The Minnesota Lynx continue their road trip to take on the Las Vegas Aces in the first of a two-game series, with the second matchup on Friday at Target Center. The Lynx made a move on Tuesday, trading Olivia Époupa and Sika Koné plus a 2026 2nd-round pick to the Washington Mystics for veteran Myisha Hines-Allen. Hines-Allen, now in her seventh year in the league, brings championship experience to Minnesota, having been a part of the 2019 Mystics finals win.
Hines-Allen will be a strong addition to the Lynx bench, bringing a season average of 8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. This gives Coach Reeve another option in the front court, along with Cecilia Zandalasini, which will take some of the load off of Bridget Carleton, Alanna Smith, and Napheesa Collier.
Coming into tonight’s game, the Lynx have won their last three games. Their second game with Washington was perhaps their best game in some time, having had a rather lackluster July. Las Vegas ended their first half of the season with a loss to Chicago and then suffered another loss, this time to the Liberty, in the first post-Olympic matchup.
They did beat Los Angeles after that by a score of 87-71. At the moment, the Lynx are holding onto third place at 19-8 while the Aces are in fourth place at 17-9, 1.5 games behind the Lynx.
The State of Minnesota and Las Vegas Currently
At this point in the season, player roles on both teams are clearly defined, and even with the addition of Hines-Allen for the Lynx, it is unlikely that we’re going to see any major surprises. Of course, one might think that a 17-9 record for the defending champs is one hell of a surprise, as much as the Lynx in third place. So far these teams have split, with the Aces winning in Minneapolis and the Lynx in Las Vegas, each game by a winning margin of 14 points.
welcome to Minnesota, @Mooks_22! 💪 pic.twitter.com/9ZwVTo04im
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) August 20, 2024
This has been an unpredictable season, and both Minnesota and Las Vegas have had some baffling losses. Now, with 13 games remaining for the Lynx and 14 for the Aces, the margin of error is paper thin, and neither team can afford any kind of dip in production. While A’ja Wilson has been scoring at a consistently blazing pace, the rest of the team has had its ups and downs.
The same can be said of Kayla McBride for Minnesota, whose three-point shooting has fallen off considerably since the early part of the season. Napheesa Collier’s 30-point performance against Washington is the kind of game the Lynx are going to need from her for the rest of the season. With the caliber of players on both teams, the series could prove to be decisive in terms of potential championship teams.
Both Teams are Championship Contenders
With New York all but locked in as the number one seed, both Minnesota and Las Vegas have a legitimate chance to make it to the finals. It is all going to come down to consistency. Looking at the team stats, the Aces score more but give up more, so Minnesota is going to have to bring their scoring percentage up, something that has not been noteworthy in recent games.
But statistically, these teams are not particularly far apart, so in theory, these should be tight, hard-fought games. As we’ve seen, both have won on the road against each other. While that doesn’t mean that the Aces have a better chance at Target Center or the Lynx in Las Vegas, it simply means that home-court advantage is a non-factor. These are two teams fighting for position, and I anticipate a pair of exciting and gritty games coming up.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
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