Minnesota Lynx bounce back from first loss in big way, beat Sparks behind Napheesa Collier

There was a point during the Lynx’s 101-78 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday at Target Center when, sitting on the bench next to each other, Courtney Williams turned to Napheesa Collier.

“I said, ‘You that one,’” Williams said. “She sat down and I said, ‘I can’t believe it. You really that one.’”

Much of what the announced crowd of 10,810 saw was a proud team bouncing back from their first loss of the season, Wednesday in Seattle. What most had to appreciate was, well, the one.

Collier scored 32 points on 13-for-16 shooting to go along with eight rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks in less than 32 minutes.

In a game the Lynx came out with a 58-26 first half, Collier matched the Sparks’ first half points by herself. On a day when the team, a number of alumni and a lot of fans gathered to celebrate Seimone Augustus’ induction into the basketball Hall of Fame, Collier, who crossed paths with Augustus for one season, did it all.

“Having the alums here, you want to make them proud,” Collier said. “We’re in the house they built, brick by brick. And we want to make sure we’re doing right by them.”

The victory moved the Lynx (10-1) into first place in the WNBA standings, a half-game ahead of New York (9-1), which lost to Indiana on Saturday for the Liberty’s first loss of the season. The Lynx also improved to 4-1 in Commissioner’s Cup play. Thanks to Seattle’s loss to Golden State later Saturday, the Lynx can clinch a spot in the Commissioner’s cup finale with a victory over Las Vegas on Tuesday.

The game was played against the backdrop of tragedy, the assassination of state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the shooting of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.

Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve expressed her thoughts on the news of the day 1 ½ hours before the noon game began. The players talked about it afterward. In between, the Lynx atoned for their loss in Seattle, made the alumni proud and celebrated Augustus’ career.

The game, especially the first half, was a wonder to behold.

After letting Seattle score 50 points in the paint Wednesday, the Lynx scored 50 this time, holding the Sparks — another team that likes to attack inside — to 30. The Lynx scored 58 points in the first half — the most points in a half by a WNBA team this season — and had a season-high 101 in the game. Holding the Sparks under 25% shooting while building a lead as big as 35 points, the Lynx shot nearly 57%, made 12 of 29 three-point attempts, set a season high with 30 assists and had 10 blocked shots.

Williams scored 17 points. Both Natisha Hiedeman (14 points with five assists) and Maria Kliundikova (11 points on 5-for-6 shooting) were in double figures off the bench. Coupled with New York’s loss to Indiana, the Lynx moved back into a tie with the Liberty atop the league standings.

That, by the way, is how you get over a frustrating loss.

BOXSCORE: Lynx 101, Los Angeles 78

WNBA standings

“I could tell [Friday] they were pretty committed to a bounce-back,” Reeve said. “We set the tone defensively, and we did it through the first half. We didn’t get as much done in the second half, but we set the tone.”

Collier, meanwhile, kept setting the bar. Her assist to Kayla McBride in the first quarter gave her 1,000 for her career, tying her with Breanna Stewart and Candace Parker for the second-fastest to reach 3,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists, doing it in 170 games, seven more than Maya Moore.

She’s that one.

“Sometimes seeing what she does out there, it’s like, ‘Damn, I’m a part of this, ’” Williams said. “I’m really seeing a girl go crazy and I’m her teammate.‘ "