Lynx beat Mercury 73-60 for sixth victory in a row

When asked about the end of the Lynx’s June 7 loss at Phoenix, coach Cheryl Reeve was quick to rattle off specifics: The Lynx were up six points with 90 seconds left in the game. A Kahleah Copper buzzer-beating three-pointer clinched the Mercury’s comeback, 81-80.

“They’re still feeling that [loss], and that’s a good thing,” Reeve said. “Even as a staff … you get in that situation, you learn from it. Hopefully if you find yourself there again, you do better.”

On Saturday at Target Center, the Lynx (wouldn’t give Phoenix the chance for any last-gasp heroics.

Minnesota led by as much as 22 in the fourth quarter as the Lynx beat Phoenix 73-60 to extend its win streak to six games — the most consecutive victories for the Lynx (13-3) since early 2021.

Lynx forward Napheesa Collier led the game with 23 points and 13 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season. The upcoming Paris Olympian — plus Reeve, who will coach the U.S. women’s basketball team — put the Lynx up 2-1 in the season series against Olympic teammates Copper, Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi.

Lynx center/forward Alanna Smith shot 5-for-7 for 14 points, including three first-half three-pointers to put her team up 13 at the half vs. the Mercury (8-8). Courtney Williams added 12 points and nine rebounds for Minnesota.

Pregame talk focused on Phoenix All-Star center Griner, who fractured her foot in training camp and made her delayed preseason debut for the Mercury in its June win over Minnesota. Coming into Saturday’s game, Griner averaged 21.4 points per game on 62.7% shooting. Reeve said that the 6-9 Griner is one of the most difficult “big” defensive assignments in the league — one that will be an asset in Paris but a challenge in Minnesota, she said pregame.

“[Griner] understands, she adjusts in a game if you’re guarding a certain way,” Reeve said. “We’re just going to try to make it a little bit harder. Can we apply a little more pressure on the perimeter? Can we fight the post in a way that just makes everything just a little less rhythmic?”

The Lynx’s 6-4 Smith and 6-3 Dorka Juhász held Griner to 4-14 shooting and 10 points.

“This is what you want, especially as a young post player in the league, to go against like players like this,” Juhász said on Friday. “[But] obviously if you try to focus too much on BG, then you got all the shooters out there.”

But the shooters didn’t have a night to remember for Phoenix. Typically fourth in the league in three-point percentage (34.3%), Phoenix shot just 7-for-34 (20.6%) from beyond the arc and 31.1% from the floor. Copper, third in the league in scoring (23.5) scored just nine. Natasha Cloud led the Mercury 14 points.

Only the league-leading Connecticut Sun held Phoenix to less points this season (47).

Minnesota shot 8-for-22 (36.4%) from three, including a guard Kayla McBride buzzer-beater at the end of the first half, which McBride punctuated with a casual shrug for fans in attendance for Pride Night.

Just a few of those fans started heading out to beat the traffic with about a minute remaining in the game. But after that last-minute loss in Phoenix — that’s probably exactly how the Lynx wanted it. Comfortable.

After its undefeated homestand, Minnesota heads on the road to face the New York Liberty in the Commissioner’s Cup championship on Tuesday.