The Minnesota Lynx will face off against the Connecticut Sun in the first round of the 2023 WNBA playoffs.
The Lynx recovered from a 0-6 start to their season and finished with a 19-21 record. They locked their spot in the playoffs when they defeated the Phoenix Mercury on Sept. 3, becoming the second team ever to lose at least its first six matchups and still make the postseason, according to ESPN News Services. Lynx forward Napheesa Collier and guard Kayla McBride led Minnesota with 20-point outings in the win over the Mercury. Phoenix guard Moriah Jefferson led the Mercury with 32 points.
The Lynx went 1-3 against Connecticut during the 2023 regular season. They split a two-game series against the Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena in the latter half of their 2023 campaign, taking a four-point win in late July before falling in a 10-point loss on Aug. 1.
Will the Lynx pull off the upset against the Connecticut Sun?
Solid Scoring Options
Collier, a five-year veteran for the Lynx, ended the 2023 regular season with averages of 21.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. She scored 20 points or more 22 times this season, including a 30-point performance in a five-point loss to the Sun in June. Collier ranks fourth in the WNBA in points per game, taking spots over Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale, Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike and Chicago Sky guard Kahleah Copper.
Guard Kayla McBride took second place on the Lynx roster with 14.3 points per game. McBride averaged 12.5 points per game on a 43% field goal percentage in the four games against the Sun in 2023. The three-time All-Star signed a multi-year contract extension with the squad earlier this month.
“Kayla has proven to be such an integral part of the Lynx since her arrival in 2021. Her play this season, coupled with her leadership, has been vital to the Lynx returning to playoff basketball,” Lynx Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations Cheryl Reeve said in a September release. “We look forward to KMac wearing the Lynx uniform for years to come.”
It will take the scoring of Collier, McBride and rookie guard Diamond Miller to overcome a tough Sun defense. It ranks second in the league in defensive rating, or “the number of points allowed per 100 possessions by a team,” of 98.8, according to WNBA.com.
Emerging Young Talent
The Lynx selected Miller with the No. 2 pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft. The former first-team All-Big Ten selection averaged 12.1 points per game in the 32 games she played for Minnesota this season. She scored 13 points and dished six assists in a 10-point loss to the Sun in August, hitting four of her 14 shot attempts as Connecticut took a 79-69 victory at home. She was the league's Rookie of the Month in July.
Minnesota selected forward Dorka Juhász in the second round of this year's draft. The former UConn and Ohio State forward averaged six points and 6.5 rebounds per game this season. Miller and Juhász took spots on the Associated Press's All-Rookie Team.
“Dorka's been so great for us, I'm so glad that she's one of our rookies,” Collier told The Hartford Courant. “She has not been in an easy position, stepping up as a rookie, having to play serious minutes starting and performing the way that she has — she's guarding the best post player every night. So she's been doing so well and I'm really, really proud of her.”
Minnesota's younger players must step up for the Lynx when they face talented and experienced options in forwards DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas.
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