worst team, the Lynx will host one of the best in the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday at Target Center in Minneapolis.
Minnesota (10-7) had its worst offensive showing in almost five years and saw its seven-game win streak come to an end on Tuesday in a 71-59 defeat against the Indiana Fever, which improved to 2-16 on the season.
The Lynx, who averaged 87.6 points during the winning streak, scored their lowest point total since a 58-55 win over Seattle in the 2013 playoffs.
Minnesota was out of sync from the start -- especially its stars.
Maya Moore, who scored at least 20 points in each of the past six games, made just one basket in the first quarter en route to nine points on 3-for-15 shooting.
Sylvia Fowles made just 4 of 12 shots, was blocked three times and didn't go to the free-throw line.
"There's no question there's more talent in the Lynx locker room," Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said, according to the (St. Paul, Minn.) Pioneer Press, "but there's no question the Indiana Fever played much harder in every facet of the game.
Maybe the Lynx were looking ahead to the latest rematch of the two teams who have met in the WNBA Finals the past two years.
"If you can't get up for L.A. then we got a problem," Fowles said.
The teams are meeting for the third of four times this season. Los Angeles won the first two games.
The Sparks (12-6) have stumbled a bit of late, losing three of four.
It was Los Angeles star Nneka Ogwumike's sister who did in the Sparks on Tuesday.
Chiney Ogwumike scored 21 points, including the game-winning layup with 18.5 seconds left, to lift the Connecticut Sun to a 73-72 win over the Sparks in Los Angeles.
Earlier, the Sparks had erased a 20-point second quarter deficit and led 72-71 with 27.9 seconds to go as the Ogwumike sisters traded late baskets.
"We played much better in the second half," Los Angeles coach Brian Agler said, according to The (New London, Conn.) Day. "But the tale of the game is how poorly we played in the first half. We just didn't play at our standard. We had mistakes at both ends and just enough for them to regain the lead (late)."
The Sparks shot just 4-for-18 to open the game.
Los Angeles is one game back of both Seattle and Phoenix in the Western Conference. Minnesota is another game and a half back of the Sparks in fourth place.
