Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve could sense it at shootaround Saturday morning. Her team was off. It might be one of those days.
Once again, Target Center's confines were not cozy for the Lynx in a 111-76 loss to the streaking New York Liberty on Saturday night in which Breanna Stewart scored 38 points through three quarters.
Throughout the season the Lynx have been a better team on the road than at home, and that trend continued.
The Liberty (27-7) have won 10 of 11 since losing at home to the Lynx on July 28, which only underlines a trend that has seen the Lynx (17-18) go 10-7 on the road, 7-11 at home. With just five games left in the regular season — two at home — the Lynx are running out of time to figure it out.
"Clearly if I understood what causes us not to play well at home, we would have solved it," Reeve said. "I don't get it. It just is obviously disappointing. I don't have an answer for you."
Three of Minnesota's worst losses this season have come at Target Center. That includes back-to-back losses to Las Vegas and Dallas in July. The Aces scored 113 points in the first game — the most ever allowed in regulation by the Lynx — and Minnesota's 40-point loss three days later was the biggest in franchise history.
On Saturday the Lynx were close to eclipsing both. Minnesota's 11 home losses are the most under Reeve. Her first team here, in 2010, went 7-10 in a shorter season.
What's going on at home?