Lynx season opens July 26 with flurry of tough games

The Lynx should have a very good idea about where their 2020 season is going very early.

The Lynx open the season Sunday, July 26, at 11 a.m. against Connecticut, a nationally televised game on ESPN that will be part of the network's season-opening weekend coverage. In the league opener on July 25 No. 1 pick Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty will face Breanna Stewart and the Seattle Storm in a nationally televised game.

For the Lynx, it will be the start of a difficult first week of play in a shortened, 22-game season in which every game will have more importance attached to it. They will play Seattle on July 28, Chicago on July 30 and the Sun again on Aug. 1.

The season is taking place at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., without fans in attendance in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. There will be three games a day.

The 22-game slate includes two games against each of the other 11 teams in the league. The games will come rapid-fire, though the Lynx never play on back-to-back days.

The two games vs. Connecticut will give Minnesota native Rachel Banham a good look early at her former team.

Other highlights: The Lynx play the Los Angeles Sparks — and former Lynx great Seimone Augustus — for the first time on Aug. 9. Two days later the Lynx play defending champion Washington. Their first game against traditional rival Phoenix comes Aug. 21. The Lynx regular season concludes against Indiana on Sept. 12.

The Lynx have eight nationally televised games: three on ESPN or ESPN2 and five more on CBS Sports Network.

All games on the opening weekend will be dedicated to the Black Lives Matter movement.

"This 2020 WNBA season will truly be one unlike any other, and we're looking forward to using our collective platform to highlight the tremendous athletes in the WNBA as well as their advocacy for social change," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.