Alanna Smith was a defensive stalwart, Napheesa Collier had her first double-double in five games, and the Lynx stayed on a roll by beating Phoenix 73-60 on Saturday at Target Center.
Collier finished with 23 points and tied a season-high with 14 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season. Courtney Williams added 12 points, including back-to-back jumpers to quash any hopes Phoenix had of a fourth-quarter comeback. She also had a season-high nine rebounds and four assists.
Minnesota (13-3) has won six straight and nine of 10.
Its next game is the Commissioner’s Cup final Tuesday in New York. The Lynx and Liberty had the top conference records in Cup games and will compete for a $500,000 prize pool.
“We want that bag,” Williams said with a smile.
“Obviously, we’re competitors at heart so it’s gonna be competitive because of that, take the money out. Then you put that money on the line people are going to be playing hard,” added Collier. “I think it’s going to be a really great game. We need to come in really prepared and then go celebrate. Hopefully.”
Hit inside and knocked down on what felt like every third time down the floor Saturday, Smith scored 14 points and added five assists, three rebounds and two blocks. But what doesn’t totally show up in the statistics is her keying the defense on Brittney Griner. The Mercury’s 6-9 center finished with 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting.
“It was Lan’s job, and it was a big job. I think it was (also) team defense. BG is a great player, she’s taller than everyone else in the league, so all you can do is make her catches hard, make her shots hard, and try not to foul,” Collier said. “… Make it as hard as you can, and I think Lan did a good job of that tonight. And the people around did as well.”
Kahleah Copper, who scored 34 points, including the game-winner with under a second to play, when the teams met June 7, finished with just nine points on 3-of-17 shooting. In losing for the first time in three games and just the second in six, the Mercury (8-8) shot 31.1% from the field, their second-worst mark of the season. Their highest-scoring quarter was 19.
It is the second straight game Minnesota has held an opponent to 60 points or fewer. Atlanta had 55 Wednesday.
Kayla McBride, the league’s top 3-point shooter, made a 3-pointer from the left side as the halftime buzzer sounded to cap a 21-10 quarter for the Lynx and a 38-25 lead. McBride, who missed her first four tries from deep, extended her arms out, palms up, with a sly smile.
A 3-pointer by Collier started a 12-2 Minnesota run late in the third quarter that was capped by a Dorka Juhász 3, and the Lynx lead was 60-41 heading to the fourth quarter.
The Lynx have won seven straight at home and are 9-1 in Target Center this season, after going 9-11 in the arena last year. Minnesota was 7-11 in 2022, its first year with a losing home record since 2010.
“There’s an expectation in this building and we’ve embraced that this season in a way that we haven’t seen in a couple seasons,” coach Cheryl Reeve said pregame, while lauding how the fans have stuck with the team even during down times in recent years.
Both teams like to shoot the 3. Minnesota finished 8 for 22, but that was still better than the 7-for-34 effort by the Mercury.