Lynx vs. Mystics: Olivia Miles Scores 24, Natasha Howard Goes 10-for-12 as Minnesota Wins Sixth Straight

For a few minutes early in the fourth quarter on Friday night, the Washington Mystics pulled off something most of the WNBA hasn't managed all summer. They had the Minnesota Lynx chasing. A 9-0 burst flipped a 75-67 deficit into a 76-75 lead, the crowd of 4,200 at CareFirst Arena got loud, and the league's runaway leader looked briefly, almost suspiciously, human.

Then Minnesota remembered it was Minnesota. Two trips down the floor later, a Natasha Howard pull-up and an Olivia Miles 3 had the Lynx back in front for good, and they closed out a 94-84 win. Miles scored 24 points, Howard added 21 on 10-of-12 shooting, and Minnesota (31-7) stretched its winning streak to six games while Napheesa Collier sat out to rest.

Three Rounds and a Knockout

This game had the rhythm of a title fight. Washington jumped out 5-0, Minnesota responded with 10 straight points, and the Lynx built the cushion to 25-17 late in the first quarter. The Mystics countered with nine unanswered points to close the period and carried a 26-25 edge into the second.

The second quarter belonged to the visitors. Minnesota won it 24-16 to go into the locker room up 49-42, then traded punches with Washington through a 26-25 third quarter and took a 75-67 lead into the fourth.

That's where the Mystics made their stand, and where the Lynx showed why they sit on top of the standings. After Washington's run put the home team in front, Minnesota outscored the Mystics 19-8 the rest of the way. Miles knifed in for a driving layup and later a running layup to keep Washington at arm's length. Then Kayla McBride ended the debate with consecutive 3-pointers, both set up by Courtney Williams. The first, a 23-footer, made it 89-80 with 1:44 left. The second was pure audacity: a 25-footer off the glass from the left wing that pushed the margin to 92-82 with 1:20 to play. Howard's layup off a Miles feed with 42.9 seconds left was the final bow.

Miles Pulls the Strings, Howard Doesn't Miss

Miles was the engine. She went 10 of 22 from the field, hit two 3s, handed out seven assists, collected three steals and turned it over only twice, all while playing through five fouls. That's a lot of production from someone who, per the AP, left Wednesday's win at Golden State with a left ankle injury. If the ankle bothered her two nights later, the box score didn't notice.

Howard was the scalpel. Ten of 12 from the floor, 21 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three blocks and zero turnovers. Her plus-16 was the best mark of anyone who played. When the player doing the dirty work is also that efficient and that careful with the ball, the Lynx offense starts to feel unfair.

McBride's 18 points came with four 3-pointers on eight tries, and Williams filled every column with 13 points, eight assists and six rebounds without a single turnover. The scary moment came at the very end, when Williams went down in the closing seconds and left with what the AP called an apparent lower-body injury. Minnesota will be holding its breath on that one.

Nia Brodie chipped in eight points and three steals as a starter, and Dorka Juhasz gave the Lynx eight more off the bench on 3-of-4 shooting.

For Washington, Kiki Iriafen was a menace on the glass with 19 points and 13 rebounds, four of them offensive. Shakira Austin had 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists, though five turnovers took some shine off the line. Michaela Onyenwere scored 14 on 6-of-10 shooting, and Georgia Amoore made three 3s on her way to 10 points, five rebounds and five assists.

The Turning Point

Howard's pull-up jumper right after the 9-0 run. Washington had the lead, the momentum and a building that suddenly believed. One more Lynx miss and the Mystics could have smelled an upset of the best team in the league. Instead Howard rose up and drained it, Miles followed with a 3, and everything Washington spent the opening minutes of the quarter building evaporated in two trips down the floor. Good teams survive runs. Great teams answer them on the very next possession.

Stats That Matter

• 6 vs. 14: Minnesota's turnovers against Washington's. The Lynx turned the Mystics' mistakes into 21 points and surrendered only 10 the other way.
• 9-2: Minnesota's edge in steals.
• 11 of 27: The Lynx from beyond the arc, compared with 7 of 21 for Washington.
• 36-26: Washington's rebounding advantage, including 13 offensive boards. The Mystics won the glass and still lost by 10.
• 10 of 12: Howard from the field.

What It Means

Minnesota is 31-7 with a 17-2 road record, and by our recount of the schedule the Lynx have won 16 of their last 17, matching the AP's tally. The AP also noted Minnesota now holds a 4 1/2-game lead over second-place Golden State, which visits the Lynx on Monday. This was the third and final regular-season meeting between these teams, and Minnesota takes the season series 2-1.

Washington falls to 21-15 and 13-7 at home, and the loss ended an eight-game home winning streak by our count. According to the AP, the Mystics slid into seventh place, a half-game behind New York. The schedule doesn't get kinder from here: Washington visits Portland on Sunday to open a six-game road trip.

Closing Take

Resting your best player on the road and still dropping 94 points is the basketball version of a band skipping its biggest hit and still getting called back for an encore. The Mystics did a lot right on Friday. They crashed the offensive glass, got to the free throw line 23 times and grabbed the lead in the fourth quarter. None of it mattered. Minnesota answered in two possessions, threw in a banked 3 from McBride for style points, and left town with win No. 31. The only real worry for the Lynx is Williams. Everything else looks like a team that has solved the regular season and is just killing time until the games that count.

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