Two hot teams that barely missed representing the Western Conference in the Commissioner’s Cup get an opportunity to take out some frustration on the other when the Minnesota Lynx visit the Golden State Valkyries on Friday night in San Francisco.
The pairing is a rematch of an 87-84 home win by the Lynx early in the Commissioner’s Cup schedule, a game in which Minnesota’s Olivia Miles got much the better of Golden State’s Veronica Burton in a duel of star point guards.
Miles torched the Valkyries for 28 points, mostly on the strength of a WNBA-rookie-best 8-for-11 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. The No. 2 overall pick also found time for seven assists and three blocks, including one on Burton, who finished with eight points on 3-for-8 shooting.
Miles has since put up 29 points in a narrow loss at Las Vegas that wound up costing the Lynx (12-3) a Commissioner’s Cup tie-breaker, before pouring in a season-best 31 in a win Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Sparks that allowed the Lynx to tie the Aces for the West’s top record in the in-season tournament.
The early flurry has not only vaulted Miles well clear of the competition in the Rookie of the Year race, but also has placed her firmly on the league’s Most Valuable Player watch list.
Frankly, she’d rather talk about her team’s best record in the WNBA.
“It honestly just means that our team’s doing really well, which is what I’m most proud of,” she told the Los Angeles media about the MVP conversation. “Whether I win awards or not, I’m still the same me.”
As the Lynx complete a two-game trip, Miles will have to deal with a Golden State defense that has done a number on two of the league’s top players this week.
In running their winning streak to four, the Valkyries (10-5) held Kelsey Plum to nine points on 3-for-10 shooting in a 20-point home win over the Sparks on Monday, then limited Paige Bueckers to 15 points on 5-for-13 shooting in a 91-80 win over the Dallas Wings on Wednesday.
Backup point guard Kaitlyn Chen, a fan favorite in San Francisco, played a big role in the defensive game plan against Plum and Dallas’ Azzi Fudd, who also struggled (4-for-13, 10 points) in her Bay Area debut on Wednesday.
“I think Kaitlyn has fun because she prepares so much,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said after the win over the Wings. “Behind the scenes, the preparation, from reading a scout, to watching film. … When she steps on the court, it’s like her playground.”
-Field Level Media
