Minnesota Lynx vs. Dallas Wings Prediction, Preview and Odds - 6/19/21
A pair of Western Conference teams take the floor in the Lone Star State in a WNBA tilt. The Minnesota Lynx are on the road as they make the trip to face the Dallas Wings Saturday night in the second game of a two-game series. In the first game of the set Thursday night, it was Minnesota earning an 85-73 victory to ensure no worse than a split of the two-game series. That gave Minnesota four straight wins and 10 victories in the last 11 meetings in the series. Will the Lynx find a way to sweep the two-game series or will the Wings find a way to earn a split by prevailing at home in this contest?
Minnesota Lynx Looking to Sweep Two-Game Series on the Road
Minnesota won for the fifth time in seven games as they picked up a win in the Lone Star State by downing the Wings in the first game of this two-game set Thursday night. The Lynx improved to 5-6 on the season and entered Friday holding the final playoff spot in the WNBA by half a game over the Dream, Wings and Mercury. On Thursday night, Minnesota led 11-2 early, saw their lead trimmed to four after one quarter and extended to a 10-point lead at the half. The Lynx extended to a 12-point lead in the opening minute of the second half only to see their lead trimmed to one with less than three minutes to play in the third quarter. Minnesota regrouped as they used a 15-1 run spanning the third and fourth quarters to take a 70-55 lead with 7:55 to go and weren’t challenged again. The Lynx shot 48.5% from the field, including seven of 21 from three-point range, and held a 40-34 advantage on the glass in the victory. Kayla McBride led Minnesota with 22 points in the victory.
On the season, the Lynx are 6th in the league in scoring offense with an average of 81.8 points per game. Minnesota is 7th in rebounding as they collect 35.2 boards a night while the team is fourth in assists by dishing 19.8 dimes a night. The Lynx are seventh in the league in scoring defense as they give up an average of 81.8 points per contest this season. Sylvia Fowles is second on the team with 16.3 points plus nine rebounds per contest. Kayla McBride (12.9 points), Crystal Dangerfield (10.5 points, four assists) and Aerial Powers (10 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists) are solid secondary scoring options. Damiris Dantas, Napheesa Collier (17.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, three assists), Jessica Shepard, Layshia Clarendon (8.6 points, 4.6 assists), Bridget Carleton, Rachael Banham, Natalie Achonwa and Linnae Harper are looked at to be contributors for coach Cheryl Reeve. Minnesota stands third in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 43.6% from the field as a team this year. The Lynx are 8th in the league in three-pointers per game (seven) and 10th in three-point shooting as they hit 33.3% of their attempts from beyond the arc. Minnesota is 5th in the league in free throw shooting as they hit 81.2% of their attempts at the charity stripe. Powers is out eight to 10 weeks after undergoing thumb surgery June 18 for a torn UCL. Shepard (groin), Achonwa (knee) and Rennia Davis (foot) are out indefinitely at this point in time.
Dallas Wings Hope to Earn Split of Series
Dallas dropped their second straight after winning four of their previous five as they were dumped in the opening game of this two-game set Thursday night. The Wings fell to 5-7 on the season and entered Friday 10th in the WNBA standings, half a game behind the Lynx for the final playoff spot. Dallas dug a hole early as they were down 7-0 before getting on the board. The Wings trailed by four after one quarter, by 10 at the half and by 12 early in the third quarter before rallying to tie the game at 52 with 3:29 to play in the third quarter. Dallas seemed to use all their momentum in that run as they were outscored 18-3 in the next five-plus minutes to trail 70-55 with 7:55 to go. The Wings didn’t get closer than 10 the rest of the way. Dallas shot only 34.7% from the field, including seven of 20 from three-point range, and lost the rebounding battle 40-34. Arike Ogunbowale led the Wings with 20 points in the loss.
The Wings come into this one third in the league in scoring with 84.5 points per game this season. Dallas is first in rebounding (38.8 boards per contest) but rank 9th in the league in assists with 17.9 per game. The Wings are struggling defensively, ranking 8th by allowing 83.3 points per contest. Allisha Gray is one of four players averaging in double figures as she puts up 10 points and four rebounds per game on the year. Arike Ogunbowale (20.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists), Marina Mabrey (15.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, three assists), Isabelle Harrison (8.3 points, 6.6 rebounds) and Kayla Thornton (9.5 points, 6.5 rebounds) are all capable scoring options as well. Charli Collier, Tyasha Harris, Chelsea Dungee, Awak Kuier, Moriah Jefferson, Satou Sabally (13.7 points, 6.3 boards), Dana Evans, Kristine Anigwe and Bella Alarie all can be looked to for minutes for coach Brian Agler. The Wings are eighth in the league in field goal percentage as they hit 41.1% as a team. Dallas is fourth in three-pointers per game (8.2) and stand seventh in the league in three-point shooting as they hit 34.1% from long range. The Wings are fourth in free throw shooting as they convert 81.8% of their chances at the stripe.
Pick: Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota has played much better of late with five wins in their last seven games after starting the season 0-4. That includes a win here Thursday night over the Wings as they played solid basketball, especially after Dallas made a run to tie the game in the third quarter. While the Lynx are shorthanded, the fact remains that they are playing good basketball, led by the combination of Fowles and Collier. Dallas is still trying to figure things out in their rotation as Sabally missed time at the beginning of the season. The Wings are struggling defensively and that’s tough when it comes to facing a team that is playing well. Look for Minnesota to come up with the win here to sweep the two-game series.
Total:
Dallas is third in the league in scoring offense and they have plenty of options to choose from on that end of the floor. The Lynx have seen the total go over in six of their 11 games coming into this one. Dallas has actually seen the under hit seven times in their 12 games with one push. Thursday’s contest fell well short of the mark as the teams combined for 158 points compared to the 167.5-point total. The teams have seen the under hit in four contests and the over hit in four in the last eight meetings. With the way the Lynx are dealing with injuries and the Wings playing under numbers with regularity, lean toward the under in this contest.