Lynx-Storm Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Jun 16 2012 2:28PM

The reigning WNBA champions Minnesota Lynx are off to the best start in league history.

A pair of matchups with the Seattle Storm have helped them get there.

Undefeated Minnesota tries for a fifth consecutive victory over the Storm as the teams meet at KeyArena for the first time this season Sunday night.

Lindsay Whalen posted a season-high 29 points and fellow guard Seimone Augustus scored 14 as the Lynx continued their recent domination Friday, becoming the first team to start 10-0 with a 78-60 rout at Phoenix.

"We're excited about that," coach Cheryl Reeve said. "We're not a team that talks about records, but when it got to be nine we thought, `What the hell? Let's embrace this thing and take our place in history.' We're happy to be the only team to start off 10-0."

Outscoring opponents by a WNBA-best average of 14.2 points, Minnesota is controlling almost every facet of the game. The Lynx rank first in the league in field-goal percentage (51.2), opponents field-goal percentage (37.9) and are outrebounding teams by a Western Conference-leading 7.2 boards per contest.

Unfortunately for the Storm (2-7), they know all too well how well the Lynx are playing.

After falling 84-71 on May 27, Seattle's losing streak in this series reached four with an embarrassing 79-55 defeat June 6. The Storm, who were outscored 25-8 in the first quarter, were limited to just 33.3 percent shooting and failed to take advantage of the Lynx playing without an injured Augustus.

"Clearly, we didn't play well both times we've played against them," seven-time All-Star Sue Bird said. "They were able to take advantage. They played very well. Sometimes when you're missing a player, such as Seimone, people tend to step up. I think they had a lot of players do that. They just played very well."

Augustus also missed a 93-73 victory at Tulsa on June 9 due to a strained quad but shot 6 for 13 - including 2 for 4 from 3-point range - versus the Mercury.

"It feels good," Augustus, who leads Minnesota with 18.1 points per game, said of her injury. "It's still giving me a little bit of trouble, but the more I play on it, the faster I'll be able to get back into the flow of my game."

Seattle, meanwhile, is coming off its second victory of the season - both of which have come against the winless Shock. After scoring a combined 18 points while making just 6 of 31 shots in her previous three games, Bird broke out with 21 on 9 of 12 shooting during Friday's 86-73 win.

"Sue Bird showed tonight why she's the best point guard in the world," Shock coach Gary Kloppenburg said. "She's been struggling lately but she got healthy against us."

Bird has been limited to a combined 12 points while going 4 for 19 from the field versus the Lynx this season.

Seattle continues to play without three-time league MVP Lauren Jackson as she prepares for this summer's Olympics for her native Australia.

Minnesota's 13 consecutive regular-season wins and 10 straight road victories are both franchise records.

Bird, Wright help Storm hand Lynx 1st loss

Posted Jun 18 2012 12:36AM

SEATTLE (AP) Sue Bird scored 21 points and Tanisha Wright added 12 points and eight assists as the Seattle Storm beat Minnesota 65-62 on Sunday night, handing the defending champion Lynx their first loss of the season.

Tina Thompson added 10 points for the Storm (3-7), including two game-clinching free throws with 1 second remaining. Thompson also grabbed two key rebounds in the final 5 seconds, including an offensive board with 1.9 to go after Bird missed two free throws.

``I just tapped it a little bit trying to get it to myself,'' Thompson said about her offensive rebound. ``It's one of those things. Although I was trying to get it, a little luck of it bouncing my way helped, too.''

Bird, who entered the game shooting 93 percent (13 of 14) from the line, certainly appreciated Thompson's rebound.

``I said thank you immediately,'' Bird said. ``That was huge. That sealed the game for us. When she got the rebound, I definitely exhaled.''

Maya Moore scored 14 points and Seimone Augustus added 12 for the Lynx (10-1), who had set the record for the longest unbeaten start in WNBA history.

The Lynx rallied from a 17-point deficit in the second quarter to pull to 63-62 on Moore's two free throws with 1:05 to go. However neither team scored until Thompson's last second free throws.

Augustus missed a 16-foot baseline shot with 4.4 seconds left and Moore's 3-point attempt from 28 feet brushed the net as time expired.

``I felt like it was on target, just a little short,'' Moore said. ``With 1 second, having to inbound it and catch and shoot, I thought it was a great look.

``But it shouldn't have come down to that. We felt like there were so many missed opportunities . .giving up an offensive rebound on a free throw. I mean there were so many things in the entire game that could've changed things.''

Seattle coach Brian Agler said Thompson's clutch plays down the stretch demonstrated her all-around game.

``Obviously, she's the all-time leading scorer in the league,'' Agler said. ``But she's one of the great competitors in the league. You saw two of the rebounds she came down with in the guts of the game. The one on the free throw was huge. She just outworked people.''

Thompson, the only player to have appeared in every WNBA season since the league's inception in 1997, also had a rebound after Augustus' miss with 4.4 seconds left.

Bird finished 5 for 7 on 3-pointers. She scored 13 points and Wright had 10 to help Seattle to a 43-29 halftime lead. Thompson hit a 21-footer to give the Storm a 17-point lead midway through the second quarter to cap a 13-3 run.

The Storm shot 57 percent (17 of 30) from the field in the first half, while the Lynx were at 36 percent (11 of 31). Augustus scored 10 points in the second half after hitting only 1 of 7 shots from the field in the opening half.

``I thought Seattle played really hard and was far more determined than we were to win the game,'' said Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, who received a technical foul in the second quarter. ``We didn't show up until the second half and that was a bit disappointing.''

Seattle's other two wins this season were against Tulsa, which got its first win earlier Sunday.

Minnesota beat the Storm 84-71 on May 27 and 79-55 on June 6.

• Lynx: --
• Storm: --

• Lynx: Reeve
• Storm: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 4

• Arena: Key Arena, Seattle, WA
• Officials: #13 Cameron Inouye, #18 Kurt Walker, #8 Daryl Humphrey
• Attendance: 8349
• Duration: 1:58