Lynx looking to finish strong against fizzling Sparks

Field Level Media|published: 09/18/2024, 5:57pm EDT

Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24), Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston (7), and Minnesota Lynx forward Bridget Carleton (6) watch a free throw Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Minnesota Lynx at Gainbride Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The Minnesota Lynx will put their seven-game winning streak on the line Thursday, but not much else when they meet the Los Angeles Sparks in the final regular-season game for both teams in Minneapolis.

The Lynx (30-9) are locked into the No. 2 seed when the WNBA playoffs begin Sunday and might get more out of resting or significantly reducing the playing time of star forward Napheesa Collier on Thursday. Resting anybody else might be a bit tricky.

"It's the WNBA and you have a roster size of 11. What are you gonna do, rest four people?" Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. "It's safe to say that we're not going to run (our players) into the ground. And we'd like to finish with a home win."

In a 78-76 road victory over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday, Collier scored a team-high 25 points as the Lynx built their second seven-game win streak of the season and have come out on top in 14 of their last 15 games. They are 13-1 since returning from the Olympic break.

Collier is averaging 20.4 points and 9.7 rebounds this season with 18 double-doubles in 34 games played.

Kayla McBride added 14 points against the Sun, while Bridget Carleton added 13, including the game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds. Minnesota won after blowing a 12-point lead in the third quarter.

The Sparks (7-32) have been the complete opposite of the Lynx to close out the regular season. They are on an eight-game losing streak and are 1-14 since the Olympic break to lock up last place.

"I know the season didn't go as planned ... but I can honestly say each and every one of us will be in the gym this offseason and we will get better," the Sparks' Azura Stevens told the crowd after Tuesday's home finale, an 85-81 loss to the Phoenix Mercury.

"So next year, mark my words, next year is going to be different."

One bright side has been the play of Dearica Hamby, who is averaging 17.2 points with 9.3 rebounds. It has been the best season of the three-time All-Star's career, and she even added a bronze medal in the 3x3 competition at the Paris Olympics.

--Field Level Media