Kayla McBride, Olivia Miles Light Up Seattle as Lynx Edge Storm 105 to 102 for Sixth Straight Win

Photo Credits: Ryan Hampton

The Minnesota Lynx did not so much survive Monday night as outgun the chaos.

Behind 33 points from Kayla McBride and a near career night from rookie Olivia Miles, the Lynx beat the Seattle Storm 105 to 102 for their sixth straight win, holding off one last deep breath of danger when Flau'jae Johnson's potential tying three hit the front rim at the buzzer.

Minnesota's guard trio was the whole engine. McBride buried six threes, Miles stuffed the stat sheet with 32 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, and Courtney Williams added 21 points. Together, McBride, Miles, and Williams accounted for 30 of Minnesota's 37 field goals and went a perfect 18 for 18 from the free throw line. That is not balance. That is a three woman demolition crew.

Miles, a rookie who keeps playing like she skipped the normal adjustment period entirely, finished just one point shy of her career high, which she set on July 13 against Phoenix. McBride brought the flamethrower, Williams brought the late calm, and Miles looked like the kind of young guard who treats pressure like background music.

Seattle, to its credit, did not fold. Flau'jae Johnson scored 26 points and knocked down five threes, Zia Cooke gave the Storm 18 points off the bench, and Natisha Hiedeman added 12 points and 10 assists. The Storm had enough offense to keep leaning on Minnesota until the final possession, which is what made the ending feel so tense.

The sequence that sealed it was pure late game scramble. Natasha Howard disrupted Seattle's inbound pass in the closing seconds, creating the kind of winning play that does not always dominate the highlight package but absolutely decides games. McBride followed with two free throws for a 103 to 100 lead, then Williams added two more with four seconds left to stretch it to 105 to 100 before Seattle's final three cut the margin at the horn.

Howard's box score was quieter offensively, but her impact was not. She finished with 12 rebounds and three steals, doing the grimy work that keeps a guard heavy scoring binge from turning into empty calories.

For Minnesota, the bigger picture is obvious. The Lynx are now 21 to 6, they have won six straight, and they are getting this version of McBride at the same time Miles keeps looking more and more like a problem defenses are going to hate dealing with for a long time. When your rookie gives you 32, your veteran sniper gives you 33, and your third guard chips in 21, the math gets ugly for opponents in a hurry.

For Seattle, now 6 to 22, the loss is another brutal entry in a season full of close calls and not enough finishes. There was enough shot making to steal this one. There just was not enough margin for one more miss.

The lasting image is simple: Johnson got a clean look to force overtime, and the ball said no. Everything before that was fireworks. Everything after it was Minnesota walking away with another win and the rest of the league getting one more reminder that this team can beat you in a track meet, too.