Minnesota survived a late collapse Tuesday, holding off Portland in a 85-81 Lynx vs Fire win that nearly slipped away in the fourth quarter.
Minnesota Dominates Early in Lynx vs Fire
For most of the night, the Minnesota Lynx looked in complete control. A 23-4 second-quarter burst pushed them ahead 49-27, and the lead ballooned to 64-35 with 8:16 left in the third.
Then Portland flipped the script.
The Fire opened the fourth on a 13-0 run, capping a 29-4 stretch that trimmed the deficit to 68-64.
From there, every possession mattered. Portland later pulled within one, but Kayla McBride answered with a driving layup at the 1:25 mark to push Minnesota ahead 80-77. Neither team scored again until Olivia Miles sank two free throws with 26.5 seconds left to seal it.
Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride Lead Minnesota Lynx Offense
Napheesa Collier led the Lynx in scoring with 20 points and nine rebounds while McBride, fresh off her historic 43-point performance over the weekend, added 19. Miles, meanwhile, finished with 13 points as Natasha Howard added 14 points and 12 rebounds. Bridget Carleton led for Portland with 16 against her former team.
The result improved the Minnesota Lynx to 28-7 while the Fire dropped to 13-20 on the season.
