The game is starting to slow down for Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier.
And because of that, slowing her down has suddenly become a problem for Minnesota’s opponents.
Collier carved up the Storm on Tuesday night for a career-high 33 points and 10 rebounds in a 104-93 win in the first game of a home-and-home series. She will look to replicate that performance on Thursday night when the Lynx visit Seattle for the series finale.
Collier scored 24 second-half points on 9-of-13 shooting as Minnesota (5-9) used pick-and-roll sets to create clean looks.
“You work on things so hard, you want to be able to use them in the game,” Collier said. “I think just with experience, it allows you to see the game a little bit slower and be able to make those reads. You want to get easy looks as often as you can.”
Diamond Miller’s return from an ankle injury that cost her eight games helped spark the Lynx. She tallied 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting over 31 minutes, while Lindsay Allen added 11 points and nine assists. Allen has 27 helpers and just two turnovers over the last five games.
Meanwhile, the Storm (4-10) went back to struggling on the defensive end just one game after stifling the Phoenix Mercury in a 97-74 rout on Saturday night. Minnesota canned 53.2 percent of its shots from the field, including 8 of 20 3-pointers, and committed only eight turnovers.
Seattle Head Coach Noelle Quinn, who last week said her team hasn’t been physical enough on defense, said that issue popped up again in Minnesota.
“Our communication lacks and it felt disjointed on the defensive end,” Quinn said. “We have to have a stronger defensive effort.”
The lack of defense outweighed a solid showing on offense that featured six double-figure scorers. Ezi Magbegor and reserve Sami Whitcomb led the way with 20 points apiece. The Storm were 13-for-31 on 3-pointers, with Whitcomb sinking 6 of 10 attempts from deep.
The result snapped Seattle’s four-game winning streak against the Lynx.
–Field Level Media
