Minnesota Lynx used offensive masterclass to expose the Atlanta Dream

The Minnesota Lynx took an early 23-9 lead over the Atlanta Dream in the first quarter of their meeting on Wednesday night. Despite Atlanta tying things up a couple of times, the Lynx maintained full control until the final buzzer, sending the Dream home with a 96-81 loss.

Before last night, the Dream were sitting alone atop the WNBA standings. They were fresh off two masterclasses of their own against the Dallas Wings and Phoenix Mercury. All their stars have been seemingly unstoppable. Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray are averaging 17.0 and 21.7 points per game, respectively. Jordin Canada has been a defensive menace while shooting lights out and Angel Reese is finding her groove. So, what happened against Minnesota?

Perhaps there was a little revenge involved. The Minnesota Lynx's home opener was spoiled by the Atlanta Dream, who handed them a 91-90 loss. In that meeting, the Lynx shot only 68.0 percent from the line, leaving seven points on the table. Nia Coffey only shot 1-of-4 from the field and Natasha Howard finished the night with only 6 points.

The Minnesota Lynx flipped the script on the Atlanta Dream

Last night, things could not have been more different. Each one of the Minnesota Lynx starters scored in double figures. Courtney Williams led the way with a season-high 25 points, including three 3-pointers, and 7 assists. Natasha Howard had her third 20-plus point game of the season; she's on track to make her 13th year in the league her best yet.

Olivia Miles, a WNBA Rookie of the Year favorite, made the most of the confidence that Minnesota is instilling in her, yet again. She had a game-high 8 assists. The Lynx finished the night with 26 assists, their most in a game thus far, while committing only 14 turnovers, tied for their fewest in a game this season. They also shot 60.0 percent from the field, with 72.0 percent of their total points coming from inside the arc. That stat becomes even more impressive when you learn that Minnesota had only two forwards play more than 10 minutes.

While this matchup was an obvious Lynx offensive clinic, their defense was top-tier; they took full advantage of Atlanta's mistakes. The Dream committed 18 total turnovers, leading to 33 of Minnesota's 96 points. The Lynx had 10 steals, tied for their most in a game this season. Despite a strong performance from Allisha Gray, the Dream simply struggled to keep up offensively and couldn't find an answer for Minnesota's paint play. In the post-game presser, Gray told the media, per The Ballers Magazine, "For us, we were just stagnant.... watching one player instead of relieving a player, it was just a lot of standing tonight." The Lynx now have a 5-2 record, taking the outright lead in the WNBA standings right out from under Atlanta.

Minnesota isn't even at its full potential

Before the season began, I'm not sure anyone would've assumed the Lynx would be sitting on top. During the offseason, Minnesota lost Bridget Carleton and Maria Kliundikova during the expansion draft. They then took massive hits during free agency with the departures of Natisha Hiedeman, Dijonai Carrington, Jessica Shepard and last year's Co-Defensive Player of the Year, Alanna Smith.

With Napheesa Collier still rehabbing an injury, Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride are the only two players available from the 2025 Lynx primary starting five. It was looking like it'd be an off year for Minnesota, but a few newcomers have seemingly rejected that fate. Coffey, Howard and Miles have really done everything that's been asked of them. Howard is thriving, Miles is exuding confidence and Coffey has been making immediate impacts.

As much as these newcomers deserve their credit, the Minnesota coaching staff, specifically Head Coach Cheryl Reeve, deserves just as much. Despite losing half her roster during the offseason and being without her MVP-caliber leader on the court, Reeve has led this team to become a cohesive unit faster than any of us expected. Miles told the media, per Andrew Dukowitz, "She’s tough, she gets on you, I think that’s what’s different. She doesn’t let us be average, and you don’t see that very often in coaches. She knows what she’s doing, and she knows what wins.”

With this starting five gelling so well and seemingly only getting started, it has to make you think what they'll look like when Collier makes her return to the court. The wait won't be too much longer, as she's expected to make her debut as early as mid-June. Dorka Juhász is another injured Lynx player who is expected to return in June. She sat out of the 2025 season, then injured her right foot while playing overseas, keeping her out for the start of this W season.

So, this Minnesota Lynx squad's frontcourt depth could look scary in the next couple of months. After such a dominant win over one of the league's best, there's no telling what kind of damage a fully healthy Lynx squad could do.

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