Lynx rally past Dallas Wings in home opener, Paige Bueckers’ return to Minnesota

Up on the podium after a closer-than-it-should-have-been 85-81 victory over the Dallas Wings on Wednesday night at Target Center, Lynx point guard Courtney Williams was talking about the pressure she faced, how often she got trapped on ball screens, how she has to be ready for other teams to do the same thing.

“And I will be,” Williams said. “So, it ain’t no smoke. We good.”

At that point, sitting to Williams’ right, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve looked down at the final boxscore.

“Seven assists, six turnovers,” she said. “[Nearly] a one-to-one ratio.”

Williams grinned. “It’s gonna be better.”

It’s easy to joke about such things after a win.

In the home opener, facing Dallas for the second time in a week, with former Hopkins star Paige Bueckers making her pro debut in her home state, with 12,722 fans in attendance, the Lynx moved to 3-0 on the season, their first such start since 2019.

But it was a strange sort of game. The Lynx fell behind by 10 points in the first four minutes, then rallied to lead by 10 late in the second quarter. Minnesota led by 10 with 6:46 left in the game only to see that lead dwindle to two on Arike Ogunbowale‘s three-pointer with 39.3 seconds left.

But Napheesa Collier‘s two free throws with 17.5 seconds left iced the game.

Continuing a trend that began with last week’s season opener, the Lynx used brilliant ball movement — especially from Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, whose 27 minutes were her most in a Lynx uniform — to get 27 assists on 28 made field goals.

But Minnesota also turned the ball over 19 times, leading to 21 Wings points.

But the most important stat? That 3-0 start.

“Our team is really good at staying steady,” said Collier, who continued her torrid start to the season. She scored 28 points, making eight of 13 shots and all 12 free throws. She scored eight points, six from the line, in the fourth quarter.

BOXSCORE: Lynx 85, Dallas 81

WNBA standings

In three games, Collier has scored 85 points, making 30 of 52 shots and all 21 of her free throws. “We know what we have to do. This team is really resilient. It was last year; I see it this year. I think it’s our greatest superpower.”

Alanna Smith and Williams each scored 13 points. Hiedeman, in her best showing of the season, scored 10 points with eight assists and just two turnovers.

Ogunbowale scored 21 for Dallas. Bueckers, after a slow start, finished with a 12-point, 10-assist double-double.

And the Lynx — who struggled to start all three games — have yet to play their best for four quarters.

“There are still things we need to [get better at],” Reeve said. “But I also think we’ve been terrific at times in the third games.”

The ball movement has been great. The Lynx have had 27 assists in each of their first three games, on 97 makes.

“She’s locked in on a mission this year,” Williams said of Collier. “She knows it’s her year to go get that MVP. We need her to do this every night. I mean, we’re successful when she comes and plays like the MVP of this league.”

The Wings got within three twice midway through the fourth. The first time, Williams scored four straight points out of a timeout. The second time, Collier hit two free throws. But the Lynx turned the ball over a final time with 45 seconds left. Moments later, Bueckers fed Ogunbowale for a three. At the other end, Williams missed a floater but got her own rebound and got the ball to Collier, who was fouled.

Her free throws were the game’s final points as Minnesota (3-0) won its second game vs. Dallas (0-3). But the pressure Dallas was able to put on Williams is something she can expect to see moving forward.

“They upped the ante on me,” she said. “I have to be ready to deal with that from every team.”