2018 Minnesota Lynx season

2018 Minnesota Lynx season
Coach	Cheryl Reeve
Arena	Target Center
Attendance	10,036 per game
Results
Record	18–16 (.529)
Place	4th (Western)
Playoff finish	7th seed, lost in the First Round to Los Angeles 68–75
Team Leaders
Points	Maya Moore – 18.0 ppg
Rebounds	Sylvia Fowles – 11.9 rpg
Assists	Danielle Robinson – 3.3 apg
Media
Television	Fox Sports North, ESPN, NBATV
← 2017 season 2019 season →

The 2018 Minnesota Lynx season was the 20th season for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association, and the 9th season under head coach Cheryl Reeve.

The Lynx finished last season with a record of 27–7, finishing first in the Western Conference (and the league as a whole) and qualifying for the playoffs, before ultimately beating Los Angeles in the WNBA Finals to win their league-tying best fourth championship.

The Lynx returned to the home arena, Target Center, for the 2018 season, following a year playing at the Xcel Energy Center and Williams Arena due to renovations.

The season started out shakily for the Lynx, going 2–3 in May. The Lynx lost their season opener in a re-match of last years finals to Los Angeles. They also lost on the road to the eventual #2 and #3 playoff seeds, Atlanta and Washington. However, the Lynx turned it around in June, posting a 7–3 record. This included a 6-game winning streak, which included wins over 4 eventual playoff teams. Momentum slowed in July, with the Lynx going 6–4. Three of their four losses in July came versus teams that ended up missing the playoffs. The Lynx finished the season on a cold note, going 3–6 in August. A two-game winning streak separated two three game losing streaks. However, the team won their last game of the season to secure the 7th seed in the playoffs.

The Lynx first-round playoff matchup saw them play in Los Angeles versus the Los Angeles Sparks. This match-up was a re-match of the past 3 WNBA Finals. The Lynx lost the game 68–75.

Transactions

WNBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Nationality	School/Team/Country
2	17	Park Ji-su	South Korea	Cheongju KB Stars (South Korea)
2	24	Kahlia Lawrence	United States	Mercer
3	36	Carlie Wagner	United States	Minnesota

See also: 2018 WNBA draft

WNBA Draft Trades

The Lynx traded the drafts rights to Park Si-Ju and Kahlia Lawrence to the Las Vegas Aces in exchange for the draft rights to Jill Barta and the rights to the Aces's 2nd Round Pick in the 2019 Draft.

Trades and Roster Changes

Date	Trade
February 1, 2018	Re-Signed F Rebekkah Brunson [1]
February 7, 2018	Traded F Natasha Howard to the Seattle Storm for a 2018 2nd Round Pick and the ability to swap 2019 1st Round Picks [2]
February 7, 2018	Re-Signed F Cecilia Zandalasini and Signed F Lynetta Kizer and F Endy Miyem [3]
February 28, 2018	Signed F Breanna Richardson [4]
March 6, 2018	Acquired G Danielle Robinson via trade from the Phoenix Mercury and a 2nd Round Pick in 2019 in exchange for the 12th Pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft [5]
March 13, 2018	Signed G Tanisha Wright [6]
April 17, 2018	Signed 3rd Round Picks F Jill Barta and G Carlie Wagner, F G'mrice Davis, F Camille Zimmerman, and C Vionise Pierre-Louis [7]
May 4, 2018	Waived F G'mrice Davis [8]
May 5, 2018	Signed F Jillian Alleyne [9]
May 9, 2018	Waived F Jill Barta, F Breanna Richardson, and C Vionise Pierre-Louis [10]
May 15, 2018	Waived F Jillian Alleyne and G Carlie Wagner [11]
May 17, 2018	Waived F Endy Miyem [12]
June 6, 2018	Re-signed F Endy Miyem [13]
June 30, 2018	Waived F Lynetta Kizer
July 5, 2018	Signed F Lynetta Kizer to a 7-Day Contract
July 12, 2018	Signed F Erlana Larkins to a 7-Day Contract [14]
July 19, 2018	Signed F Erlana Larkins to a 2nd 7-Day Contract
July 30, 2018	Signed F Erlana Larkins to Rest-Of-Season Contract
August 13, 2018	Waived F Endy Miyem
August 14, 2018	Signed G Sydney Colson to Rest-Of-Season Contract

Additions

Player	Date	Former Team
Lynetta Kizer	February 7, 2018	Connecticut Sun [15]
Danielle Robinson	March 6, 2018	Phoenix Mercury
Tanisha Wright	March 13, 2018	New York Liberty
Endy Miyem	June 6, 2018	PF Schio (Italy)

Subtractions

Player	Date	New Team
Plenette Pierson	August 21, 2017	Retired [16]
Renee Montgomery	February 1, 2018	Atlanta Dream [17]
Jia Perkins	February 1, 2018	Retired [18]
Natasha Howard	February 7, 2018	Seattle Storm [19]

Roster

2018 Minnesota Lynx roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Height Weight DOB From Yrs G 33 Augustus, Seimone 6' 0" (1.83m) 172 lb (78kg) 1984-04-30 LSU 12 F 32 Brunson, Rebekkah 6' 2" (1.88m) 181 lb (82kg) 1981-12-11 Georgetown 14 G 51 Colson, Sydney 5' 8" (1.73m) 140 lb (64kg) 1989-08-06 Texas A&M 4 F 14 Fagbenle, Temi 6' 4" (1.93m) 180 lb (82kg) 1992-09-08 USC 1 C 34 Fowles, Sylvia 6' 6" (1.98m) 220 lb (100kg) 1985-10-06 LSU 10 G 12 Jones, Alexis 5' 9" (1.75m) 166 lb (75kg) 1994-05-08 Baylor 1 F 2 Larkins, Erlana 6' 2" (1.88m) 200 lb (91kg) 1986-04-02 North Carolina 8 F 23 Moore, Maya 6' 0" (1.83m) 175 lb (79kg) 1989-06-11 Connecticut 7 G 3 Robinson, Danielle 5' 9" (1.75m) 128 lb (58kg) 1989-05-10 Oklahoma 6 G 13 Whalen, Lindsay 5' 9" (1.75m) 170 lb (77kg) 1982-05-09 Minnesota 14 G 30 Wright, Tanisha 5' 11" (1.8m) 166 lb (75kg) 1983-11-29 Penn State 12 F 9 Zandalasini, Cecilia 6' 2" (1.88m) 175 lb (79kg) 1996-03-16 Italy 1	Head coach Cheryl Reeve (La Salle) Assistant coaches Shelley Patterson (Washington State) James Wade (Kennesaw State) Walt Hopkins (Nevada) Athletic trainer Chuck Barta (UW–La Crosse) Assistant trainer Kate Taber (Iowa) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

Schedule

Preseason

2018 pre-season game log Total: 1–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–1)
May: 1–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 May 6 vs. Washington L 85–90 Danielle Robinson (18) Lynetta Kizer (6) Tanisha Wright (4) Wells Fargo Arena 4,203 0–1 2 May 12 Chicago W 87–58 Sylvia Fowles (17) Sylvia Fowles (9) Maya Moore Danielle Robinson (5) Target Center 5,024 1–1
2018 season schedule

Regular season

2018 game log Total: 18–16 (Home: 9–8; Road: 9–8)
May: 2–3 (Home: 1–1; Road: 1–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 May 20 Los Angeles L 76–77 Lindsay Whalen (17) Sylvia Fowles (12) Lindsay Whalen (9) Target Center 13,032 0–1 2 May 23 Dallas W 76–68 Sylvia Fowles (23) Sylvia Fowles (20) Lindsay Whalen (8) Target Center 7,834 1–1 3 May 25 @ New York W 78–72 Seimone Augustus (21) Sylvia Fowles (11) Danielle Robinson (5) Westchester County Center 2,315 2–1 4 May 27 @ Washington L 78–90 Maya Moore (18) Sylvia Fowles (8) Tied (4) Capital One Arena 5,723 2–2 5 May 29 @ Atlanta L 74–76 Maya Moore (18) Sylvia Fowles (13) Danielle Robinson (6) McCamish Pavilion 3,785 2–3
June: 7–3 (Home: 4–1; Road: 3–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 6 June 1 Phoenix L 85–95 Maya Moore (25) Sylvia Fowles (11) Tanisha Wright (4) Target Center 8,830 2–4 7 June 3 @ Los Angeles L 69–77 Maya Moore (18) Sylvia Fowles (8) Sylvia Fowles (5) Staples Center 13,500 2–5 8 June 7 @ Washington W 88–80 Sylvia Fowles (21) Sylvia Fowles (12) Danielle Robinson (5) Capital One Arena 8,587 3–5 9 June 9 @ Connecticut L 75–89 Sylvia Fowles (20) Sylvia Fowles (14) Alexis Jones (4) Mohegan Sun Arena 6,771 3–6 10 June 16 New York W 85–71 Sylvia Fowles (25) Sylvia Fowles (9) Danielle Robinson (8) Target Center 9,114 4–6 11 June 19 Dallas W 91–83 Maya Moore (21) Sylvia Fowles (17) Maya Moore (7) Target Center 8,023 5–6 12 June 22 @ Phoenix W 83–72 Maya Moore (23) Rebekkah Brunson (11) Maya Moore (5) Talking Stick Resort Arena 11,349 6–6 13 June 24 @ Las Vegas W 88–73 Maya Moore (23) Sylvia Fowles (10) Lindsay Whalen (9) Mandalay Bay Arena 4,814 7–6 14 June 26 Seattle W 91–79 Maya Moore (32) Sylvia Fowles (17) Rebekkah Brunson (6) Target Center 8,634 8–6 15 June 29 Atlanta W 85–74 Maya Moore (24) Sylvia Fowles (15) Lindsay Whalen (7) Target Center 9,209 9–6
July: 6–4 (Home: 3–3; Road: 3–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 16 July 1 @ Dallas W 76–72 Maya Moore (26) Sylvia Fowles (9) Lindsay Whalen (6) College Park Center 4,448 10–6 17 July 3 Indiana L 59–71 Rebekkah Brunson (13) Rebekkah Brunson (12) Rebekkah Brunson (6) Target Center 8,632 10–7 18 July 5 Los Angeles W 83–72 Sylvia Fowles (27) Rebekkah Brunson (12) Sylvia Fowles (7) Target Center 9,303 11–7 19 July 7 @ Chicago L 63–77 Maya Moore (16) Sylvia Fowles (13) Danielle Robinson (5) Wintrust Arena 6,139 11–8 20 July 11 @ Indiana W 87–65 Sylvia Fowles (20) Sylvia Fowles (10) Sylvia Fowles (7) Bankers Life Fieldhouse 10,006 12–8 21 July 13 Las Vegas L 77–85 Lindsay Whalen (22) Sylvia Fowles (17) Tied (5) Target Center 9,813 12–9 22 July 15 Connecticut L 64–83 Sylvia Fowles (12) Sylvia Fowles (8) Temi Fagbenle (4) Target Center 9,234 12–10 23 July 18 Indiana W 89–65 Sylvia Fowles (30) Sylvia Fowles (16) Erlana Larkins (8) Target Center 17,933 13–10 24 July 21 @ Phoenix W 80–75 Maya Moore (38) Rebekkah Brunson (11) Danielle Robinson (3) Talking Stick Resort Arena 11,473 14–10 25 July 24 New York W 85–82 Sylvia Fowles (27) Sylvia Fowles (11) Seimone Augustus (5) Target Center 9,830 15–10
August: 3–6 (Home: 1–3; Road: 2–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 26 August 2 @ Los Angeles L 57–79 Sylvia Fowles (14) Sylvia Fowles (8) Danielle Robinson (6) Staples Center 9,542 15–11 27 August 3 @ Seattle L 75–85 Sylvia Fowles (20) Sylvia Fowles (16) Rebekkah Brunson (5) KeyArena 12,064 15–12 28 August 5 Atlanta L 66–86 Sylvia Fowles (17) Sylvia Fowles (10) Maya Moore (4) Target Center 9.333 15–13 29 August 7 @ Chicago W 85–64 Maya Moore (31) Sylvia Fowles (11) Danielle Robinson (11) Wintrust Arena 6,388 16–13 30 August 9 @ Las Vegas W 89–73 Maya Moore (34) Sylvia Fowles (19) Tanisha Wright (6) Mandalay Bay Arena 4,497 17–13 31 August 12 Seattle L 72–81 Sylvia Fowles (28) Sylvia Fowles (13) Seimone Augustus (6) Target Center 9,123 17–14 32 August 14 Chicago L 88–91 Maya Moore (21) Sylvia Fowles (13) Tanisha Wright (6) Target Center 9,730 17–15 33 August 17 @ Connecticut L 79–96 Sylvia Fowles (25) Sylvia Fowles (8) Maya Moore (8) Mohegan Sun Arena 7,089 17–16 34 August 19 Washington W 88–83 Sylvia Fowles (26) Sylvia Fowles (14) Lindsay Whalen (6) Target Center 13,013 18–16
2018 season schedule

Playoffs

2018 playoff game log Total: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–0)
WNBA First Round: 0–1 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 August 21 @ Los Angeles L 68–75 Sylvia Fowles (18) Sylvia Fowles (12) Lindsay Whalen (5) Staples Center 8,598 0–1
2018 playoff schedule

Standings

#	Western Conference v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Conf.
1	Seattle Storm (1)	26	8	.765	–	13–4	13–4	11–5
2	Phoenix Mercury (5)	20	14	.588	6	9–8	11–6	8–8
3	Los Angeles Sparks (6)	19	15	.559	7	11–6	8–9	9–7
4	Minnesota Lynx (7)	18	16	.529	8	9–8	9–8	9–7
5	Dallas Wings (8)	15	19	.441	11	10–7	5–12	7–9
6	e –Las Vegas Aces	14	20	.412	12	8–9	6–11	4–12

Notes

(#) – Conference Standing, Playoff Seeds shown to the right of team name

x – Qualified for playoffs

e – Eliminated from playoffs

Playoffs

Main article: 2018 WNBA Playoffs

	First round Single elimination (Aug. 21)					Second round Single elimination (Aug. 23)					Semifinals Best-of-5 (Aug. 26 – Sept. 4)					WNBA Finals Best-of-5 (Sept. 7 – Sept. 12)
											1	Seattle Storm	3
						4	Connecticut Sun	86			5	Phoenix Mercury	2
	5	Phoenix Mercury	101			5	Phoenix Mercury	96								1	Seattle Storm	3
	8	Dallas Wings	83													3	Washington Mystics	0
											2	Atlanta Dream	2
						3	Washington Mystics	96			3	Washington Mystics	3
	6	Los Angeles Sparks	75			6	Los Angeles Sparks	64
	7	Minnesota Lynx	68

Note: Teams re-seeded after second round and semi-finals.

• Bold – Game or series winner
• Italic – Team with home-court advantage

Statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game	RPG	Rebounds per game
APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game	BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage	TO	Turnovers per game
PF	Fouls per game		Team leader		League leader

Regular season

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG
Maya Moore	34	34	31.8	.423	.365	.833	18.0	5.4	2.6	1.7	0.4
Sylvia Fowles	34	34	32.0	.619	.000	.757	17.7	11.9	2.2	1.4	1.2
Seimone Augustus	33	33	26.2	.467	.318	.706	10.8	1.8	2.6	0.4	0.2
Rebekkah Brunson	25	25	27.6	.405	.375	.673	7.2	6.8	2.4	0.8	0.5
Danielle Robinson	28	2	18.6	.445	.158	.854	6.5	1.8	3.3	0.9	0.0
Lindsay Whalen	32	29	19.3	.363	.357	.881	5.7	2.6	3.1	0.7	0.1
Cecilia Zandalasini	29	6	16.5	.409	.383	.840	5.7	1.9	1.1	0.3	0.0
Tanisha Wright	33	4	17.8	.383	.396	.741	4.3	1.6	2.0	0.5	0.1
Sydney Colson	2	0	8.5	.429	.000	.500	3.5	1.0	2.0	0.0	0.5
Alexis Jones	26	0	8.8	.352	.320	.750	3.3	0.9	0.7	0.1	0.1
Temi Fagbenle	30	2	9.4	.506	.000	.696	3.1	2.0	0.6	0.3	0.3
Erlana Larkins	13	0	12.9	.444	.000	1.00	2.1	2.7	1.3	0.7	0.2

Awards and Milestones

Recipient	Award/Milestone	Date Awarded
Maya Moore	WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week	June 24, 2018 [20]
		July 2, 2018 [21]
Rebekkah Brunson	WNBA's All-Time Leading Rebounder (3,318)	July 5, 2018 [22]
Cheryl Reeve	WNBA's Winningest Female Head Coach (206)	July 5, 2018 [23]
Maya Moore	WNBA Cares Community Assist Award - June	July 12, 2018 [24]
Seimone Augustus	WNBA All-Star Selection	July 17, 2018 [25]
Maya Moore
Sylvia Fowles
Maya Moore	Best WNBA Player - ESPY's	July 19, 2018 [26]
Rebekkah Brunson	WNBA All-Star Selection Replacement	July 25, 2018 [27]
Maya Moore	WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week	August 13, 2018 [28]
Sylvia Fowles	WNBA Peak Performer – Rebounds	August 19, 2018 [29]

Top 20 Players

With the Lynx entering their 20th season in the league, the organization began ranking their Top 20 Players of All-Time. ^[30]

• 1. Maya Moore
• 2. Seimone Augustus
• 3. Lindsay Whalen
• 4. Sylvia Fowles
• 5. Rebekkah Brunson
• 6. Katie Smith
• 7. Svetlana Abrosimova
• 8. Tamika Williams
• 9. Teresa Edwards
• 10. Taj McWilliams-Franklin
• 11. Betty Lennox
• 12. Janel McCarville
• 13. Renee Montgomery
• 14. Nicole Ohlde
• 15. Monica Wright
• 16. Tonya Edwards
• 17. Kristen Mann
• 18. Charde Houston
• 19. Nicky Anosike
• 20. Devereaux Peters

References

1. "Minnesota Lynx Re-Sign Five-Time WNBA Champion Rebekkah Brunson". lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
2. "Minnesota Lynx Acquire Multiple Draft Picks in Exchange for Forward Natasha Howard". lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
3. "Minnesota Lynx Re-Sign Forward Cecilia Zandalasini and Add Forwards Lynetta Kizer and Endy Miyem". lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
4. "Minnesota Lynx Sign Forward Breanna Richardson". lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
5. "Minnesota Lynx Acquire Guard Danielle Robinson and a 2019 Second Round Pick in Exchange for a 2018 First Round Pick". lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
6. "Minnesota Lynx Sign Guard Tanisha Wright". lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
7. "Minnesota Lynx Complete 2018 Training Camp Roster". lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
8. "Twitter". Lynx PR Twitter. twitter.com. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
9. "Lynx Sign Forward Jillian Alleyne". lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
10. "Lynx Waive Forwards Jill Barta and Breanna Richardson and Center Vionise Pierre-Louis". lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
11. "Minnesota Lynx Waive Forward Jillian Alleyne and Guard Carlie Wagner". lynx.wnba.com. May 15, 2018. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
12. "Minnesota Lynx Finalize 2018 Roster". lynx.wnba.com. May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
13. "Minnesota Lynx Re-Sign Forward Endy Miyem". June 6, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
14. "Minnesota Lynx Sign Forward Erlana Larkins". July 12, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
15. "Minnesota Lynx Re-Sign Forward Cecilia Zandalasini and Add Forwards Lynetta Kizer and Endy Miyem". lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
16. "Minnesota's Plenette Pierson to Retire After 2017 Season". wnba.com. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
17. "Atlanta Dream Sign Two-Time WNBA Champion Renee Montgomery". dream.wnba.com. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
18. "Lynx lose guard Renee Montgomery to Atlanta, creating backcourt issues". startribune.com. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
19. "Minnesota Lynx Acquire Multiple Draft Picks in Exchange for Forward Natasha Howard". lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
20. "Atlanta's McCoughtry, Minnesota's Moore Named WNBA Players Of The Week". wnba.com. WNBA. June 25, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
21. "Elena Delle Donne, Maya Moore Named Players of the Week". wnba.com. WNBA. July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
22. "Rebekkah Brunson Becomes WNBA's All-Time Leading Rebounder". lynx.wnba.com. WNBA. July 5, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
23. "Cheryl Reeve Becomes Winningest Female Head Coach In WNBA History". lynx.wnba.com. WNBA. July 5, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
24. "Minnesota's Moore Receives June WNBA Cares Community Assist Award Presented By State Farm®". lynx.wnba.com. WNBA. July 12, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
25. "2018 WNBA All-Stars Announced; Elena Delle Donne, Candace Parker To Serve As Player-Captains". wnba.com. WNBA. July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
26. "Maya Moore Wins Best WNBA Player At ESPYS". lynx.wnba.com. WNBA. July 19, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
27. "Rebekkah Brunson to Replace Nneka Ogwumike in Verizon WNBA All-Star 2018". wnba.com. WNBA. July 25, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
28. "Elena Delle Donne, Maya Moore Named WNBA Players Of The Week (Aug 6-12)". wnba.com. WNBA. August 13, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
29. "Cambage, Fowles And Vandersloot Earn 2018 WNBA Peak Performer Awards". wnba.com. WNBA. August 20, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
30. "Celebrating 20 Seasons | Lynx Top 20 Players". lynx.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved April 7, 2023.