2019 Minnesota Lynx season
2019 Minnesota Lynx season | |
---|---|
Coach | Cheryl Reeve |
Arena | Target Center |
Attendance | 9,069 per game |
Results | |
Record | 18–16 (.529) |
Place | 4th (Western) |
Playoff finish | 7th Seed; Lost in First Round to Seattle |
Team Leaders | |
Points | Odyssey Sims – 14.5 ppg |
Rebounds | Sylvia Fowles – 8.9 rpg |
Assists | Odyssey Sims – 5.4 apg |
Media | |
Television | Fox Sports North, ESPN, NBATV |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/Minnesota_Lynx_vs._Dallas_Wings_June_2019_27_%28in-game_action%29.jpg/220px-Minnesota_Lynx_vs._Dallas_Wings_June_2019_27_%28in-game_action%29.jpg)
The 2019 WNBA season of the Minnesota Lynx was their 21st season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Lynx finished the 2018 season with a record of 18–16, finishing fourth in the Western Conference and seventh overall in the league, while qualifying for the playoffs, before ultimately being beat by Los Angeles in the first Round of the 2018 WNBA Playoffs.
On February 5, 2019, Maya Moore announced that she would not be playing in the 2019 season citing a need to spend more time with family and to focus on her ministry dreams.[1] On March 14, the Lynx announced that they promoted Walt Hopkins to a full-time assistant coach, while also adding Plenette Pierson to an assistant coaching role.[2]
Despite Moore's retirement, the Lynx started off the season strong, going on a three-game winning streak. However, they could not keep the momentum going, winning only three of their next nine games, including a four-game losing streak, to finish June with a 6–6 record. July proved to be more of the same, with the team winning their first three games in the month, but losing their last three and finishing 4–4 for the month. August was another up-and-down month. The Lynx finished 6–5 on the month, which included losing three games and then winning three games to finish the month. The team did manage to extend their three-game winning streak into a five-game winning streak, but lost their season finale.
Their final record of 18–16 earned them the seventh seed in the playoffs. They faced off against the sixth-seeded Seattle Storm. The Storm earned the right to host the game by winning the regular season series 3–1. Napheesa Collier scored a double double in her playoff debut, but it was ultimately not enough as the Lynx lost by ten points.
Collier's solid postseason continued when she won Rookie of the Year. Collier is the fourth Lynx player to win the award, and the first since Maya Moore.
Transactions
[edit]WNBA draft
[edit]Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | School/team/country |
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1 | 6 | Napheesa Collier | ![]() | Connecticut Huskies |
2 | 16 | Jessica Shepard | ![]() | Notre Dame |
2 | 18 | Natisha Hiedeman | ![]() | Marquette |
2 | 20 | Cierra Dillard | ![]() | Buffalo |
3 | 30 | Kenisha Bell | ![]() | Minnesota |
Trades and roster changes
[edit]Date | Trade | |
---|---|---|
February 1, 2019 | Signed F Karima Christmas-Kelly[3] | |
February 2, 2019 | Re-Signed G Seimone Augustus[4] | |
February 8, 2019 | Signed F/C Damiris Dantas[5] | |
February 22, 2019 | Signed F Jillian Alleyne[6] | |
February 28, 2019 | Re-Signed F Erlana Larkins and Signed F Kelsey Griffin[7][8] | |
April 10, 2019 | Traded G Natisha Hiedeman to Connecticut in exchange for G Lexie Brown.[9] | |
April 11, 2019 | Traded G Tanisha Wright to New York in exchange for a second round pick in the 2020 WNBA draft.[10] | |
April 17, 2019 | Signed F Shao Ting[11] | |
April 22, 2019 | Traded G Alexis Jones to Los Angeles in exchange for G Odyssey Sims.[12] | |
May 11, 2019 | Waived G Cierra Dillard[13] | |
May 16, 2019 | Waived G Taylor Emery[14] | |
May 21, 2019 | Traded their third round pick in the 2020 WNBA draft to Chicago in exchange for C Alaina Coates[15] | |
Traded their second round pick in the 2020 WNBA draft to Phoenix in exchange for G Stephanie Talbot[16] | ||
May 22, 2019 | Waived F Erlana Larkins[17] | |
July 2, 2019 | Signed F Asia Taylor and G Kenisha Bell[18] | |
July 13, 2019 | Waived F Shao Ting and activated F Temi Fagbenle[19] | |
July 14, 2019 | Waived C Alaina Coates[20] | |
July 19, 2019 | Waived G Kenisha Bell[21] | |
July 25, 2019 | Waived F Asia Taylor | |
July 30, 2019 | Signed F Jillian Alleyne to a 7-Day Contract[22] | |
August 6, 2019 | Signed F Jillian Alleyne to a 2nd 7-Day Contract[23] | |
August 13, 2019 | Signed F Jillian Alleyne to a 3rd 7-Day Contract[24] | |
August 22, 2019 | Signed F Bridget Carleton to a 7-Day Contract[25] |
Additions
[edit]Player | Date | Former team |
---|---|---|
Karima Christmas-Kelly | February 1, 2019 | Dallas Wings |
Damiris Dantas | February 8, 2019 | Atlanta Dream |
Lexie Brown | April 11, 2019 | Connecticut Sun |
Odyssey Sims | April 22, 2019 | Los Angeles Sparks |
Subtractions
[edit]Player | Date | New team/reason |
---|---|---|
Lindsay Whalen | August 13, 2018 | Retirement |
James Wade (assistant coach) | November 18, 2018 | Chicago Sky Head Coach |
Maya Moore | February 5, 2019 | Taking Year Off |
Roster
[edit]2019 Minnesota Lynx roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule
[edit]Preseason
[edit]2019 pre-season game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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May: 2–0 (Home: 1–0; Road: 1–0)
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2019 pre-season schedule |
Regular season
[edit]2019 game log Total: 18–16 (Home: 11–6; Road: 7–10) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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June : 4–6 (Home: 2–3; Road: 2–3)
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July : 4–4 (Home: 2–2; Road: 2–2)
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August : 6–5 (Home: 4–1; Road: 2–4)
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September : 2–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 1–1)
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2019 season schedule |
Playoffs
[edit]2019 playoff game log Total: 0–1 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–1) | ||||||||||||||||||
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First Round: 0–1 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–1)
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2019 playoff schedule |
Standings
[edit]# | Western Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
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1 | Los Angeles Sparks (3) | 22 | 12 | .647 | – | 15–2 | 7–10 | 10–6 |
2 | Las Vegas Aces (4) | 21 | 13 | .618 | 1 | 13–4 | 8–9 | 11–5 |
3 | Seattle Storm (6) | 18 | 16 | .529 | 4 | 11–6 | 7–10 | 10–6 |
4 | Minnesota Lynx (7) | 18 | 16 | .529 | 4 | 11–6 | 7–10 | 7–9 |
5 | Phoenix Mercury (8) | 15 | 19 | .441 | 7 | 9–8 | 6–11 | 5–11 |
6 | e – Dallas Wings | 10 | 24 | .294 | 12 | 8–9 | 2–15 | 5–11 |
Notes
- (#) – Conference Standing, Playoff Seeds shown to the right of team name
- e – Eliminated from playoffs
Playoffs
[edit]First round: Single elimination (Sept. 11) | Second round: Single elimination (Sept. 15) | Semifinals: Best-of-five (Sept. 17 – Sept. 24) | WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Sept. 29 – Oct. 10) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
1 | Washington Mystics | 97 | 103 | 75 | 94 | ||||||||||||||||||||
4 | Las Vegas Aces | 93 | 4 | Las Vegas Aces | 95 | 91 | 92 | 90 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Chicago Sky | 105 | 5 | Chicago Sky | 92 | 1 | Washington Mystics | 95 | 87 | 94 | 86 | 89 | |||||||||||||
8 | Phoenix Mercury | 76 | 2 | Connecticut Sun | 86 | 99 | 81 | 90 | 78 | ||||||||||||||||
2 | Connecticut Sun | 84 | 94 | 78 | |||||||||||||||||||||
3 | Los Angeles Sparks | 92 | 3 | Los Angeles Sparks | 75 | 68 | 56 | ||||||||||||||||||
6 | Seattle Storm | 84 | 6 | Seattle Storm | 69 | ||||||||||||||||||||
7 | Minnesota Lynx | 74 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Note: Teams re-seeded after each round.
Statistics
[edit]Legend | |||||||
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GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage | TO | Turnovers per game |
PF | Fouls per game | Team leader | League leader |
Regular season
[edit]Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
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Odyssey Sims | 34 | 34 | 31.9 | 41.5 | 26.9 | 79.5 | 3.4 | 5.4 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 14.5 |
Sylvia Fowles | 34 | 34 | 29.5 | 58.8 | 0 | 70.7 | 8.9 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 13.6 |
Napheesa Collier | 34 | 34 | 33.3 | 49.0 | 36.1 | 79.2 | 6.6 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 13.1 |
Danielle Robinson | 34 | 26 | 27.0 | 43.7 | 22.0 | 87.9 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 10.1 |
Damiris Dantas | 26 | 26 | 25.7 | 43.2 | 39.3 | 73.1 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 9.2 |
Lexie Brown | 33 | 0 | 18.3 | 40.2 | 38.5 | 78.9 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 7.6 |
Temi Fagbenle | 18 | 0 | 15.1 | 37.0 | 32.6 | 72.2 | 2.9 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 5.4 |
Stephanie Talbot | 33 | 9 | 17.0 | 37.0 | 32.6 | 87.1 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 5.2 |
Jessica Shepard | 6 | 0 | 18.7 | 31.3 | 16.7 | 75.0 | 5.7 | 3.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 4.8 |
Seimone Augustus | 12 | 7 | 13.0 | 31.3 | 16.7 | 75.0 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 3.8 |
Karima Christmas-Kelly | 6 | 0 | 12.0 | 27.8 | 27.3 | 60.0 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 2.7 |
Bridget Carleton | 4 | 0 | 2.8 | 50.0 | 50.0 | 0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 |
Awards and milestones
[edit]Recipient | Award/milestone | Date awarded | Reference |
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Odyssey Sims | WNBA All-Star Selection | July 15, 2019 | [26] |
Sylvia Fowles | |||
Napheesa Collier | WNBA All-Star Replacement Selection | July 22, 2019 | [27] |
Danielle Robinson | WNBA Community Assist Award - June | July 23, 2019 | [28] |
Napheesa Collier | WNBA Rookie of the Month - July | August 1, 2019 | [29] |
WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week | August 26, 2019 | [30] | |
Rookie of the Year | September 16, 2019 | [31] | |
WNBA All-Rookie Team | September 16, 2019 | [32] | |
Cheryl Reeve | WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award | September 18, 2019 | [33] |
References
[edit]- ^ "The Shift". playertribune.com. playertribune.com. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
- ^ "Lynx Announce Basketball Operations Updates". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
- ^ "Minnesota Lynx Sign Forward Karima Christmas-Kelly". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ^ "Minnesota Lynx Re-Sign Four-Time WNBA Champion Seimone Augustus". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
- ^ "Minnesota Lynx Sign Forward Damiris Dantas". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
- ^ "Lynx Sign Forward Jillian Alleyne". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
- ^ "Minnesota Lynx Re-Sign Forward Erlana Larkins". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
- ^ "Griffin, out of WNBA for 5 years, to Lynx camp". ESPN. The Associated Press. February 28, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
- ^ "WNBA Draft: Lynx bring in Shepard, Dillard, Bell, trade for Brown". FOX Sports. April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ "Minnesota Lynx Acquire 2020 Second Round Draft Pick in Exchange for Guard Tanisha Wright". lynx.wnba.com. WNBA. April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
- ^ "Lynx sign Chinese Olympic player Shao Ting to contract". startribune.com. Star Tribune. April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- ^ "Minnesota Lynx Acquire Guard Odyssey Sims". WNBA. April 22, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ "Lynx Waive Guard Cierra Dillard". WNBA. May 11, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- ^ "Lynx Waive Guard Taylor Emery". WNBA. May 16, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
- ^ "Sky Acquire 2020 Third-Round Pick From Minnesota Lynx". WNBA. May 21, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
- ^ "Mercury Acquire 2020 Second-Round Pick From Minnesota". WNBA. May 21, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
- ^ "Lynx Waive Forward Erlana Larkins". WNBA. May 22, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
- ^ "Minnesota Lynx Sign Guard Kenisha Bell and Forward Asia Taylor". WNBA. July 2, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
- ^ "Temi Fagbenle returns to the Minnesota Lynx from EuroBasket". High Post Hoops. July 13, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
- ^ "Lynx Waive Center Alaina Coates". WNBA. July 14, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
- ^ "Damiris Dantas Injury Update". WNBA. July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
- ^ "Lynx Sign Forward Jillian Alleyne". WNBA. July 30, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
- ^ "Lynx Sign Forward Jillian Alleyne". WNBA. August 6, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
- ^ "Lynx Sign Forward Jillian Alleyne". WNBA. August 13, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- ^ "Lynx Sign Forward Bridget Carleton". WNBA. August 22, 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
- ^ "Seven-Time Selection Charles, Dupree, Highlight Reserves For All-Star". WNBA. July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
- ^ "Lynx's Napheesa Collier To Replace A'ja Wilson In AT&T WNBA All-Star 2019". WNBA. July 22, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
- ^ "Minnesota's Danielle Robinson Receives Community Assist Award". WNBA. July 23, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ @WNBA (August 1, 2019). "Baller alert 🚨 @PHEEsespieces earns #WNBA Rookie of the Month! 👏" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Vandersloot, Collier Earn Player Of The Week Honors". WNBA. August 26, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
- ^ "Minnesota's Napheesa Collier Named 2019 WNBA Rookie of the Year". WNBA. September 16, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
- ^ "Rookie of the Year Collier Headlines 2019 All-Rookie Team". WNBA. September 16, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
- ^ "Minnesota's Cheryl Reeve Named 2019 WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year". WNBA. September 18, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.