PHOENIX—On Friday, the Minnesota Lynx were seconds away from being handed their first loss of the season by the Phoenix Mercury, who are one of the best defensive teams.
But, guard Natisha Hiedeman delivered big time off the bench for the Lynx and made a game-winning three-pointer to hand Minnesota a gritty win. With the victory, the Lynx stay undefeated despite losing reigning Defensive Player of the Year Napheesa Collier due to a knee injury.
Hiedeman contributed significantly off the bench for the Lynx with nine points off the bench, five rebounds, and two assists.
“Well, I got the ball – K-Mac (Kayla McBride) passed me the ball,” Hiedeman said Friday. “I dribbled all the way up to the three-point line, I was looking for Courtney (Williams). I passed Courtney the ball, and then Courtney passed it to me, and I’m wide open in the corner. So, I’m sitting there thinking in my head, ‘phew, this is for game right here. I got to knock this down.’ That’s what I did. And that’s the game. Simple as that.”
Minnesota Lynx Welcome Back Kayla McBride
Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride rejoined the team after missing the first four games of the season.The Lynx have felt her absence—particularly her dynamic scoring and flashy passing—and they are excited to have her back as they continue their pursuit of a fifth championship title.
McBride scored 17 first half points for Minnesota and finished the night with 20 points, three rebounds and four assists for the Lynx, who are 6-0 for the first time since 2017, where they won the championship that year.
“(It feels) good,” McBride said postgame. “I’m working back into the group of everything, and just the speed of the game, my reads, I keep turning the ball over, which is starting to really make me mad. But just finding my way, and just trying to find any way that I can help this team be better and find my flow. My teammates are great, and they give me a lot of space to be myself. But I know I could be so much better for this team, and it’s just day by day. So I thought today was a good step in the right direction. And I still have a long way to go.”
As McBride works to regain her previous form—after spending the offseason playing for Laces BC in Unrivaled and Fenerbahçe in EuroLeague Women—Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve reflected on how comfortable McBride has felt since returning to the team.
“I think that’s something that (Kayla McBride) came to realize. You don’t have to be perfect, nobody has to be perfect,” Reeve said after the Lynx’s win over the Storm on Wednesday. “It’s okay not to be okay at times, and doing it together because we all have stuff, we all have life happening. I think her being back with as she would describe them her sisters and feeling safe. That she can be herself all parts of herself. I think that was empowering to her.”
Reeve Praises Mercury’s Defense Under Nate Tibbetts
Reeve recognized the defensive intensity that Nate Tibbetts and the Phoenix Mercury brought to keep the game competitive. She stated that it was the best defense she has seen the Mercury play in a long time.
The last time the Phoenix team was among the best defensive teams in the league was in 2014, when they won the championship. Center Brittney Griner, now with the Atlanta Dream, also won the first of her back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards that year.
“Seventeen first half points was really impactful for us,” Reeve said. “She (Kayla McBride) got a lot of attention in the second half, and they were really getting to her a lot quicker, but that attention that she was getting was valuable to the others. That being said, I thought Phoenix’s defense was as we’ve seen on video. This was as good of defense as I’ve seen Phoenix play in a long, long time, so credit to them.”
“I think we’re a pretty darn good offensive team and we looked like we had not played offense before. So, all credit goes to Phoenix— their ball pressure and the passion which they played with on that end of the floor.”
McBride reiterated Reeve’s comment on how the Mercury has challenged the Lynx with their defensive intensity, while they ended up securing a victory for Phoenix.
“This group is just really resilient,” McBride said. “Obviously when you don’t have your best player on the floor it was a little wonky, a little funky, but credit Phoenix. I thought they flew around, they did what they were supposed to do. They made it hard for us, they sped us up – especially in the first half – but we just kept plugging away, and that’s what good teams do. We did it with our defense, especially in that fourth quarter, and played off that, and walked out of here with a win. That’s the most important thing.”
Why Napheesa Collier Is the Frontrunner for This Year’s WNBA MVP Award
Forward Alanna Smith spoke in the postgame interview about how Napheesa Collier is a key contributor to the Lynx’s success on both sides of the court. She also acknowledged Hiedeman’s significant impact off the bench during a crucial moment, where Hiedeman made a game-winning shot.
“Phee (Napheesa Collier) is obviously a big part of what we do offensively and defensively, so it’s just about filling that hole that she left, but I think we have a lot of confidence in people stepping up and we’re not shy when it comes to people stepping into those spaces,” Smith said.
“Like I think T (Natisha Hiedeman) does a great job coming off the bench, and she’s done it twice now. She’s hit massive, game-winning threes. We’ve been in this position before. Last year we had a similar scenario with Phee being out. We’ve just had to grind through and figure it out as we go. So, props to people stepping up and being ready. And for T winning the game.”
In five games, Collier is averaging 26.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game for the Lynx and is a frontrunner for the MVP award based on her contributions on offense and defense for Minnesota.
Since being drafted sixth overall in the 2019 WNBA Draft out of UConn, Collier has played a crucial role in driving the Minnesota Lynx’s success. This comes as the team transitions from its 2010s dynasty, which featured legends like Maya Moore, Lindsay Whalen, Rebekah Brunson, Seimone Augustus, and Sylvia Fowles. All five of these players have had their jersey numbers retired, and now Collier is leading the next generation of talent within the Lynx franchise.
How the Lynx made adjustments without Collier
The Lynx managed Collier’s absence due to a knee injury, which Reeve noted in pregame that it was “precautionary” and something Collier has been dealing with for the past two years.
Reeve had to adjust her game plan at the last minute when the Mercury added Alyssa Thomas to the injury report just hours before the game due to a left calf injury. She also noted that the revamped Phoenix team would require time for both her and the coaching staff to adapt to the new players coming from overseas.
The league was surprised to see the Mercury demonstrating bench depth, thanks to the contributions of the rookies. This improvement has come during the absences of Kahleah Copper and Natasha Mack, the only two returning players from the 2024 Phoenix team that was swept by Minnesota in the first round
“It was a bit of a dilemma,” Reeve said. “Most of our preparation centered on Alyssa Thomas being in the game, and we didn’t learn (about her being out) until later—so our preparation had to completely shift. We simply talked about it, and this is a team that we’re really unfamiliar with. A lot of these players, we see them overseas, but seeing them here and sort of the newness of the Phoenix Mercury, we knew it might take us some time to figure some things out.”
Confidence is high for the Lynx’s team chemistry, as Hiedeman has emphasized. However, securing a gritty win in Phoenix while achieving a special moment, such as making a game-winning shot, makes it even more meaningful for Minnesota.
“My confidence doesn’t necessarily come from what happens on the stat sheet,” Hiedeman said. “It’s more so just feeling good, having good energy every day. So, I just feel like as a whole unit we are just so connected, and I feel like all our confidence is there. I feel like confidence is kind of a group thing. We are always building each other up. It’s just super nice to have this group around each other. Moments like this like tonight, it could be anybody, so just embracing it.”
The Phoenix Mercury will face the Minnesota Lynx once again—this time in Minnesota—on Tuesday as part of the Commissioner’s Cup matchup
Could the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty Meet Again in a WNBA Finals Rematch?
The two remaining undefeated teams in the WNBA are the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty—both of which are 6-0.
The last time two teams started the regular season undefeated was in 2016. During that season, Candace Parker and the Los Angeles Sparks began with an impressive 11-0 record, while Maya Moore and the Minnesota Lynx started even stronger at 12-0.
These two teams faced each other in the WNBA Finals in both 2016 and 2017. The Sparks triumphed in 2016, but the Lynx exacted their revenge by winning the championship in 2017.
New York has guard Sabrina Ionescu, who is known for her exceptional three-point shooting and all-around skills on the basketball court. She was drafted first overall out of Oregon in the 2020 WNBA Draft and has positively changed the identity of the franchise. The Liberty also features a strong frontcourt duo of Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart, both of whom were acquired during the 2023 offseason.
Natasha Cloud’s Impact on the New York Liberty’s Championship Aspirations
The Liberty made a significant upgrade at the point guard position by acquiring Natasha Cloud in the offseason. Having previously played for the Phoenix Mercury, Cloud earned her first Player of the Week award of her career. This was thanks to her impressive scoring and strong defensive intensity for New York.
Although the Liberty are dealing with the absence of Betnijah Laney-Hamilton due to injury, Cloud is proving to the team that she is a difference-maker in their quest to become back-to-back WNBA champions.
Minnesota retained most of its core players from the 2024 season. With that, the team bolstered its bench by adding Karlie Samuelson and welcoming back Jessica Shepard. Last season, the Lynx were often overlooked by sports media. Yet, they surprised everyone with a second-place finish. They also pushed the Liberty to five games in the finals.
As guard Courtney Williams mentioned during training camp, the Lynx are determined to come back strong. This is a team that’s fueled by a chip on their shoulder. Williams scored 11 points against the Mercury on Friday.
The Lynx are a defensively minded team. Smith and the Minnesota squad understand what it takes to win close games. They demonstrated this after their victory on the road.
“We’re really defensive-minded no matter what we do,” Smith said. “A lot of our offense is fueled by our defense, so I think it was about getting a stop, and then moving on from that. So, for me personally I know I was trying my hardest to play defense and grind through that last minute.”
Minnesota and New York will matchup four times throughout the regular season. Starting on July 30, the Liberty and Lynx will square off in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Lynx will travel to Golden State to face the Valkyries for the first time on Sunday.
