Nearly two hours before the Lynx, on the road and again without injured star Napheesa Collier on Tuesday night, went out and beat the Los Angeles Sparks 82-67, coach Cheryl Reeve was talking about Bridget Carleton.
How Carleton, in her sixth WNBA season, was gaining confidence, emerging as a leader, getting aggressive.
Check, check and check.
Carleton wasn't the only player who played well Tuesday. Dorka Juhász scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds. Kayla McBride had 11 points. Cecilia Zandalasini, another player on the rise, scored 11 of Minnesota's 30 bench points. Ten Minnesota players scored.
But Carleton was the top standout.
She hit six of seven field-goal tries and all four of her three-point attempts. She had 16 points, four rebounds and three assists. And afterward, Reeve said offense wasn't even the best part.
"It was on defense where she was most impactful,'' Reeve said after the Lynx (16-6) won their second consecutive game.
L.A.'s Rickea Jackson came in hot. Carleton helped cool her down, as she scored just six points. Like Juhász, Carleton guarded bigger players at times and smaller players when the Sparks played small. At times, she initiated the offense.
But mostly, she shot. She became the first player in Lynx history to shoot 100% on three-pointers with at least four attempts in a game twice in a season; the other time came against the Sparks in L.A. as well. It was the third time she has done it in her career, another Lynx first.
"It's a combination of a lot of things,'' said Carleton, who will play for Canada in her second consecutive Olympics later this month. "I've been with the same franchise for a long time. I know what the coaches want. I've played with Kayla and Phee for a number of years. I'm comfortable and confident with who I am with this team.''
She wasn't alone. Juhász, making her second start with Collier out because of a foot injury, played a team-high 32 minutes, in part because starting center Alanna Smith was battling foul trouble. Sparks center Dearica Hamby, one of just four WNBA players averaging a double-double this season, had 18 points and eight rebounds but was limited to nine field-goal tries by Juhász's denial defense.
BOXSCORE: Lynx 82, Los Angeles 67
Actually, with the possible exception of the fourth quarter, the Lynx played great on both ends all night, leading by 13 points after one quarter, by 16 at halftime, by 19 after three. Reeve called her team's 51-point first half one of the best of the season.
Still, L.A. had closed to within five and was still within six with 3:31 left in the first half. But then Juhász scored four points and McBride and Carleton hit three-pointers during a 12-2 run to end the half. Then the Lynx came out and pushed the lead to 20 midway through the third quarter.
By the time the game ended, 10 Lynx players had scored, with five players hitting a three-pointer. Five players had three or more assists, and four had four or more rebounds. Minnesota shot 49.2% overall from the field and made nine of 18 three-point tries. The Sparks shot 41.1% overall but were 3-for-20 on three-pointers.
"Losing Phee is huge for us,'' Juhász said. "She's our motor, our leader. But everyone took it personal. When [Collier] is out, everyone is ready to come in and contribute. It's a collective win.''
But nobody loved playing in L.A. this year more than Carleton, who finished 8-for-8 on threes at Crypto.com Arena.
"I guess so," Carleton said. "I shoot well here. I found myself in good places.''
The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.
