Sparks-Lynx Preview

By ALAN FERGUSON
Posted Oct 04 2012 1:06AM

Despite barely surviving, the defending WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx were content with their performance in the opening round of the playoffs.

The Lynx's happiness in the Western Conference finals might hinge on whether they can add to their superb record at home and take advantage of the Los Angeles Sparks' inconsistency on the road.

Minnesota will try to take another step toward repeating in Thursday night's series opener at the Target Center.

After matching last year's franchise record with 27 wins in the regular season, Minnesota narrowly got past Seattle - a team that finished 16-18 - in three games, winning the finale 73-72 on Tuesday as Seimone Augustus scored 21 points and Maya Moore had 20.

"I'm not sure if people on the outside really understood how hard of a series that was for us," coach Cheryl Reeve told the team's official website. "They think it should be easy for us, and it's not. Seattle played really well and schemed really well. It was a battle. We felt very accomplished in advancing and getting to the Western Conference finals."

For the top-seeded Lynx to stay on track toward becoming the first team to repeat as WNBA champs since the Sparks did it in 2001 and 2002, they'll have to get past a Los Angeles team that swept its opening series.

The Sparks won by seven points in each of their two games against San Antonio, including a 101-94 victory Saturday that featured Candace Parker's 32 points.

"It's just a stepping stone. We're not satisfied," said Parker, who scored 25 in Game 1. "It's a great step. We beat a great team on their home floor. I'm proud of our group."

The Game 2 win was the Sparks' ninth in 18 road games this season, and they'll next face one of the best home squads in the league. Minnesota has won 18 of 19 at the Target Center this year, including a pair of matchups against Los Angeles.

The Lynx lost both visits to Los Angeles, including a 92-76 defeat Sept. 20. Parker and emerging rookie star Nneka Ogwumike each scored 22 points in that win.

"We have a tough team we have to face with a lot of firepower," Augustus said. "It starts with Candace Parker. She's the leader of that team. We're going to definitely get prepared for Thursday."

Moore and Augustus each had 23 points during an 88-77 home victory over the Sparks on Sept. 4, and they'll try to replicate that performance in a matchup of the two highest-scoring teams in the WNBA. Minnesota averaged 86.0 points this season while Los Angeles scored 84.0 per game.

Kristi Toliver averaged a team-best 17.5 points for the Sparks in the regular season - 6.3 more than in any other year - and 26.0 in the West semifinals, matching a career high with 29 points in Game 1 against San Antonio. She equaled that total during a 96-90 win over Minnesota on July 5, but scored a combined 15 in the last two matchups with the Lynx.

These teams haven't squared off in the postseason since Minnesota lost in three games in the 2003 West semifinals in the franchise's first playoff series.

Lynx beat Sparks 94-77 in Western finals opener

Posted Oct 04 2012 11:59PM

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Playing strong close to the basket has the Minnesota Lynx one win away from a return trip to the WNBA finals.

Maya Moore scored 20 points, Rebekkah Brunson had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and the Lynx beat the Los Angeles Sparks 94-77 Thursday night in the opener of the Western Conference finals.

Seimone Augustus added 16 points for the defending champion Lynx.

Candace Parker scored 25 points and had 11 rebounds for Los Angeles. Alana Beard added 16 points, but Kristi Toliver, who came in averaging 26 points in the playoffs, was held to 12.

Game 2 of the best-of-three series is Sunday in Los Angeles, where the Lynx are 4-21 all-time.

``It was a really good team win,'' Moore said.

Minnesota held a 37-25 rebounding edge, outscored the Sparks 46-34 in the paint and held a 20-2 advantage in second-chance points to improve to 19-1 at home this season.

``We did not answer or match their physicality and we paid for it,'' said Sparks coach Carol Ross. ``We ended with four offensive rebounds, just one at halftime. You can't survive that way.''

Parker had 11 rebounds for Los Angeles, but only one other Sparks player had more than two - reserve Nicky Anosike with four.

``We really have to put a lot of our focus on our effort and what we do once the ball is shot and it hits the rim,'' said DeLisha Milton-Jones. ``They cannot get second-chance points, because it puts us in a world of trouble.''

Besides Brunson, who has 46 rebounds in four playoff games, including three double-doubles, Augustus had six rebounds for Minnesota, Moore had five, Taj McWilliams-Franklin and Amber Harris each had four.

``We just kept going. We never gave up. We never gave in. We knew that was going to be key for this game, to limit their second chance points. They crash the boards pretty hard,'' Brunson said. ``We really locked in. We focused in. We did a great job.''

Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve was especially impressed by the 42-year-old McWilliams-Franklin keeping rookie Nneka Ogwumike in check. The latter was averaging six boards a game.

``Ogwumike is just so impressive athletically. She has a lot of fast-twitch muscles and Taj doesn't have any, but Taj has intelligence and she plays on angles. And like she said, `Coach, I may not get a rebound, but I will block her out.'''

Minnesota, which averaged a WNBA-best 86 points during the regular season - just two more than Los Angeles, took control in the second quarter, outscoring the Sparks 32-16 for a 48-31 halftime lead.

As part of a 14-2 run, the Lynx scored six points on the break and added another down low before a 3-pointer by Moore finished the surge. After Milton-Jones missed a long jumper for the Sparks, Harris scored her first postseason points with back-to-back layups for a 38-23 lead.

A 3-pointer by Candice Wiggins, steal and layup by Monica Wright, and a 3-pointer by Augustus put the Lynx up 46-26. After Parker scored five straight points for the Sparks, Lindsay Whalen scored on a putback at the buzzer.

Playing with a broken left ring finger and a bruised left wrist, Whalen finished with 12 points.

``She plays with so much heart and it's contagious,'' Moore said.

Minnesota increased its lead to 24 in the third quarter before Parker, who is averaging 27.3 points in the postseason, began to find success down low. She scored eight points during a 16-5 run that got the Sparks within 66-53 late in the quarter.

``This team didn't wait for us to wake up,'' Parker said. ``For three-fourths of the game we laid down and took it.''

Los Angeles pulled to 73-63 midway through the fourth, but the Lynx answered with back-to-back 3-pointers by Moore and Wright.

Moore was 5-for-5 from the field in the final quarter.

``She was tremendous. She hit back-breaking shots,'' Ross said. ``She wants the ball and knows what to do with it when she gets it.''

Toliver was quiet through three quarters, with just two points and no assists, before getting 10 points in the final 10 minutes.

``One thing I know about Kristi is that she'll come back stronger in the next game,'' Parker said.

McWilliams-Franklin set a league record by playing in her 59th career playoff game.

• Sparks: --
• Lynx: --

• Sparks: --
• Lynx: --

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 4

• Arena: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
• Officials: #42 Roy Gulbeyan, #8 Daryl Humphrey, #44 Felicia Grinter
• Attendance: 8513
• Duration: 1:56