No. 1 Minnesota got it done — barely, clinching the No. 1 playoff seed and home-court advantage despite getting lit up by No. 5 Indiana 96-77 in last night’s Lynx vs Fever clash.
A shaky Lynx start saw the Fever bolt to a 57-28 halftime lead — Minnesota’s biggest deficit of the season — before coach Cheryl Reeve emptied her bench in an attempt to rest her starters.
No. 9 Portland’s 90-82 overtime win over No. 2 Golden State later locked it up for the league-leader. The Fire pushed the Valkyries out of top-seed contention with the victory.
Caitlin Clark kept Indiana’s home-court advantage dreams alive with 27 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds. Fellow Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell extended her record to 27 straight games with at least 20 points.
The Lynx were without Rookie of the Year frontrunner Olivia Miles (calf). Reeve subsequently called the late scratch a precaution heading into the postseason.
“It’s embarrassing,” Minnesota forward Napheesa Collier said. “We should be disappointed and embarrassed about the product that we put on the floor tonight.”
Minnesota and Indiana run it back tomorrow at 8 PM ET (USA).
