The Minnesota Lynx suffered a 19-point beating at the hands of the Indiana Fever, 96-77, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Tuesday.
The Lynx trailed by as much as 29 points and had no answer for the two-way dominance of the Fever. Even a 30-point effort in the third quarter was not enough to rally past Indiana.
Minnesota fell to 32-11, including 8-4 on the road. Despite the one-sided loss, the Lynx still sealed the top seed and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, as noted by ESPN's Alexa Philippou.
“Quite the night for the Minnesota Lynx, who lost to the Fever and saw their starters get benched in the second half but still clinched the No. 1 seed in the playoffs with the Portland Fire’s overtime win over the Golden State Valkyries,” wrote Philippou on X.
“The WNBA keeps on giving.”
Article Continues BelowThe Valkyries fell to 31-12. Even if the Valkyries and the Lynx each end up at 32-12, the latter holds the tiebreaker after winning the head-to-head series, 3-1.
Minnesota will face either the Washington Mystics, the Dallas Wings, or the New York Liberty in the first round.
Napheesa Collier was clearly upset after their lopsided defeat to the Fever, but knowing that they secured the No. 1 seed should take some of the pain away.
More details to come.