On the day the calendar turned to July, the Minnesota Lynx had their coldest offensive game of the season Tuesday night, and on the biggest stage so far.

Against the Caitlin Clark-less Indiana Fever, Minnesota scored its fewest points this season, shot a season-worst 34.9% with a season-low tying 22 makes, and its 13 assists were a season low, as were its 14 3-point attempts. It made four, one more than a season nadir.

It means Indiana took down the WNBA’s top team 74-59 for the Commissioner’s Cup Championship before 12,778 fans inside Target Center.

“We always want to play our best basketball. So we have to take this game to heart,” said Alanna Smith, who led the Lynx with 15 points and made three of her four 3-point shots.

Napheesa Collier was an uncharacteristic 6 for 18 for 12 points. She grabbed eight rebounds but turned the ball over a season-high five times. Courtney Williams had six turnovers to go with her 11 points.

Minnesota (14-2) finished with 16 turnovers.

“It wasn’t defense that was our problem,” said coach Cheryl Reeve.

With Clark missing her third straight game with a groin strain, the Fever (8-8) used a balancing scoring attack with five players in double figures. Natasha Howard (16 points, 12 rebounds) and Aliyah Boston (15,11) had double-doubles. The Fever finished with a 40-30 boards advantage.

At least the game doesn’t count in the league standings.

Still, it was a chance for Minnesota to make another statement that they are the best team in the WNBA.

It was a far different story than a year ago, when league-wide expectations were not high for Lynx at the start of last season. But winning last year’s Commissioner’s Cup left no doubt about a club that ultimately reached Game 5 of the WNBA Finals.

“Last year it was kind of a turning point, but I think you can look at this game as a turning point for us as well. Because we got exposed in some areas, and we know we can’t show up like we did today if we want to be in the finals at the end of the year. I think you can just look at it as a turning point, just like last season they took the victory as a turning point. I think this year you can learn a lot from today. Come in and push every day,” said Jessica Shepard, who had nine points and five rebounds off the bench. She did not play last season.

Things started well enough with Minnesota scoring 20 points in the first quarter for an eight-point lead. The Lynx had just 22 points combined in the next two quarters — on 6-for-29 shooting with nine turnovers — to begin the final 10 minutes down by 10 points.

The Lynx led by 13 early in the second quarter but did not score in the final 8 minutes and 13 seconds, missing nine shots and committing five turnovers. Indiana used an 18-0 run for a 32-27 halftime lead.

The Lynx’s seven points in the second quarter are a season low, and the halftime total tied the team’s fewest points in a half.

Misfortune even carried over to halftime when the popular acrobat Red Panda fell from a unicycle early in her performance, apparently hurting her wrist. But she was ultimately wheeled to the back in a wheelchair.