Natasha Howard scored a season-high 27 points as the Minnesota Lynx extended their winning streak to seven games with an 88-68 home victory over the Seattle Storm on Saturday.

Rookie Olivia Miles scored 19 points, while Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams each added 11 as the Lynx improved to a WNBA-best 9-2, including 4-2 at home.

Natisha Hiedeman and Jade Melbourne each scored 14 points for the Storm (3-9), who were held to 34.9% from the floor and committed 23 turnovers that resulted in 25 Lynx points.

Flau’jae Johnson scored 10 points for Seattle, which fell to 0-3 in Commissioner’s Cup play. Minnesota improved to 3-0 in the midseason tournament standings.

Leading 45-43 at the half, the Lynx took off on a 10-0 spurt over the opening three minutes of the second half. A pair of layups from Howard and 3-pointers from Nia Coffey and Maya Caldwell shoved the Lynx’s margin to 55-43 and Seattle never pulled closer the nine points the rest of the game.

The Lynx turned seven third-quarter Seattle turnovers into 17 points.

Howard shot 12-for-16 from the floor and notched 11 of her points in the Lynx’s third-quarter push. Minnesota led by as many as 19 points in the third quarter and was up by as many as 21 late in the game.

Miles made 9 of 14 shots while dishing six assists and grabbing six rebounds for the Lynx, who finished with 27 assists on its 37 made baskets and won the points-in-the-paint battle by a 50-20 margin.

Seattle was hot from long range early, riding six first-quarter 3-pointers to an early 21-9 lead, and remained close through the first half. Hiedeman, who had an emotional pregame moment with a Lynx tribute video from her former team, was 3-for-9 from 3-point range.

The Storm did see the return of center Dominique Malonga, who missed eight games after a concussion. Malonga scored seven points in 14 minutes off the bench.

Seattle shot 9-for-17 (52.9%) in the first quarter, but just 13-for-46 (28.3%) the rest of the way.

–Field Level Media