Former Stanford Cardinal, current Minnesota Lynx star, and a bronze medalist in the Paris Olympics, Alanna Smith has a pretty solid resumé. Yet, in the Lynx 90-80 win over Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on Saturday night, her stat line was a bit perplexing.

She started, and recorded 27 minutes played with four rebounds, five assists and two blocks, but she didn’t score a single point in those 27 minutes. On the season she’s averaging 11 points per game, so that’s not unheard of. She has gone scoreless in the past. Everyone has a cold night.

But that wasn’t the case here. Smith didn’t even attempt a shot in this game. No field goals, no three pointers, no free throws. Zero points.

This felt odd, so we looked into it a bit further. The last time that Alanna Smith didn’t shoot the ball at least once, it was back in 2021 when she was with the Phoenix Mercury, a team that also touted (and still touts) Diana Taurasi and Britney Griner. This was on August 31, and Smith played all of two minutes.

At that point in her WNBA career, Smith had not yet started a game, but this season she has started 30 of her team’s 30 games. One caveat here is that the Lynx were on the back-end of a back-to-back, and Smith had tallied 33 minutes in the previous game, along with 15 points.

Even without attempting a shot on Saturday, Smith was still able to post a +14 in her time on the floor after putting up a +18 the night before, so her impact was certainly felt on the court, it just came in a different way.

With the win, the Minnesota Lynx have clinched a spot in the WNBA playoffs and currently hold the third seed, a half-game back of the Connecticut Sun for the two seed, and three back of the New York Liberty for the top spot. The Lynx have ten games remaining on their schedule, with their next contest scheduled for Wednesday August 28 against Taurasi, Griner, and the Phoenix Mercury.

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Minnesota Lynx fans got to witness not only a win but also the team retiring WNBA legend Maya Moore’s jersey on Saturday.

Despite Caitlin Clark’s 23 points, the Lynx held off the Indiana Fever 90-80 to win their sixth straight game. The win also clinches a playoff spot for the team.

After the game, the Lynx lifted Moore’s No. 23 jersey to the Target Center rafters in Minneapolis to applauding fans.

Moore was drafted with the first overall pick in the 2011 WNBA Draft by the Lynx and played eight seasons in the WNBA – all with Minnesota – leading the team to four championships and was named league MVP in 2014.

Moore’s off-the-court career is even more impressive than her nearly untouchable basketball career.

She worked on the release of Jonathan Irons, a man she helped exonerate after he served 22 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. The two married in 2020 and later announced the birth of their son, Jonathan Jr.

Moore officially announced her retirement from the WNBA in 2023.

With her family, friends, former teammates and coaches in attendance, the 35-year-old said on Saturday that she was “so incredibly grateful” for everyone who came to honor her.

“My life is an example of what it looks like when we love a little girl well,” an emotional Moore said of watching her banner being raised. “There’s no way we are watching that without love. So many people having a hand in my life to show me what life is about. That’s what I try to bring every day was life and joy because I’ve been a recipient of life and joy. And so, don’t think all the little ways behind the scenes that you love people and pour into people that it’s in vain because it’s not in vain.”

Moore added that it was a “miracle” that Irons was at the ceremony.

“So many years you watched me through your 13-inch TV with little opportunity to connect,” Moore said. “Now you’re front row, enjoying it the most.”

Moore then pointed up to the banner, and said, “Look at that. What an honor. Love you guys so much,” to a standing ovation from the crowd on hand.

Clark, 22, achieved a milestone of her own in the first quarter.

With her hero Moore looking on, Clark reached 500 career points in just 29 games.

Ahead of the game Saturday, Clark expressed her gratitude to Moore, calling her “the person” in her life when talking about the impact she has had on her basketball career.

“She was the person for me growing up,” Clark told reporters. “Those are the type of people you want your young daughter to idolize. And it’s crazy that I get to play in this building. I played in this building in college and then playing here now, as a pro. It kind of comes full circle. But Maya (Moore) was definitely that person for me and she was obviously tremendous.”

The Minnesota Vikings open the 2024 NFL regular season at the New York Giants on Sept. 8 at MetLife Stadium.

At some positions, their core roster looks much different than it did when training camp began. The Vikings have overhauled the cornerback position, most notably by signing veteran Stephon Gilmore. Rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy, meanwhile, was lost for the season after just one preseason appearance because of a torn meniscus in his right knee.

The roster will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET Tuesday. Here is a projection for the Vikings:

QUARTERBACKS (3): Sam Darnold, Nick Mullens, Jaren Hall

Teams no longer need to keep a third quarterback on the 53-man roster to use them as the emergency quarterback on game day. And while there might not be a high risk in losing Hall on the waiver wire, should the Vikings try get him onto the practice squad, the Vikings probably won’t take that chance after having already lost McCarthy to injury. Last season’s quarterback carousel remains fresh on their minds. With McCarthy out for the season, Mullens moves from insurance policy to likely No. 2 behind Darnold.

RUNNING BACKS (3): Aaron Jones, Ty Chandler, Kene Nwangwu

Jones and Chandler are expected to shoulder most of the load at the position. The Vikings could probably get both Myles Gaskin and DeWayne McBride on the practice squad to maintain depth. Nwangwu is expected to be the primary kickoff returner.

FULLBACK (1): C.J. Ham

Vikings coaches have once again spoken glowingly this summer about Ham and their hope to find more ways to use him on offense. He played 19.4% of offensive snaps in 2023 after getting on the field for 14.7% of them in 2022.

WIDE RECEIVERS (6): Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor, Brandon Powell, Trishton Jackson, Trent Sherfield Sr.

The Vikings hope that Addison’s ankle injury, suffered Aug. 14 in joint practices with the Browns, has healed in time to pair him with Jefferson for Week 1. Nailor and Jackson had two of the most impressive camps among Vikings players this summer, locking them into the third and, possibly fourth receiver roles, respectively. Powell has special teams value, and Sherfield has $1 million fully guaranteed coming his way, whether he makes the team or not.

TIGHT ENDS (3): Johnny Mundt, Josh Oliver, Nick Muse

This is the group the Vikings will move forward with until T.J. Hockenson is ready to return from a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee. Mundt got the vast majority of targets with the first team during training camp, as he did at the end of last season after Hockenson’s injury. Veteran Robert Tonyan was slowed by a back injury during camp.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (10): Christian Darrisaw, Blake Brandel, Garrett Bradbury, Ed Ingram, Brian O’Neill, Dalton Risner, David Quessenberry, Walter Rouse, Dan Feeney, Michael Jurgens

An expected three-way competition at guard between Brandel, Ingram and Risner never materialized, largely due to an undisclosed injury that limited Risner’s availability. Brandel and Ingram took essentially all of the first team-reps, but it’s hard to imagine the Vikings parting ways with Risner altogether, assuming he is healthy. Jurgens struggled during preseason games and could probably make it to the practice squad if the Vikings need his roster spot elsewhere.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (5): Harrison Phillips, Jonathan Bullard, Jerry Tillery, Jonah Williams, Levi Drake Rodriguez

Five might ultimately be too low a number for this group. That would be especially true if defensive coordinator Brian Flores finds himself in more base situations than he did in 2023, when the Vikings used historically high rates of one- and two-man defensive lines. Rodriguez had a strong preseason, demonstrating good quickness at the snap, and has a chance to be part of the rotation.

LINEBACKERS (9): Jonathan Greenard, Blake Cashman, Andrew Van Ginkel, Dallas Turner, Pat Jones II, Ivan Pacie Jr., Kamu Grugier-Hill, Jihad Ward, Gabriel Murphy

This group would seem to be the key to Flores’ ability to mix and match personnel based on matchups; most of these players can hold their own inside or outside or in other combinations. It might be tough for the Vikings to keep Grugier-Hill, Ward and Murphy, as well as 2022 third-round pick Brian Asamoah II. Murphy has missed extended time during camp due to injuries, making him a little more difficult to project.

CORNERBACKS (5): Stephon Gilmore, Shaquill Griffin, Byron Murphy Jr., Akayleb Evans, Fabian Moreau

It’s pretty wild that two of these five players — Gilmore and Moreau — were signed during training camp as the Vikings have worked to overhaul the position in real time. It’s assumed that Gilmore and Murphy will be the top two corners. Griffin missed most of camp because of a hamstring injury but will likely work on the outside, with Murphy in the slot for nickel formations. Moreau beats out rookie Dwight McGlothern, who would be a prime candidate for the practice squad.

SAFETIES (5): Harrison Smith, Camryn Bynum, Josh Metellus, Theo Jackson, Jay Ward

Smith, Bynum and Metellus will likely be part of the Vikings’ top 11 defenders, with Metellus resuming his multi-positional role. Jackson got off to a tremendous start in training camp and could force his way onto the field in some packages, while Ward moved between safety and cornerback and has value in that flexibility.

SPECIALISTS (3): Will Reichard, Ryan Wright, Andrew DePaola

Reichard and Wright each won training camp competitions, although Reichard — a sixth-round draft pick — was always a heavy favorite to be the kicker. Coverage specialist NaJee Thompson has dealt with a knee injury all summer and might not be ready for the regular season.