2019 Minnesota Lynx season

The 2019 Minnesota Lynx season was the 21st season for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association, and the 10th season under head coach Cheryl Reeve.

The Lynx finished last season with a record of 18–16, finishing fourth in the Western Conference and seventh overall in the league, while qualifying for the playoffs, before ultimately being beat by Los Angeles in the first Round of the 2018 WNBA Playoffs.

On February 5, 2019, Maya Moore announced that she would not be playing in the 2019 season citing a need to spend more time with family and to focus on her ministry dreams. On March 14, the Lynx announced that they promoted Walt Hopkins to a full-time assistant coach, while also adding Plenette Pierson to an assistant coaching role.

Despite Moore's retirement, the Lynx started off the season strong, going on a three-game winning streak. However, they could not keep the momentum going, winning only three of their next nine games, including a four-game losing streak, to finish June with a 6–6 record. July proved to be more of the same, with the team winning their first three games in the month, but losing their last three and finishing 4–4 for the month. August was another up-and-down month. The Lynx finished 6–5 on the month, which included losing three games and then winning three games to finish the month. The team did manage to extend their three-game winning streak into a five-game winning streak, but lost their season finale.

Their final record of 18–16 earned them the seventh seed in the playoffs. They faced off against the sixth-seeded Seattle Storm. The Storm earned the right to host the game by winning the regular season series 3–1. Napheesa Collier scored a double double in her playoff debut, but it was ultimately not enough as the Lynx lost by ten points.

Collier's solid postseason continued when she won Rookie of the Year. Collier is the fourth Lynx player to win the award, and the first since Maya Moore.

Transactions

WNBA draft

Trades and roster changes

Additions

Subtractions

Roster

Schedule

Preseason

|- | 1 | May 10 | Washington | W 86–79 | Sims (20) | Fowles (11) | Sims (7) | Target Center<br />3,201 | 1–0 |- | 2 | May 19 | @ Las Vegas | W 79–75 | Sims (25) | Fowles (7) | Brown (7) | Cox Pavilion | 1–1

Regular season

|- | 1 | May 25 | Chicago | W 89–71 | Collier (27) | Shepard (13) | Shepard (6) | Target Center<br />8,524 | 1–0 |- | 2 | May 29 | Seattle | W 72–61 | Sims (15) | Fowles (13) | Sims (5) | Target Center<br />8,092 | 2–0

|- | 3 | June 1 | @ Dallas | W 70–67 | Dantas (20) | Fowles (12) | Sims (5) | College Park Center<br />6,535 | 3–0 |- | 4 | June 4 | @ Seattle | L 77–84 | Collier (17) | Fowles (5) | Sims (6) | Angel of the Winds Arena<br />5,711 | 3–1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 5 | June 6 | Phoenix | W 58–56 | Sims (15) | 3 tied (6) | Tied (3) | Target Center<br />8,001 | 4–1 |- | 6 | June 8 | Los Angeles | L 85–89 | Brown (21) | Fowles (13) | Sims (7) | Target Center<br />8,834 | 4–2 |- | 7 | June 12 | @ New York | L 69–75 | Fowles (16) | Fowles (11) | Robinson (7) | Westchester County Center<br />1,181 | 4–3 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 8 | June 14 | Connecticut | L 81–85 | Sims (25) | Fowles (9) | Dantas (5) | Target Center<br />8,803 | 4–4 |- | 9 | June 16 | Las Vegas | L 75–80 | Dantas (22) | Fowles (9) | Dantas (6) | Target Center<br />8,392 | 4–5 |- | 10 | June 22 | New York | W 92–83 | Sims (20) | Fowles (10) | Dantas (5) | Target Center<br />8,600 | 5–5 |- style="background:#cfc; | 11 | June 25 | @ Indiana | W 78–74 | Sims (25) | Fowles (11) | Sims (7) | Bankers Life Fieldhouse<br />4,692 | 6–5 |- | 12 | June 30 | @ Dallas | L 86–89 | Sims (23) | Fowles (9) | Sims (8) | College Park Center<br />4,521 | 6–6

|- style="background:#cfc; | 13 | July 2 | Atlanta | W 85–68 | Talbot (24) | Collier (11) | Sims (8) | Target Center<br />8,208 | 7–6 |- | 14 | July 6 | @ Connecticut | W 74–71 | Sims (21) | Fowles (11) | Sims (8) | Mohegan Sun Arena<br />8,076 | 8–6 |-style="background:#cfc; | 15 | July 10 | @ Chicago | W 73–72 | Sims (16) | Fowles (12) | Sims (4) | Wintrust Arena<br />8,508 | 9–6 |-style="background:#fcc; | 16 | July 12 | @ Atlanta | L 53–60 | Robinson (14) | Fowles (12) | Sims (7) | State Farm Arena<br />4,001 | 9–7 |- style="background:#cfc; | 17 | July 14 | Phoenix | W 75–62 | Sims (15) | Fowles (13) | Robinson (5) | Target Center<br />8,801 | 10–7 |-style="background:#fcc; | 18 | July 17 | Seattle | L 79–90 | Brown (20) | Fowles (7) | Robinson (10) | Target Center<br />8,403 | 10–8 |- | 19 | July 21 | @ Las Vegas | L 74–79 | Sims (19) | Collier (6) | Tied (4) | Mandalay Bay Events Center<br />4,352 | 10–9 |- style="background:#fcc; | 20 | July 24 | Washington | L 71–79 | Brown (19) | Fowles (12) | Sims (4) | Target Center<br />17,934 | 10–10

|- | 21 | August 3 | @ Indiana | L 75–86 | Fowles (17) | Collier (7) | Sims (5) | Bankers Life Fieldhouse<br />7,884 | 10–11 |- | 22 | August 6 | @ Atlanta | W 85–69 | Collier (22) | Tied (11) | Collier (5) | State Farm Arena<br />3,395 | 11–11 |- | 23 | August 9 | Connecticut | W 89–57 | Fowles (17) | Fowles (12) | Sims (9) | Target Center<br />8,892 | 12–11 |- | 24 | August 11 | @ Washington | L 78–101 | Sims (20) | Collier (6) | Sims (8) | St. Elizabeth's East Arena<br />4,200 | 12–12 |- | 25 | August 13 | @ New York | W 89–73 | Sims (17) | Fowles (8) | Sims (6) | Westchester County Center<br />1,570 | 13–12 |- | 26 | August 16 | Washington | L 79–86 | Fowles (16) | Collier (9) | Tied (5) | Target Center<br />8,803 | 13–13 |- | 27 | August 18 | @ Seattle | L 74–82 | Sims (30) | Collier (5) | Robinson (9) | Alaska Airlines Arena<br />9,000 | 13–14 |- | 28 | August 20 | @ Los Angeles | L 71–81 | Brown (20) | Tied (7) | Collier (4) | Staples Center<br />9,244 | 13–15 |- | 29 | August 22 | Dallas | W 86–70 | Collier (19) | Tied (7) | Dantas (8) | Target Center<br />8,124 | 14–15 |- | 30 | August 25 | Las Vegas | W 98–77 | Tied (23) | Tied (6) | Robinson (8) | Target Center<br />8,834 | 15–15 |- | 31 | August 27 | Chicago | W 93–85 | Fowles (25) | Fowles (12) | Sims (8) | Target Center<br />8,092 | 16–15

|- | 32 | September 1 | Indiana | W 81–73 | Sims (17) | Collier (10) | 3 tied (4) | Target Center<br />8,833 | 17–15 |- | 33 | September 6 | @ Phoenix | W 83–69 | Sims (22) | Fowles (11) | Sims (9) | Talking Stick Resort Arena<br />12,140 | 18–15 |- | 34 | September 8 | @ Los Angeles | L 68–77 | Collier (16) | Collier (11) | Dantas (9) | Staples Center<br />13,500 | 18–16

Playoffs

|- | 1 | September 11 | @ Seattle Storm | L 74–84 | Dantas (20) | Fowles (11) | Sims (5) | Angel of the Winds Arena<br />5,011 | 0–1

Standings

Playoffs

Statistics

Regular season

Awards and milestones

References