Minnesota
WNBA Final Score: Lynx 76, Dream 64: McBride’s 12-Point 3rd Quarter Leads Minnesota to Victory
The Minnesota Lynx traveled from Washington to take on a hungry Atlanta Dream team that is vying for a playoff spot with just a few games left. Rhyne Howard was coming off three straight 30-point games as she looked to upset the Lynx and continue chasing down the Chicago Sky for the final playoff spot. Meanwhile, Minnesota looked to further their playoff positioning and win their fourth straight game.
It was a slow start for both sides, as neither team was able to buy a basket. Napheesa Collier and Alanna Smith got a couple buckets before two Dream triples gave them a two-point lead in the first three minutes. During Collier’s slow start, Smith and Courtney Williams picked up the slack to rebound the Lynx to a 13-8 lead heading into the first television timeout. Minnesota held strong the rest of the quarter and were able to keep the lead 20-14 as the buzzer sounded. Smith and Carleton led the way with 6 points each. Bridget Carleton also hit two three pointers in the frame.
A 7-2 run to start the second quarter for the Dream had the Lynx lead down to one just three minutes into the second period. Minnesota consistently held their small lead despite Phee’s struggles. Carleton scored a couple baskets and Myisha Hines-Allen handed out two assists, helping the Lynx gain a five-point lead heading into the final two minutes of the half. As the clock ran down, a buzzer-beating layup by Allisha Gray cut the Lynx lead to just three at halftime. Carleton lead the way with 11 points on 4 of 4 shooting, with Williams using her mid-range game to notch 10 points.
Heading into halftime, the Lynx lead the Dream 41-38.
Bridget Carleton leads Minnesota with a game-high 11 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the field and 3-of-3 shooting from three.
— Lynx PR (@Lynx_PR) September 11, 2024
Atlanta started the third quarter strong with a couple of buckets off of second chance opportunities, taking a 42-41 lead for their first lead since the opening quarter. After the Dream took the lead, McBride answered with a small five-point flurry to stop their run. The game continued to be within one possession until Hines-Allen dished another great backdoor pass to McBride for a layup, then following it up with a steal and fastbreak layup to take a six-point lead with 2:30 left in the third. After this, Minnesota broke out a nine point lead heading into the final frame. McBride took over in the period, scoring 12 points after having just two points in the first half.
Collier, the most recent Western Conference Player of the Week, came out in the fourth quarter looking to close things out as she scored the first two buckets of the quarter. Stifling defense by the Lynx helped them increase their lead to 14 as they held the Dream scoreless for nearly four minutes. Minnesota continued to showoff their dominant defense for the extent of the final quarter and closed the game out with their fourth straight win.
Key Takeaways
Stifling the Stars
Atlanta has a few high profile scorers that they rely on to give them the offense they need to win games. All of Rhyne Howard, Tina Charles and Allisha Gray are capable of putting up big numbers on any given night and can give defenses fits with their scoring prowess. The Lynx knew this and shut them down at every turn. The trio did combine for 44 points but shot a combined 13/48 from the field (27%). The Lynx made it very uncomfortable for all three and it resulted in preventing Howard from continuing her 30 point streak (had reached that mark in her previous 3 games), holding them scoreless for nearly four minutes in the 4th quarter and only allowing 64 points on 30% shooting for the team. The offense is what draws fans to the Lynx but the defense is just as good.
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Kayla McBride’s 3rd Quarter
K-Mac has had a quiet few games as of late for the Lynx taking a backseat to some of her teammates and that continued into the first half of this one. But when the third quarter started, she was a completely different player. She scored 12 points and helped Minnesota break out a nine point lead by the end of the period. McBride is a lethal shooter and can put so much pressure on the defense with her ability to shoot the ball. When she is in a zone like she was in the third, watch out.
Passing Clinic
The Lynx have been the best passing team in the league all season. They lead the league in assists per game 23.2 assists per game and assist percentage with 76.8%. Tonight was no different. They dished 24 assists on 32 made baskets but what made this stat pop was looking at it compared to the Atlanta Dream. Atlanta only had 12 assists on 21 made baskets and it was apparent from watching the game that they were playing a lot of iso basketball. Part of what makes the Lynx so difficult to guard is their ability to share the basketball and that was on full display tonight.
Up Next
The Lynx will head home to take on the Chicago Sky on Friday, September 13th at 6:30pm CT at the Target Center. They will look for their fifth win in a row and chase the 30 win mark on the season against a team that just lost one other best players in Angel Reese. The game will be televised on ION.
ICYMI: Canis Hoopus has a room with Playback to stream Lynx and Wolves games for our community! Follow this link and sign up to watch with myself and other fans as we cheer the Lynx to victory.
https://www.playback.tv/canishoopus
Highlights
Minnesota
Vikings Have a Dubious Connection to the Dexter Lawrence Trade
Of the many terrible roster decisions Minnesota sports teams have made over the past 30 years, the worst of the bunch may have been trading Randy Moss to the Raiders for the No. 7 pick in the draft and linebacker Napoleon Harris.
Why are we bringing up a trade that happened 21 years ago? Because the New York Giants traded defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 10 pick in this week’s NFL Draft. It was the first time a non-quarterback has been traded for a top-10 pick since the infamous Moss trade in 2005.
Minnesota traded Moss for the Raiders’ first-round pick, Harris, and a seventh-round pick on March 2, 2005. The Vikings used the No. 7 pick on wide receiver Troy Williamson, who never panned out in the NFL. He had 24 catches for 372 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie, 37 receptions for 457 yards and zero touchdowns in 2006, and just 18 catches for 240 yards and one touchdown in 2007.
Williams led the league with 11 dropped passes in 2006. Minnesota traded him to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick after the 2007 season, where he played in 10 games over two seasons and totaled just eight catches for 64 yards. He was cut before the start of the 2010 season, and that was a wrap on the former South Carolina speedster’s NFL career.
Moss didn’t put up jaw-dropping numbers with the Raiders for two seasons, but he set an NFL record with 23 touchdown catches in 2007 with the New England Patriots. He caught 47 touchdowns in 48 regular-season games with the Patriots from 2007 to 2009.
Whether it was trading Moss to the Raiders, the Timberwolves sending Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics — or drafting Ricky Rubio AND Johnny Flynn over Steph Curry — or the Twins cutting David Ortiz and watching him become one of the greatest players in MLB history with the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota sports teams have a long history of making terrible decisions.
The Bengals, meanwhile, gave up the 10th overall pick for one of the best defensive tackles in the league. They’ll likely get great production from Lawrence, while the Giants are now under pressure to get the 10th pick right. New York also holds the No. 5 pick in Thursday’s first round of the draft.
By the way, the Vikings had two picks in the first round of the 2005 draft. After taking Williamson, they used the No. 18 pick on defensive end Erasmus James. He was just as much of a bust as Williams, playing in 23 games in three years with the Vikings. He had four sacks as a rookie, but injuries wiped out most of his 2006 and 2007 seasons before he was traded to Washington for a conditional seventh-round pick.
James was cut by Washington in December 2009, marking the end of his NFL career.
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Minnesota
Boldy, Eriksson Ek help Wild cruise past Stars in Game 1 of Western 1st Round | NHL.com
Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and two assists, and Ryan Hartman had a goal and an assist for the Wild, who are the No. 3 seed in the Central Division. Wallstedt made 27 saves in his Stanley Cup Playoff debut, and Zuccarello had three assists.
“I was definitely nervous,” said Wallstedt, a rookie. “I think it shows that it means something to you. I like a little bit of nerves. I think it’s something good. There were definitely some nerves throughout the day and then a little bit extra rolling into the game. But after the national anthem was over and the first couple pucks started coming, you’re good.
“I wanted to play and I felt like I have been going good. I was a little surprised (to get the start). But I was very excited as soon as I got the news. I just wanted to make sure I was ready today.”
Jason Robertson scored, and Jake Oettinger made 23 saves for the Stars, who are the No. 2 seed in the Central.
“We didn’t deserve to win,” Dallas forward Mikko Rantanen said. “I think two power-play goals for them, two a little-bit bounces for them where we had guys in the right spot. Just even keel. Playoffs are like this. Sometimes you lose a game, you can feel like you’re done. But that’s the mentality you need to have, you’ve got to reset and learn from mistakes.
“First 30 minutes, we didn’t win enough battles. They were just that little bit stronger in the battles and that’s why they were able to make us defend more than we want to. Just got to be stronger.”
Game 2 is here on Monday (9:30 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNO, Victory+, ESPN, TVAS2, SN360).
“We prepped for a couple days coming into this one. Now, we will gather information from this game and continue to move forward,” Minnesota coach John Hynes said. “For me, it’s game to game and day to day. We want to continue to get better. We won and they [Dallas] lost. It’s not so much being satisfied where you’re at or that’s what it is. We need to continue to find ways to get better.”
Eriksson Ek gave the Wild a 1-0 lead at 5:35 of the first period on the power play. He scored on a one-timer from the left hash marks to finish a tic-tac-toe passing play with Zuccarello and Boldy, who found an open Eriksson Ek with a pass from the goal line.
“I think every team in the playoffs talks about not getting too high or too low. Just enjoy every day and each game and then we will go from there,” Eriksson Ek said. “I think we played pretty good today. The next game is a new game, so we just have to do it over and over every game. We know they are probably not the happiest with that game, so I am sure it’s going to be hard next game.”
Minnesota
ICE agent assault charge marks a ‘milestone’ for Minnesota prosecutors
Minnesota prosecutors charged a federal immigration agent with assault accusing him of involvement in a February road-rage incident.
Trump administration ends Minnesota immigration operation
Border Czar Tom Homan announced the end of Minnesota’s immigration operation after fatal shootings heightened tension and community backlash.
Minnesota prosecutors charged a federal immigration agent with assault, saying the agent was involved in a February road-rage incident during the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., 35, faces two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, according to April 16 Hennepin County court records. He has a nationwide warrant for his arrest.
On Feb. 5, prosecutors said Morgan allegedly drove illegally on the shoulder of a congested Minnesota highway in an unmarked SUV and pointed his weapon at two people in another car.
Morgan is the first agent charged in Operation Metro Surge, the controversial Minneapolis-area federal immigration operation that resulted in two American citizens fatally shot by federal officials, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
The charges “reflect an important milestone in our efforts to seek accountability for the harms inflicted on our community during Operation Metro Surge,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in an April 16 video statement.
Second-degree assault with a gun has a presumptive sentence of 36 months in prison if convicted, she said.
“Mr. Morgan’s conduct was extremely dangerous,” she said, adding his actions could have led to “another disastrous incident” in the community.
Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security immediately responded to email requests for comment. A cell phone listed for Morgan, identified as a Maryland resident, didn’t immediately respond to a call or text message.
The incident came less than two weeks after two Customs and Border Protection officers shot and killed Alex Pretti, 37, during a protest in Minneapolis. Pretti would be the second American killed during Metro Surge after an ICE agent in early January fatally shot Renee Good, 37, while she drove her SUV in Minneapolis near an immigration operation.
Later in February, the Trump administration drew down Metro Surge, which officials called the largest immigration operation in modern American history.
Investigators said they interviewed Morgan, who identified himself as the driver. Morgan told investigators he and the other ICE employee were returning from a surveillance shift. Morgan said he feared for his life and others’ safety, so he pulled up alongside the vehicle and drew his Glock 19 firearm. He said he identified himself as police.
State investigators said neither Morgan nor the other ICE agent reported the incident to an ICE supervisor.
The April 16 warrant, signed by District Court Judge Paul Scoggin, said there was a “substantial likelihood” Morgan would fail to respond to a summons, and officials couldn’t locate him.
On April 18, Daniel Borgertpoepping, a spokesperson for the county attorney’s office, said there is no knowledge of Morgan being arrested yet.
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or on Signal at emcuevas.01.
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