Insider Preview - Storm vs. Minnesota

It was four days before the season opener when Don Zierden, entering his third year as the Lynx's head coach, resigned the position to join the NBA's Washington Wizards as an assistant. Zierden was replaced by Jennifer Gillom, an early WNBA star who had joined the Minnesota staff as an assistant prior to the 2008 season. Coming after two weeks of training camp, the coaching change could have been a costly distraction, but the Lynx responded extremely well. They started the season with three straight wins and four in their first five games.

The feel-good start then took a hit in Minnesota's sixth game, a showdown at Phoenix with first place in the Western Conference on the line. Just before halftime in a close game, Augustus was injured on a drive to the basket. It was immediately apparent the injury was serious, and an MRI confirmed that she had torn her ACL and would miss the remainder of the season. The injury was a shock to the Lynx's system, and the team had to play again two nights later against the Storm in Seattle. Hard-pressed to compensate for the loss of Augustus' ability to create offense, Minnesota struggled badly in a blowout loss.

Again, the Lynx bounced back. The team returned home and got a chance to practice without Augustus before coming out and beating the New York Liberty for the first of three straight wins. Even short-handed, Minnesota began the month of July atop the Western Conference. Now, the Lynx have played nine games since Augustus was injured and gone 5-4 in those games. While Minnesota has certainly missed Augustus at times, the team is still playing well enough to make some noise in the West.

Even a short-handed Lynx squad has more than enough offensive punch. Minnesota has scored 103.4 points per 100 possessions, good for second in the league. Add in a fast pace and the Lynx averages more than 80 points a night. The offense is led by three players, all of them sophomores, who have a chance to earn trips to the All-Star Game when reserves are announced next week: Nicky Anosike, Charde Houston and Candice Wiggins.

Quietly, Anosike might be the best of the group. A second-round pick out of Tennessee, Anosike started from day one and earned All-Rookie honors in 2008. She's managed to take another step in her development this season, and has quickly established herself as one of the league's most versatile players. Anosike ranks in the WNBA's top five in rebounds and steals per game, an interesting combination for a 6-3 post player. Anosike often directs the offense from the high post and has shown a remarkable knack for getting to the free throw line, having attempted more foul shots than any other player in the league.

A third-round pick, Houston beat the odds just by making the Lynx roster out of Connecticut a year ago. She contributed off the bench a rookie, then moved into the starting five this season and has been Minnesota's second-leading scorer after Augustus. Houston is capable of putting up points in a hurry, averaging 22.7 points per 40 minutes. Adding three-point range has made Houston much more dangerous; she's hit 14 three-pointers after not attempting a single triple as a rookie.

Wiggins, the No. 3 overall pick in 2008, had a phenomenal rookie season that would have earned her Rookie of the Year honors in a campaign where Candace Parker did not bust on the scene by winning MVP. She did win the Sixth Women Award before moving into the starting lineup this season. That meant a difficult adjustment, and Wiggins struggled early in the year. She caught fire after Augustus' injury, scoring 20-plus points in all three games of the Lynx's winning streak. Lately, Wiggins has slumped again, scoring 16 total points on 5-of-21 shooting in her last two outings. It's been more difficult for Wiggins to get to the free throw line this season as teams have dared her to shoot from the perimeter and Wiggins has been inconsistent from beyond the arc, hitting 35.8 percent overall.

The Storm snapped a mini-losing streak of two games on Friday, going into ARCO Arena to defeat the Sacramento Monarchs without Lauren Jackson. The Storm's defense resumed its dominance, holding the Monarchs to 32.7 percent shooting, and timely scoring from Sue Bird powered a fourth-quarter run. Jackson remains day-to-day, and the Storm has yet to make a decision on her availability against Minnesota. While Jackson has played very well in two Storm wins over the Lynx, averaging 24.0 points and knocking down seven threes in the two games, the Storm has shown the ability to win without Jackson the last two seasons. Friday's win moved the Storm to 9-5 in Jackson's absence in that span.

KEY MATCHUP
	To replace Augustus in the starting lineup, the Lynx have turned to journeywoman Roneeka Hodges, selected in the Houston Comets Dispersal Draft. Hodges has played extraordinarily well in that role, averaging 13.7 points per game. Her primary contribution is the ability to shoot with range. Hodges has made 25 threes in her nine starts, hitting them at a 43.9 percent clip. On the season, Hodges ranks third in the league in three-pointers. That gives Swin Cash the responsibility of staying with Hodges on the perimeter. Cash filled that role very well Friday in Sacramento, helping hold Nicole Powell to a single three-pointer and 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting.

On the same day the Lynx learned Augustus would be out for the season, they struggled to adjust to her absence in a 90-62 loss to the Storm at KeyArena. The Storm started the game with a 12-2 run, led by 12 after one quarter and 23 at the half and was never seriously threatened. The Storm held Minnesota to 29.3 percent shooting and forced 21 turnovers, holding one of the league's most potent offensive teams to a season-low 62 points. The Storm shot 57.1 percent from beyond the arc and made a season-high 38 trips to the foul line.

Jackson led the way with 26 points on 7-of-11 shooting, posting a career-high six steals. Janell Burse led a strong bench effort with 14 points, while Katie Gearlds added a season-high 11. Bird scored just four points but handed out 10 assists without a turnover, leading the way for a Storm offense that handed out 21 assists on 26 field goals.

INJURIES

Storm - Center Lauren Jackson (mild left Achilles tendon strain) is a game-time decision. Forward Ashley Walker (right big toe) is out.

Minnesota - Forward Seimone Augustus (torn left ACL) is out.