Lynx at Sparks
7:30 pm CDT
ESPN
The Lynx face an elimination game in Los Angeles tonight in game four of the WNBA Finals. Trailing two games to one, the Lynx season could come to an end tonight unless they find a way to deal with a Sparks team that has looked simply better than them over the course of the series.
The Sparks have been terrific defensively in the Finals, aggressively pressuring the ball, double-teaming Sylvia Fowles in the post effectively, and taking the Lynx out of anything comfortable in the half-court. We’ve seen the Lynx resort to small lineups at times to try to find some offense.
They were desperate enough for perimeter shooting to loosen things up in game three that they deployed little used rookie Alexis Jones for significant second half minutes (and she played very well, making three three-pointers during the Lynx comeback.)
They will need a better start tonight, as both their losses have featured slow starts, and comebacks that ultimately fell short. Getting some jumpers to go early would be a huge boon, and especially getting scorers Maya Moore and Seimone Augustus going is essential to playing how they want to play.
At any rate, just like last year, they need a game four win to force a game five back in Minneapolis. So far, the Sparks have looked better, but there is a lot of winning experience on the Lynx roster. They’ll need it all tonight.
Expected lineups
Sparks
Chelsea Gray
Odyssey Sims
Alana Beard
Candace Parker
Nneka Ogwumike
Lynx
Lindsay Whalen
Seimone Augustus
Maya Moore
Rebekkah Brunson
Sylvia Fowles
It should be a great one tonight.
Enjoy the game. Chat here. Go Lynx.