Even without some of the biggest names in WNBA history, the Minnesota Lynx are the only team still undefeated on the young season.

The visiting Lynx can improve to 4-0 for the third time in four seasons with a second victory in seven days over the Seattle Storm on Tuesday night.

With star Maya Moore taking the season off, league legend Lindsay Whalen retired, the future of forward Rebekkah Brunson uncertain and fellow veteran Seimone Augustus out indefinitely with a knee issue, Minnesota wasn’t a popular pick to be the last remaining WNBA team without a loss in 2019.

But thanks to the likes of stalwart Sylvia Fowles (14.0 points per game, 11.7 rebounds per game), rookie Napheesa Collier (13.7 ppg), Odyssey Sims (12.7 ppg, 5.0 assists per game), Damiris Dantas (11.3 ppg, 3.7 apg), Danielle Robinson (10.0 ppg, 3.0 apg) and playing their traditionally strong defense that’s allowing a league-low 66.3 points per game, the Lynx are the class of the WNBA at the moment.

Dantas was the third different Minnesota player to lead the team in scoring this season in Saturday’s 70-67 win at Dallas, posting 20 points while making three of five 3-point attempts.

Sims scored a team-high 15, Dantas added 12 and Fowles pulled down 13 boards, but it was Minnesota’s stifling defense that did in Seattle (2-2) for a 72-61 home victory on Wednesday. The Lynx opened a 22-9 lead and eventually held the Storm to 36.4 percent shooting and owned a 40-22 advantage on the glass.

“This is what we do: we defend and we rebound,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said after that victory. We’re athletic, we’re persistent. Every time we play, we hope we’re hard to play against.”

Even without reigning MVP Breanna Stewart (Achilles) and league legend Sue Bird (knee), Seattle has been relatively tough to play against so far in 2019. However, it must bounce back from Saturday’s 83-79 loss at Chicago that concluded a stretch of three road games in four days.

Natasha Howard (19.8 ppg, 11.0 rpg) continued her strong start for the defending champs with 21 points and nine rebounds. Despite rallying to take the lead in the fourth quarter, the Storm allowed the Sky to score the final six points of the game.

“We’re gonna be in a lot of these types of games, so we need to learn how to finish crunch-time plays – whether it’s one stop or one basket, we’ve gotta execute,” acting Storm coach Gary Kloppenburg said. “That message is what we’ve gotta take going forward.”

Howard had 18 points and teammate Jewell Loyd (14.3 ppg) added 13, but the pair was 0 of 7 from 3-point range at Minnesota last week.