Lynx avenge loss to Fever, clinch playoff berth

A dominating performance by Napheesa Collier propelled the Minnesota Lynx to a 90-80 win over the Indiana Fever on Saturday night in Minneapolis.

The Lynx (22-8) lost to the Fever on July 14 with Collier out with a foot injury. Collier made up for it in the rematch, leading the Lynx with 31 points, her fifth game in a row leading Minnesota in scoring coming out of the Olympic break. The performance extended Minnesota's winning streak to six games and clinched a spot in the WNBA playoffs.

Minnesota built a double-digit lead early in the fourth quarter, but Indiana (13-16) wouldn't go away quietly. A 7-0 run by the Fever put the visitors within three but unlike the second quarter, Minnesota held them off and responded.

A surge with under four minutes in the final quarter gave the Lynx a 15-point lead that they wouldn't relinquish.

Minnesota's Kayla McBride scored 19 points, with eight coming in the fourth quarter. Bridget Carleton added 16 points, four assists and four rebounds.

The home side started hot, building an early 13-point lead against a rusty Indiana (13-16) side which hadn't played in six days. However, the Fever battled back in the second quarter.

Indiana made its first nine shots after the first quarter. It was part of a second quarter performance where the Fever outscored the Lynx 28-16. It meant Minnesota's 13-point lead shrunk to a one-point advantage heading into halftime. The Lynx adjusted during the break and came out strong in the second half, scoring 10 of the first 12 points of the quarter.

For the Fever, it was the guard duo of Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark keeping the game close until late. Both had 20-point games with the rookie Clark leading Indiana with 23 points. The veteran Mitchell added 21.

Even so, Clark was quiet in the second half, taking only five shots in the last two quarters, compared to 13 in the first half. She hit 8-of-18 shots from the floor, including 3-of-8 3-point attempts.

--Field Level Media