Lynx overcomes offensive miscues to beat Atlanta 68-55

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Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said it herself after the Lynx beat the Atlanta Dream 68-55 Wednesday night at Target Center, won their fifth straight game, their eighth in nine games, and climbed to second place in the WNBA.

“Well, as I shared with the team, it wasn’t a deal for the Louvre, that’s for sure,” she said. “But it’s important to be disappointed with some things and still win the game.”

That’s what they did.

Despite 68 points, two more than their lowest level of the previous season. Despite shooting 35.5%, their lowest percentage of the season.

The WNBA’s best shooting team shot 27 of 76 from the field. The league’s best three-point shooting team went 7 of 22 — 3 of 18 if your name isn’t Bridget Carleton.

And still a win, pushing Minnesota to 12-3 on the season.

Because the offense may come and go, but the defense stays.

Atlanta (6-7) shot 28.8%, made just four of 23 three-point attempts, turned the ball over 14 times (for 16 Lynx points) and posted the lowest total by a opponent of the Lynx this season.

“I think we got lucky,” Lynx forward Napheesa Collier said. Struggling with a decline in shooting in recent games, Collier led the Lynx in scoring (16 points) and added eight rebounds and four assists. But she only made six of 17 attempts from the field. “I think we need to come out and be better for our game on Saturday.”

On a night when other starters were struggling, Carleton went 5-of-8 from the field overall and 4-of-5 from three, including two late shots that sealed the victory. Add to that key contributions from Natisha Hiedeman and Dorka Juhász – the latter of whom had a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds – coming off the bench, and the result was another victory.

“When we play these games, when the shots are falling, while that’s happening, you could miss things on defense and still be OK,” Reeve said. “Now we must find out, when this is corrected, what will be your path?”

And that would be defense. Yes, Atlanta missed a number of makeable shots. Yes, the road to the Dream got a lot tougher when star Rhyne Howard was lost to an apparent ankle injury in the third quarter.

But the Lynx limited the Dream to 25 points in the second half.

The Lynx took the lead for good with a 13-0 run that started with the Lynx trailing by one point with 3:11 left in the first quarter.

Collier scored three points in a 7-0 run to end the quarter. Hiedeman had two assists in the run, then she scored twice and had another assist in a 6-0 start to the second quarter that put the Lynx up 12.

The Dream rallied to make a game of it but never led again.

BOX SCORE: Lynx 68, Atlanta 55

Collier, who faced Dream forward Tina Charles (14 points) much of the night, thought the team’s defensive rebounding was a problem with the offense getting out of sync too often. Atlanta had 13 offensive rebounds but had only 10 second chance points.

Collier is in a rare shooting slump. She made 11 of 34 field goal attempts over the last two games and missed all 12 of her three-point attempts over the last three.

“It makes me want to do something else even more,” Collier said. “I know I have a big responsibility on my shoulders. When I don’t perform well in one area, I have to step it up in other areas. I was frustrated not making shots. I hope that that will change in the future, but defense is just as valuable.”

Collier spent more time working on his shot. This will continue. Eventually the shots will fall.

“Phee is going to be consistent,” Reeve said. “She will always be there.”