For the Minnesota Lynx, life without superstar Napheesa Collier has gone surprisingly well, due in part to star rookie Olivia Miles.
Miles has helped Minnesota to a six-game winning streak that will be on the line at home against the struggling Seattle Storm on Saturday.
Minnesota (8-2) has been without Collier due to offseason ankle surgeries but added Miles with the second overall pick in April’s draft. The rookie has averaged 17.0 points and 6.3 assists per game and helped the Lynx to the best record in the league.
On Thursday, Miles scored 28 points, including a rookie record eight 3-pointers as Minnesota outlasted the Golden State Valkyries 87-84. Courtney Williams added 17 points and Kayla McBride tallied 14 as the Lynx used an 11-0 run to shift the game midway through the fourth quarter.
Much of the talk afterward centered on Miles.
“Once she saw a couple go down, then it felt like she was playing Baylor again,” said Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, referring to a 40-point game Miles had with TCU this past season.
Long-range outbursts aside, it was defense that keyed the Lynx’s victory.
Minnesota leads the WNBA in scoring defense (79.4 points allowed) and field goal defense (38.2%).
“I think our identity is pretty strong,” Reeve said.
Seattle (3-8) is on a four-game losing streak and is next to last in the league in scoring at 75.6 points. Center Dominique Malonga has been sidelined the past eight games due to a concussion but has participated in recent shooting drills and is close to a return.
The Storm fell to 72-68 to Phoenix on Wednesday after shooting 38.4% from the floor. Awa Fam scored 18 points and Natisha Heideman added 15, but the Storm shot 25.0% in the fourth quarter and saw a six-point fourth-quarter lead disappear after a 16-3 run by the Mercury.
With Seattle slated to play four 2025 playoff teams in the next five games, coach Sonia Raman had a simple message moving ahead.
“It’s chop wood, carry water, pound the rock,” Raman said. “Do the (hard-working) things every day. … With a young team, that’s really important. You can’t get ahead of things.”
–Field Level Media
