After a month-long Olympic Break, the Minnesota Lynx and the WNBA resume the 2024 regular season this week with roughly 15 games left before the postseason. We refresh you on what took place earlier in the season and what lies ahead for the Lynx.
After not taking the court as a collective team for nearly a month, the Minnesota Lynx and the rest of the WNBA return to action this week following the Olympic Break.
Minnesota, which last played on July 17, will resume the final stretch of the 2024 regular season on Thursday at Target Center against the Washington Mystics.
Before the final 15 games begin for Minnesota and as it prepares to finish with the best possible seed ahead of the playoffs in just over a month, let’s refresh you on what the Lynx did before the Olympic Break and what is yet to come for the Lynx.
Over the first 25 games of the regular season, Minnesota put itself in a great position entering the break in terms of its play on both ends of the court and the potential of obtaining one of the top spots in the WNBA standings.
Coming out of the Olympic Break, the Lynx sit tied with the Seattle Storm for third place in the standings, with both teams sitting at 17-8 overall. Minnesota still has to take care of business down the stretch of the regular season while sitting just 1.5 games back of Connecticut and the second seed as well as a half-game ahead of Las Vegas for the fifth seed.
To begin the season, the Lynx got off to one of the hottest starts in the league, quickly shooting up the standings into a top three spot. They ended up hitting a slide entering the break — in part due to Napheesa Collier missing time with a foot injury — while going 5-5 over the last 10 games.
Now back together again, the Lynx are once again fully healthy and are ready to use their top-ranked defense and sixth-ranked offense to hit the ground running over the final month-plus of the regular season.
“Every single night is a challenge,” Lynx assistant coach Katie Smith said Tuesday. “I hope that we’re excited about the position we put ourselves in, and take advantage of list last part to put us in a great position going into the playoffs.”
As mentioned, the Lynx have just 15 games and a little over a month standing between them and the start of the postseason, which begins Sept. 19. Six of those games will be at home at Target Center, while the other nine contests will be on the road.
“I am really excited because I knew when I got back, they’d be ready,” Cheryl Reeve said Wednesday about returning to the Lynx after the Olympics. “I can tell you that when I got back here, I was excited to be back with this Lynx team. It’s a very, very special team. What our possibilities are is exciting. ... We’re ready to go.”
Here’s a look at the remaining schedule for the Lynx:
Among the games remaining, one weekend many Lynx fans have circled since the start of the season is the Aug. 23-24 weekend in Minneapolis against Las Vegas and Indiana. Not only will Minnesota be hosting the defending champions on the first night of the back-to-back and welcoming in the heavily followed Fever on the second night, but the organization will also be honoring Lynx great Maya Moore on Aug. 24 by retiring her jersey following the game against Indiana.
“The whole weekend is going to be a celebration of Lynx basketball. We have the Las Vegas Aces that Friday night and then you come right back on the second night of a back-to-back against the Indiana Fever. And to put a cherry on top, we have Maya Moore’s jersey retirement happening postgame that (Saturday) night,” Wolves and Lynx Chief Operating Officer Ryan Tanke said on the Hitting the Hardwood Podcast. “It’s just going to be an electric weekend of Lynx basketball. We are expecting two great crowds both games, and certainly the Fever game we expect that to be a full house sellout as it was when the Fever made their first visit in. We are really looking forward to that.
“I think you are going to have a lot of people coming out to celebrate Maya that weekend, and it will be great to have her and other legends from our past in the house.”
According to Tankathon, the Lynx have the easiest remaining schedule among all 12 WNBA teams, facing teams while combine for a winning percentage of 44.1%, the lowest in the league. That is good news for Minnesota as it tries to better its seeding before the regular season concludes.
Following a strong first portion of the season and after nearly a month break from action, the Lynx and the WNBA are back. And the rest of the regular season should be interesting as teams fight for seeding in the postseason.
“The team has done such a great job. They came together quick this year,” Tanke said. “Cheryl and the coaching staff, they got out of the gates and clearly had a great training camp and chemistry that was established early. As we jump right back into it, I think that’s going to be a competitive advantage.
“We have this really great Lynx culture and chemistry that is there, and I think that’s going to help us get off to a great start. We have a homecourt advantage that I think is undeniable inside of Target Center — the crowds are growing and the atmosphere is electric. I think that is also going to play a big part as we go down the stretch here,” Tanke continued. “The team has done a great job, the coaching staff has done a great job of really setting us up for what should be a really fun finish and hopefully long postseason ahead.”
After nearly a month off for the Olympic break, the Minnesota Lynx return to action by hosting Washington at Target Center on Thursday night.
After a couple weeks of downtime – aside from Napheesa Collier (USA), Alanna Smith (Australia) and Bridget Carleton (Canada) who represented their countries in the Olympics – the rest of the Lynx roster has been ramping back up the last couple weeks to get back into rhythm and ready to get back on the court.
Lynx Return to Practice
The Lynx have been practicing since their return from the Olympics, getting ready for the final stretch of the regular season. The team is looking to carry over the momentum from their strong start to the season.
Lynx Olympians Return Home
After competing in the Paris Olympics, Lynx players Napheesa Collier, Alanna Smith, and Bridget Carleton have returned home. Collier won her second gold medal with Team USA, Smith helped Australia win its first bronze medal in 12 years, and Carleton was named Team Canada's MVP. The experience of playing on the world stage will be valuable as the Lynx look to make a playoff push.
Lynx Look to Finish Strong
The Lynx are looking to finish the season strong, with a favorable remaining schedule and a team that is fully healthy and ready to compete. The team is looking to make a deep playoff run and contend for a championship.
A Celebration of Lynx Basketball
The Lynx will be hosting a special weekend on Aug. 23-24, celebrating the team and honoring Lynx great Maya Moore by retiring her jersey following the game against the Indiana Fever on Aug. 24. This weekend will be a celebration of Lynx basketball and a chance for fans to see some of the team’s legends.
What's Next for the Lynx
The Lynx are looking forward to the rest of the season and the playoffs. They are a team with a lot of talent and potential, and they are ready to make a run for the championship. With a strong first half of the season and a favorable schedule, the Lynx are well-positioned for success in the coming months.
