Minnesota Lynx win rubber match with Las Vegas Aces in 92-87 street victory
LAS VEGAS — The league-leading Minnesota Lynx set a franchise report with their fifteenth street win of the season by defeating the Las Vegas Aces, 92-87, on Saturday night time.
It was the rubber match between the one WNBA groups which have clinched playoff berths up to now, after every received at dwelling earlier this season.
Rookie Olivia Miles led six Lynx gamers in double figures with a team-high 23 factors for the Lynx, and added eight assists. Napheesa Collier had 19 factors and 6 rebounds, whereas Natasha Howard registered her ninth double-double of the season, with 13 factors and 11 rebounds.
Kayla McBride additionally had 13 factors, and Courtney Williams and Nia Coffey every chipped in with 12.
A 92-87 win for @minnesotalynx at Las Vegas on Saturday, their fifteenth street victory this season. In 3 video games towards Las Vegas, Lynx rookie guard Olivia Miles has averaged 26.0 factors & 5.3 assists. Tonight, she had 23 factors & 8 assists.
— Michael Voepel (@MAVoepel) August 16, 2026
The Lynx used a pair of third-quarter runs to maintain their distance from the feisty defending champions, and held off a late rally to safe the win.
„They went on a few runs, however I believe we did job of clogging the paint, doing what we do, getting stops, and making our personal runs,“ Collier stated. „I believe we’re so resilient. We had so many individuals step up at present. Nia hit some huge photographs, had some huge defensive rebounds. Individuals getting stops. I believe simply every night time, another person continues to step up, and we’ve that subsequent man up mentality.“
Las Vegas‘ A’ja Wilson led all scorers with 32 factors, NaLyssa Smith turned in her fourth double-double with 17 factors and 12 rebounds and Chelsea Grey had 12 factors and 9 assists. Jewell Loyd got here off the bench to attain 10 of the group’s 16 bench factors.
With the win, the Lynx improved to 29-7 and additional distanced themselves from the second-place Golden State Valkyries by 3.5 video games. The Aces (24-12) are in third place, 5 video games behind Minnesota whereas holding off the fourth-place Indiana Fever (22-12, six video games again).
WITH OR WITHOUT PHEE
The Lynx spent their first 27 video games with out Collier, so it isn’t as if they do not know methods to carry out whereas she’s on the bench. They confirmed they’re nonetheless able to doing so when the annual MVP candidate checked out of the sport on the 9-minute mark of the third interval together with her fourth foul.
The Lynx led 52-50 on the time, after Wilson hit a pair of free throws. The league leaders responded with a 10-2 run as Collier watched from a chair. The Aces fought again expectedly to make it a two-point sport, 64-62, however Minnesota proved it may stand up to the stress and went on one other 10-2 run to shut the quarter, taking a 74-64 lead into the ultimate quarter.
Later, within the fourth quarter, Collier was pressured to sit down once more, this time with 6:08 remaining after committing her fifth foul, and the Lynx main 80-73. The Aces could not do a lot, carving into the deficit by simply two factors, because the Lynx led 87-82 when their star returned.
None of it got here as a shock in the event you think about the Lynx opened the season a league-best 22-6 earlier than Collier made her season debut on July 22. Via July 20, the Lynx had the second-best scoring offense (91.5 PPG), field-goal proportion (.480) and 3-point taking pictures proportion (.379).
Throughout the identical stretch, the Lynx had the third-best scoring protection (83.1) whereas boasting the league’s finest opponents‘ field-goal proportion (.422).
After defeating the Aces at present, the Lynx have formally set a brand new franchise report with their fifteenth street win of the season🔥 pic.twitter.com/0IvCmAQ59N
— The Sporting Information (@sportingnews) August 16, 2026
CUP OF COFFEY
Although Las Vegas‘ reserves outscored Minnesota’s back-up gamers, 16-12, there might not have been a extra beneficial participant at a extra essential time than Coffey, who had the entire Lynx’s 12 factors off the bench.
Coffey completed 4 of 5 from the ground – all from past the arc – grabbed 4 rebounds and had an help, a block and one steal.
It was throughout Collier’s reprieve within the third quarter when Coffey made her presence felt, as she performed 9 of the ten minutes within the stanza and scored 9 factors on 3 of 4 taking pictures from 3-point vary.
„I assumed they did job sniffing out what we have been doing defensively with which gamers, and I assumed they did job of attacking that,“ Aces coach Becky Hammon stated. „Whenever you have a look at the stat sheet, they bought six folks in double figures. It wasn’t anyone regular food regimen, with them taking part in actually nice as a group and taking what our protection was giving them.
„Among the issues we gambled on giving up, they stepped up, and their function gamers did job – like Coffey.“
It was Coffey’s first double-digit scoring effort since she scored 22 in a six-point victory at Golden State on June 19. The 4 3-pointers have been her second-most in a sport this season.
NEXT UP
The Lynx, who’ve now received 4 straight and 14 of 15 since July 8, will look to remain unbeaten on the street after they go to the Valkyries on Wednesday.
The Aces – who’ve cut up their final eight video games, with three of the 4 losses coming towards New York and Minnesota (twice) – will host the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday.
W.G. Ramirez is a veteran sports activities author from Las Vegas and a Workers Author at Ballislife.com. Observe him on X at @WillieGRamirez.
