Missing Napheesa Collier, Lynx get big games from Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard but fall to Mystics

Tuesday night in Washington, Lynx center Alanna Smith played probably the best game of her WNBA career. After missing four games while playing for Slovenia in the EuroBasket tournament, forward Jessica Shepard returned and played her best game of the season.

It didn’t matter.

Playing again without Napheesa Collier (back), getting almost nothing from the starting backcourt of Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride, struggling mightily to score after a blistering start to the game, the Lynx lost 68-64 to a young Mystics team that simply played harder.

Among other things.

“They outplayed us,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. “They outwanted us. They outphysicaled us. They took the game. They just took it.”

The Lynx dropped to 12-2 on a night when Smith scored a career-high 26 points and matched her career high with six blocks and Shepard scored 12 with 15 rebounds and four assists.

Because on this night, a Lynx team that has found ways to win all season couldn’t do it with just two players.

Smith and Shepard combined to score 38 points on 14-for-25 shooting. The rest of the team made just eight of 33 shots and scored 26 points. Smith (2-for-6) and backup center Maria Kliundikova (1-for-2) were the only Minnesota players to hit a three-pointer.

McBride and Williams combined to make three of 20 shots. McBride missed all seven three-point attempts, Williams had a career-high 10 of the team’s 19 turnovers, which the Mystics (7-8) turned into 26 points, including Sug Sutton’s game-winner. Playing without leading scorer Brittney Sykes, the Mystics got 19 points from Shakira Austin, 11 points and 11 rebounds from rookie forward Kiki Iriafen and 12 points from Sutton.

The Lynx set season-lows in points, threes made (three), assists (15) and free-throw percentage (68%). They went 6-for-12 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. Washington’s 14 offensive rebounds were a season-high for a Lynx opponent.

This after a blistering start that saw Smith score 13 points as the Lynx ran to a 20-6 start.

It didn’t last. Washington was within two after a quarter and up two by halftime. What changed?

“Rebounding, turnovers,” Smith said. “I think those were our biggest problems. When push came to shove, probably free throws. We need to rebound the ball and take care of the ball, I think, a lot better.”

For all of that, the Lynx were in a position to pull it out. Shepard’s buzzer-beating put-back put the Lynx up a point after three quarters.

Up two, Shepard was fouled but missed both free throws with 1:33 left. With 32 seconds left, Austin’s put-back tied the game.

Out of a timeout, Williams committed her 10th and most costly turnover, losing the ball to Sutton, who scored to put Washington up for good with 27.2 seconds left.

“We should be the team that gets the stop, the possession and at least gets a shot out of it,” Reeve said. “We couldn’t take care of the basketball, and they got two points out of it.”

The Lynx lost despite holding Washington to 14 fourth-quarter points and just six points in the final 5 minutes.