Lynx rally past Sparks behind Natisha Hiedeman’s 18 points off the bench

The Lynx overcame a slow start and rode a red-hot bench to a 91–82 win over the Sparks on Thursday in Los Angeles, led by Natisha Hiedeman’s team-high 18 points off the bench, including 10 in the first quarter.

All told, the Lynx bench poured in 34 points — 30 in the first half alone — to help secure the franchise’s 500th win.

The Lynx fell behind by 11 early as the Sparks hit four first-quarter threes and took advantage of turnovers.

With 3:56 remaining in the opening quarter, Hiedeman entered the game. She scored 10 points in under four minutes, igniting a 24‐8 run that gave Minnesota a double-digit lead by mid-second quarter.

After giving up 56 paint points to the Mercury on Wednesday, the Lynx limited the Sparks to just 30 points around the rim on Thursday. The Lynx capitalized on the Sparks’ 22 turnovers for 23 points and continued to apply stifling defense — particularly in the second and third quarters.

“We really focus on not letting our mistakes or just the frustration of losing carry over,” Hiedeman said in a postgame news conference in Los Angeles. “So I feel like our energy and focus was just super here this game.”

Following Wednesday’s loss, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve expressed her frustrations with the team’s offensive performance — particularly a lack of production outside of Courtney Williams and Napheesa Collier.

Thursday was not only a bounce-back win, but an all-around performance from the team. After falling behind early, Minnesota’s depth and defensive effort swung the game by halftime. The bench, in particular, showed it can generate scoring when the starters need support.

Midway through the second quarter, Sparks All-Star Kelsey Plum was stripped by Collier, who immediately fired a go-ahead pass to Hiedeman in perfect stride. The transition layup capped a blistering 22-8 Lynx run and put Minnesota ahead by double digits.

The Lynx fell behind by 11 in the first quarter after Plum sank three free throws — capitalizing on a shooting foul and a technical foul assessed to Alanna Smith.

Then Hiedeman checked in and immediately hit a three, sparking a rally that cut the deficit to four by quarter’s end and fueled a 24–8 run to open the second.

“T’s impact is huge,” Collier said. “She’s just such a spark on the bench. ... T is so quick in the way that she’s able to push the pace, especially in transition — getting in the lane and spraying it out. When she’s open, taking threes [and] knocking those down. She’s such a dynamic player and point guard."

30 points | The Lynx bench contributed 30 first-half points, led by Hiedeman’s 16. Diamond Miller added six, Maria Kliundikova five and Jessica Shepard three — a timely boost in a game the starters needed help.

Natisha Hiedeman | Hiedeman jolted the Lynx back to life in the first quarter with 10 points in four minutes, igniting a comeback after an early 11-point deficit. She finished with 18 points, pushing the pace, hitting threes and capitalizing on turnovers — a breakout performance after scoring just 15 total points over her previous four games.

“T had been struggling, you know, for a couple weeks,” Reeve said. “We have a few players that aren’t playing as well as they want to play. T’s timing of this game is what our starters needed. If T wasn’t in our locker room today to be able to play, this game might have turned out differently.”

The Lynx continue their road trip with two games against the Chicago Sky (6–13) at Wintrust Arena — Saturday at noon on ABC and Monday at 7 p.m. on FanDuel Sports Network North.