Lynx vs. Wings: Rookie Olivia Miles Scores 24 as Minnesota Rolls 100-76 for Eighth Straight Win

The Minnesota Lynx shot 72% from the field in the first half on Tuesday night, which is the kind of number you usually see in a shooting drill with no defenders. By halftime it was 58-38 at Target Center, four Lynx starters already had double figures, and the only real suspense left was how many different ways rookie Olivia Miles could make the Dallas Wings regret showing up.

The final was 100-76, Minnesota's eighth straight win. Miles finished with 24 points, six assists and seven rebounds, Kayla McBride added 22, and the Lynx (10-2) got to 10 wins before anyone else in the WNBA this season. Dallas, which walked in riding a four-game winning streak and a lot of good vibes, left at 7-4.

Dallas Lasted About Five Minutes

The Wings were right there early, trailing just 12-11 midway through the first quarter. Then Minnesota scored 11 straight to make it 23-11, and the tone was set. It was 30-18 after one.

Dallas never really got back up. The Lynx stretched it to 42-29 in the second, then went on a 14-0 tear over the next three-plus minutes to reach 56-29, the widest margin of the night. Natasha Howard and Miles had 14 apiece at the half, McBride and Courtney Williams had 12 each, and Minnesota had made 23 of 32 shots, including 6 of 8 threes.

To their credit, the Wings did not quit. An 8-0 run bridging the break got them to 58-40, and they won the third quarter 22-17, the only period of the night that did not go to Minnesota. That made it 75-60 heading to the fourth, which looked respectable and was not remotely close to enough. The Lynx answered with a 25-16 final period, and Williams' 17-foot pull-up with 30.7 seconds left brought up triple digits for the third time this season.

Miles Ahead of the Curve

Miles has no business being this comfortable this early. She went 7 of 10 from the field, 2 of 3 from deep and 8 of 8 at the line in 31 minutes, and very little of it looked forced. The four turnovers are the only blemish, and rookies get a pass on those on nights they fill every other column.

McBride was the sniper, making 7 of 10 shots and four of Minnesota's seven threes, with five rebounds, four assists and zero turnovers for good measure. Howard scored 21 and missed all of two shots, going 8 of 10 with four assists, three steals and a plus-21. Williams had 16 points and eight rebounds and matched that plus-21. Anastasiia Olairi Kosu was the only reserve to do much, with six points and five rebounds in 20 minutes, mostly because there was so little left for anyone else to do. All told, the Lynx starters scored 89 of the 100 points, and they already had 71 of the team's 75 through three quarters. That is not depth so much as five people refusing to share the credit with anyone.

For Dallas, Paige Bueckers did what she could with 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting, though she also had five turnovers. Arike Ogunbowale added 16 points and six assists, and Jessica Shepard chipped in 12 points and nine rebounds. The rough night belonged to Azzi Fudd, the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, who finished with six points on 2-of-12 shooting. The bench did not bail anyone out either: Alysha Clark went 0 for 5, and Aziaha James needed 13 shots to get nine points.

The 14-0 That Ended the Conversation

If you want the moment this stopped being a game, it is the back half of the second quarter. A 13-point lead with 4:45 left before the break is comfortable, not decisive, and good teams have come back from worse. Three minutes and 21 seconds later it was 27, and Dallas had not scored.

That stretch is what separates this Minnesota team right now. The Lynx do not just beat opponents, they find the moment the shoulders drop and they lean on it. Dallas did score nine of the last 11 points of the half, but nothing about that felt like a comeback. It felt like a team cleaning up after the party had already moved on without it. The Lynx led for 93% of the night, and the Wings' biggest lead of the game was two points.

Stats That Matter

• 46-26: Minnesota's edge in the paint, where the Wings had no answer.
• 19-10: Minnesota's edge in points off turnovers, with Dallas giving it away 13 times.
• 7 of 14: The Lynx from three, against 8 of 28 for a Dallas team that kept shooting anyway.
• 41-31: Minnesota's rebounding margin, including 35 on the defensive glass.
• 26: Straight made free throws by the two teams before a miss with 56.8 seconds left. Even the foul line wanted no part of any drama.

What It Means

Minnesota's 10-2 is the WNBA's best record. The Lynx are 4-0 in Commissioner's Cup play and 5-2 at home, and they have not lost since an 86-79 defeat to Chicago on May 17. They have also beaten Dallas twice now, after a 90-86 win in Dallas on May 14. Next is a Saturday trip to Las Vegas, the only other unbeaten team in the West's Cup standings.

Dallas is 7-4, still 4-2 on the road and 2-1 in Cup play, with the four-game winning streak over. This was one bad night, not an identity crisis, and Phoenix comes to town on Thursday.

Jeopardy With the Answers Already Filled In

The scariest thing about this streak is how routine it is starting to look. Eight straight wins, three 100-point games, a rookie who plays like she has already seen the script. Watching Minnesota right now is like watching the last round of Jeopardy! when one contestant has run away with it: impressive, inevitable and a little unfair to everyone else on the stage.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details as reported by the Associated Press, the Dallas Wings and the Golden State Valkyries.