Lynx Coach Assigns Blame for Championship Loss to Caitlin Clark-Less Fever
Despite facing an Indiana Fever team missing All-Star guard Caitlin Clark, the Minnesota Lynx lost in the WNBA Commissioner's Cup final and missed out on the $500,000 prize pool.
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The Lynx's offense just couldn't get it going during Tuesday's showdown, especially in the second quarter when the team scored just seven points. Minnesota reached the 20-point mark just once in four quarters, while Indiana did the opposite.
After falling behind 20-12 in the opening frame, the Fever bounced back in the next three quarters en route to a 74-59 victory. Five players scored in double digits for Indiana, led by Natasha Howard's 16 points on top of 12 rebounds.
Sophie Cunningham had 13 points, while Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell and Aari McDonald chipped in 12 points apiece.
Alanna Smith dropped 15 points for Minnesota, while Courtney Williams added 11. Napheesa Collier also recorded 12 points and nine rebounds. Unfortunately, the Lynx shot just 34.9% from the field — including 25% from deep.
Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve fails to lead her team to the WNBA Commissioner's Cup title.Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
After the game, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve admitted that they lost because they didn't have their usual "fortitude, fight and response to physicality."
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She also pointed to one particular tendency of the Lynx that doomed them in the contest.
"We have a tendency sometimes to get impatient and I didn't think our commitment to moving the basketball and creating advantages, we had a hard time getting that done," Reeve stated, while making sure to give credit to the Fever.
The Lynx won the WNBA Commissioner's Cup championship last year, so it was certainly a big miss that they weren't able to defend their title and become the first team to win the tournament multiple times.
While the Lynx chose the wrong day to play their ugliest game of the season, the fact remains that they are still one of the best teams in the WNBA. The Cup championship also doesn't count toward the standings, and while missing the prize money will hurt, it should be a great learning experience for them to know what they need to improve on in their bid to win a title.
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Related: Will Injured Caitlin Clark Receive a Bonus After Indiana Fever's Cup Championship?
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
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