Minnesota Lynx Bounce Back with 91-82 Win Over Los Angeles Sparks

LOS ANGELES, CA — Natisha Hiedeman came off the bench to spark the Minnesota Lynx with 18 points, while Napheesa Collier added 17 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in a 91-82 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday night.

Hiedeman helped ignite the Lynx early, scoring 16 of her points in the first half on 6-of-9 shooting. Minnesota’s bench contributed a strong 30 points before halftime, helping the team take a 50-40 lead into the break. Collier closed the half with a smooth step-back jumper in the lane with just 1.7 seconds remaining.

The Lynx took control in the third quarter, shooting 56.5% (13 of 23) from the field and outscoring the Sparks 30-19. Collier’s layup with 44 seconds left in the period extended Minnesota’s lead to 80-53 — their largest of the night.

However, Los Angeles made a late push, scoring the final six points of the third quarter and the first 11 of the fourth to cut the deficit to 80-70. But Minnesota responded quickly to stop the rally. Back-to-back scores from Alanna Smith and Courtney Williams restored a 14-point cushion, and Smith’s corner three made it 87-73 with 3:42 to play.

Emma Cannon hit a late three to pull the Sparks within single digits with under a minute remaining, but the Lynx maintained control to secure the win.

Courtney Williams finished with 16 points and seven assists, while Smith added 15 points for the Lynx (18-3), who bounced back from Wednesday’s 79-71 loss in Phoenix that ended a five-game win streak.

Kelsey Plum led the Sparks (6-14) with 17 points and a season-high 12 assists. Julie Vanloo knocked down five three-pointers en route to 15 points, while Rickea Jackson and Dearica Hamby added 14 and 12 points, respectively.

Turnovers plagued Los Angeles throughout the game, committing 22 that led to 23 points for Minnesota.