Five takeaways: Lynx bounce back in Game 2, tie WNBA Finals series at 1-1



(Video from the WNBA YouTube channel)

There wasn't a way the Minnesota Lynx are losing two straight on their floor -- not when they have been in this situation before and not when it's in the WNBA Finals stage. The defending champions bounced back and tied the 2016 Finals series after a 79-60 Game 2 on Tuesday.

Unlike in Game 1 where the Los Angeles Sparks kept the game close from the start, the Lynx asserted control early. Maya Moore, who went scoreless in the first half of Game 1, poured in 12 first half points in Game 2 to lead her team to a 39-25 halftime advantage.

The lead grew to as high as 44-27 but the Sparks went on to score 14 unanswered points to pull within 44-41 in the third quarter. Fortunately for the Lynx, Moore scored five in an 8-0 run to help the home side re-establish a double-digit lead.

Moore finished with a game-high 21 points including 3-for-5 from three-point area. She also had 12 rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Seimone Augustus contributed 14 points while Sylvia Fowles added 13 points, 15 boards, and three blocks.

The Lynx had 20 assists compared to only 13 for the Sparks. The defending champions also led in the rebounding department, 46-32.


Nneka Ogwumike led the Sparks with 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting and 12 rebounds. Game 1 hero Alana Beard added 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists but usual scorers Kristi Toliver and Candace Parker were limited to just eight and six points, respectively.

Toliver shot 2-for-9 from three-point area and 3-for-14 overall. Parker was just 3-for-12 from the field although she had four boards, three assists, three steals, and four blocks.

Game 3 is set for Friday, October 14 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN 2.

Here are five takeaways from Game 2 of the 2016 WNBA Finals:

(Game 1 takeaways here)

The Lynx played like the best defensive team in the league


The Lynx had a considerable amount of lapses in Game 1 of the series on the defensive end. Those errors were corrected. Unlike in the series opener where the Sparks were able to score off cuts to the basket, the Lynx did not overplay pick and rolls too much in Game 2. They sagged off particularly on Parker, giving her space to shoot but not allowing her to drive nor others to get inside the paint. The Lynx protected the rim well, controlling the boards,46-32.

Lynx re-established Fowles as post presence and it worked


 The reigning WNBA Finals MVP was able to assert her dominance in Game 2, finishing with a double-double of 13 points and 15 boards. The Lynx fed Fowles constantly with post touches instead of having her get touches in the high post or elbow (which the team often uses for hand-offs or to free up their backcourt players).

Fowles drew double-teams all-game long, and did a good job passing off the post to get other teammates involved. She shot 50 percent from the field, and had four assists compared to her Game 1 output of just a single dime.

Through two games, it's clear the Lynx will be more successful if they use Fowles in the post instead of trying to pull the Sparks' frontliners out of the paint. Players like Ogwumike and Parker are just too athletic and can recover quickly. The Sparks were still trapping the Lynx's ball handlers after ball screens, so the Lynx just have to take advantage of their size.

The Lynx still need to do a better job against LA's drives

 Perhaps the only concern for the defending champions in Game 2 is how they still allowed the Sparks players to drive to the basket. Toliver, Chelsea Gray, and Essence Carson were among those who were able to beat the Lynx off the dribble. The Lynx must do a better job in the next games staying in front of their defensive assignments.

Let's have everyone mic'd up

Seriously, let's have everyone mic'd up in the next games to have a closer feel at what's going on, as pointed out by SB Nation's Matt Ellentuck. In the second quarter of Game 2, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve called out Ogwumike, the reigning MVP, as "the biggest flopper in the league" after Ogwumike received an inadvertent elbow from Fowles (clearly contact but it shouldn't have been a flagrant).


With the next two games at home, the Sparks have a legitimate chance of winning this series

The Sparks did their best in their first two road games, scoring a split. Now they have a legitimate chance of finishing the job with the series shifting to their home floor. Head coach Brian Agler will just need a few adjustments, and of course, the Sparks will need to shoot better from the field.

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