SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 10 (Ticker) -- The Sacramento Monarchs handled business as usual against the Minnesota Lynx.

Yolanda Griffith scored 18 points and Kara Lawson added 14 off the bench as the Monarchs posted a 74-66 victory for their eighth straight win over the Lynx.

Griffith made 8-of-12 shots and Lawson netted two 3-pointers for Sacramento, which also extended its home winning streak to nine games.

With the second seed in the Western Conference already secured, defending champion Sacramento limited Minnesota with another strong defensive effort.

In their matchup on July 22, the Monarchs forced the Lynx to commit 24 turnovers en route to an 86-59 rout. On Thursday, they challenged nearly every shot attempt, holding the visitors to 37 percent (22-of-59) shooting.

The Monarchs, who led for most of the contest, bolstered their advantage to 58-40 on a three-point play by Rebekkah Brunson - who collected 10 points and 11 rebounds - with 9:45 left in the fourth quarter.

While Sacramento relaxed, Minnesota managed to claw its way back to 70-66 with 2:02 to go after a hook shot by rookie Seimone Augustus. But Nicole Powell's 3-pointer pushed the margin back to seven, ending the late rally.

Augustus scored 31 points, including all 13 of her foul shots for the Lynx, who have lost eight of nine overall.

Next Games: The Lynx finish off the season at Los Angeles on Sunday, while the Monarchs close out the regular season at Phoenix on Sunday.