The Lynx just said "take that!" to the two-time defending champs.
In a statement win over Vegas, a team with four players chosen for the 2024 USA Olympic team, the Lynx couldn't miss. They shot a season-high 56% from three and became the first team in WNBA history to see all five starters put up 14+ PTS, 4+ REB, and 1+ 3PM in a game.
Alanna Smith scored 18 points, Kayla McBride had 16 points and eight assists, and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Las Vegas Aces 100-86 on Tuesday night.
All five starters for Minnesota (9-3) scored in double figures. Bridget Carleton and Courtney Williams each scored 15 points, and Napheesa Collier had 14 points, six rebounds and six assists.
Las Vegas (5-5) lost for the third straight game — for its worst 10-game start to a season since 2018.
Alysha Clark, Megan Gustafson and Kelsey Plum each made two 3-pointers in the first quarter as Las Vegas built a 31-29 lead. But the Aces only scored 29 combined points over the next two quarters to trail 78-60 entering the fourth.
Minnesota’s 20-point, fourth-quarter lead was trimmed to 86-74 with 4:39 remaining but the Aces didn’t make their next field goal until the 1:46 mark.
The win moves the Lynx to 9-3 overall, best in the Western Conference and third best in the WNBA.
Next Up: The Lynx host the LA Sparks at Target Center Friday night.
OLYMPICS
While the Aces have four players heading for Paris and the Olympics, the Lynx will send forward Napheesa Collier who will join her head coach Cheryl Reeve. Reeve is taking over as the head coach for the national team after being an assistant on the gold medal teams in 2016 and 2020.
Collier says she feels confidence in this year's roster.
"I think the team looks really good, you know," Collier explained during a Tuesday afternoon Zoom with reporters. "I think we have a solid number of veteran presence, middle and younger people."
Collier has a gold medal from that 2020 team already. Drafted sixth by the Minnesota Lynx in 2019, she was a first-team All WNBA in 2023 and is averaging 20.8 points, 10.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in 2024.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.