Lynx dominate Fever, secure No. 1 seed for WNBA playoffs

The Minnesota Lynx extended their regular season dominance with an 86-66 victory over the Indiana Fever on Thursday, securing the No. 1 seed for the WNBA playoffs.

Kayla McBride led the Lynx with 22 points, shooting 6-for-10 from beyond the arc, while Natasha Howard contributed 21 points. The team played without star point guard Olivia Miles for the second consecutive game due to a left calf injury.

The Fever struggled offensively, scoring a season-low two points on 1-for-12 shooting. Indiana fell behind 25-4 in the first quarter and never recovered, despite Kelsey Mitchell's 10-point performance.

Minnesota, which had already clinched the No. 1 seed, will face the New York Liberty in a best-of-three first-round series starting Sunday. The Liberty defeated the Lynx in seven games in the 2024 WNBA Finals.

Indiana, now in sixth place, lost the season series tiebreaker to Washington and was overtaken by the Washington Mystics for fifth place. The Fever had to wait until the final moments of the regular season to determine their first-round opponent.

The Fever's performance was marred by a season-low in points and field goal percentage, following their earlier 96-77 loss to the Lynx in Indianapolis. Backup guard Ty Harris suffered a left ankle injury in the third quarter and was carried off the court.