Lynx vs. Fire: Natasha Howard Leads Seven in Double Figures as Minnesota Rolls Portland 107-74

Bridget Carleton got her moment on Monday night. Target Center used a break in play to honor the forward who spent seven seasons in Minnesota before Portland made her the top selection in the expansion draft, and Fire assistant Sylvia Fowles, a two-time champion and the 2017 MVP in this building, got her flowers too. After that, the Lynx went right back to being rude hosts.

Minnesota beat the Portland Fire 107-74, with Natasha Howard's 18 points leading seven players in double figures. Carleton's homecoming turned into a 1-of-9 shooting night with three points and a minus-31 in 26 minutes. It was the expansion Fire's first look at Target Center, and they may want to delete the photos.

Thirty-Five in the First Quarter

Portland actually held a lead early, as large as four points. It did not last. Minnesota poured in 35 in the opening quarter, tying its highest-scoring frame of the season, and Nia Brodie lit the fuse by going 3-for-3 from deep in the period. It was 35-21 after one and 60-40 at the half, and by the middle of the third the gap had grown to 27.

The Fire's only extended response came late in the third, an 8-0 flurry that took a 79-49 score to 79-57. Minnesota shrugged and carried an 85-59 lead into the fourth. Then the reserves took their turn. Anastasiia Olairi Kosu buried a 24-foot 3 with 3:13 left to push the Lynx past 100, Maya Caldwell followed with a layup and two free throws, and the lead peaked at 35 before Serah Williams' layup with 23 seconds to go set the final margin.

Nothing about the second half was competitive, and that was the point. A team that had just lost a three-point thriller in Las Vegas came home and played like it had been personally insulted by the result.

Seven Players, No Waiting

Howard's 18 came on 6-of-11 shooting and 6-of-11 from the line, with six rebounds, three of them offensive, and two steals in 26 minutes. It was workmanlike in the best sense. The more eye-catching night belonged to Brodie, who had 15 points, five rebounds, three steals and three blocks on 6-of-9 shooting in 21 minutes without a turnover. The AP rated it the best all-around game of her first season with the Lynx, who are her hometown team, and it is hard to argue with a line that touches every column.

Courtney Williams scored 16 on 7-of-10, Kayla McBride had 14 with six rebounds, four assists and a game-best plus-27, and Olivia Miles went 6-of-8 for 12 with five assists and three steals. Kosu and Caldwell each added 11 off the bench, and Caldwell needed only 15 minutes to do it. Antonia Delaere scored just six, but her game-high seven assists, three steals and zero turnovers in 29 minutes made her plus-26 feel entirely earned. When a reserve is running the offense that cleanly, the opposing coach is in for a long film session.

Portland's box score is a study in nobody getting going. Not one Fire player scored more than 10. Carla Leite and Frieda Buhner hit that number, and Luisa Geiselsoder provided the only sustained shooting with three 3s and nine points in 15 minutes. Teja Oblak was the most complete Fire player with nine points, six rebounds and five assists. Sarah Ashlee Barker had eight points and seven turnovers, which gets to the heart of the matter.

Twenty-Two Giveaways, Twenty-Six Points

This game turned on what happened after Portland lost the ball. The Fire finished with 22 turnovers, and Minnesota cashed them in for 26 points, with 14 steals leading the way. Worse, those giveaways triggered a transition game Portland never slowed down. The Lynx got 27 fast-break points to Portland's nine, and they were often finishing at the rim before the Fire could find a matchup.

That pressure may also explain Carleton's night better than any sentimental narrative about nerves. She went 0-for-4 from deep, and it is fair to guess that the team that watched her for seven seasons knew what it wanted to take away. Portland shot 41 percent overall and did make 10 3s, but it needed 30 tries, and a team that spends that many possessions giving the ball away cannot trade baskets with an offense shooting 55 percent.

The bounce-back mattered, too. Saturday's 100-97 loss in Las Vegas ended an eight-game Minnesota winning streak, and a flat follow-up would have turned one bad minute in the desert into a conversation. The Lynx killed that conversation by halftime.

Stats That Matter

• 60-36: Minnesota's edge in points in the paint.
• 27-9: The Lynx's fast-break advantage.
• 31: Minnesota assists on 42 made field goals, against 21 for Portland.
• 40-27: The rebounding margin, including 16 offensive boards for the Lynx.
• 13-of-22: Minnesota's free-throw shooting, the only ugly number on the sheet.

What It Means

Minnesota is 11-3 overall and 6-2 at home, with nine wins in its last 10 games. The Lynx are also 5-1 in Commissioner's Cup play, though the AP laid out the catch: a Las Vegas win over either Dallas on Monday or Phoenix on Wednesday would secure the West's berth. Dallas handled the Monday half of that, 96-66, which leaves Wednesday in Phoenix as the Aces' chance to lock it up. New York already holds the East's spot, and the championship game is June 30. Minnesota plays at Los Angeles on Wednesday, the last scheduled night of Cup games.

Portland fell to 7-9 and 2-4 on the road, with five losses in its last six. The lone win in that stretch was Saturday's 84-83 escape against Dallas, which suddenly feels like a long time ago. The Fire host Seattle on Wednesday.

Thomas Wolfe said you can't go home again. Bridget Carleton can report that you can. They will play a nice tribute, the crowd will be lovely, and then your old team will beat you by 33.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Additional details as reported by the Associated Press.