The post Napheesa Collier’s birthday ruined by Lynx’s Game 2 meltdown vs. Mercury appeared first on ClutchPoints.
The Minnesota Lynx snapped a 61-game streak on Tuesday night. Minnesota blew a 16-point lead in the second half, losing 89-83 against Phoenix in overtime of Game 2. The loss was especially tough for one Lynx star for a couple of reasons.
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Lynx forward Napheesa Collier had her 29th birthday on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the festivities were ruined by Minnesota’s overtime collapse in Game 2.
Collier played well, scoring 24 points with six rebounds and an assist. But it was not enough to get past the Mercury.
“They came out really aggressive, especially in transition,” Collier said. “We had a lot of turnovers, so cutting back on that would have been a huge difference.”
While Collier acknowledged that the Mercury played a good game, she still thinks the Lynx beat themselves.
“I think we beat ourselves,” Collier concluded. “Unforced turnovers, not taking care of the ball when they were pressuring us. Just keeping our composure in those situations is huge. Definitely, it’s frustrating, but it’s a series. So we need to go to Phoenix and take care of business.”
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As head coach Cheryl Reeve described, the team had poor body language and made plenty of mistakes. When they finally found their way, it was too late to rescue Game 2.
“Suddenly, we lost our way,” Reeve said. “We didn’t respond. Then when we needed to go get buckets and we had good opportunities, we weren’t strong enough. We weren’t tough enough. And they ripped the game from us.”
Tuesday’s loss was also shocking because the Lynx have such a good record when playing at home this season. Minnesota led the W with a 34-10 record during the regular season with a 20-2 record at home.
Now the series travels to Phoenix for the next two games. The Lynx need to win at least one game to earn the possibility of a Game 5 back at Target Center.
Game 3 tips off at 9:30PM ET on Friday night.
Related: Lynx 61-game streak ruined with shocking collapse vs. Mercury
Related: Fans can’t believe Lynx lost playoff nail-biter to Mercury
