The Minnesota Lynx watched their 10-game winning streak vanish into thin air during a stunning 89-82 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday night. Head coach Cheryl Reeve watched helplessly as the Lynx collapsed late in front of their stunned fans at Target Center.
Los Angeles entered the building with a modest 11-18 record and left with a signature win. Minnesota, meanwhile, abandoned its defensive principles in the final five minutes, exposing shocking complacency and earning harsh criticism from Reeve.
Late-Game Collapse vs. Sparks Exposes Lynx’s Defensive Flaws
The final moments of regulation were nothing short of a horror movie for the home crowd.
Kayla McBride connected on a crucial 3-pointer to give Minnesota an 82-81 lead with just under five minutes remaining. The momentum was clearly in favor of the league leaders.
But the Lynx went completely scoreless for the final 4:53 of the contest. Their offense fizzled into isolation sets and rushed jumpers.
Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike secured the lead with a physical go-ahead layup through heavy traffic. Erica Wheeler then punished Minnesota with a crisp pull-up 10-footer, and Monique Akoa Makani and Wheeler hit the final two daggers to seal the upset.
Reeve refused to let anyone deflect the blame toward the cold shooting stretch, instead directing her postgame fury to the defensive side of the floor.
“Literally, a team can get whatever they want,” Reeve said. “Doesn’t matter the action. Doesn’t matter which personnel you go against. They get anything they want.”
Her frustration boiled over when reporters attempted to ask about the Lynx’s late offensive execution.
“Every player at every position was terrible,” Reeve continued. “Every player that played in the game, at every position. Let’s talk about our offense, is that what we’re going to do? We lost our game because we didn’t play any [expletive] defense. So, if you want to talk about offense, you sound like the players.”
Cheryl Reeve in the Lynx not scoring for the last 5 minutes of the game.
“Let’s talk about our offense, is that what we’re going to do? Let’s talk about our offense. We lost our game because we didn’t play any f****** defense. So if you want to talk about offense, you sound like… pic.twitter.com/cgYRwu10uu
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) August 7, 2026
The Sparks shot the lights out and found soft spots in Minnesota’s zone defense. Rae Burrell torched the perimeter defense for 17 points. Dearica Hamby dominated the glass with 16 points and 9 rebounds.
The defensive lapses wasted a phenomenal outing by rookie Olivia Miles, who carried the primary load for Minnesota with a game-high 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Following the collapse, Minnesota dropped to 25-7 on the year. While it still sits comfortably atop the standings, Reeve and Co. have plenty of fresh film to review.
The Lynx host the defending champion Las Vegas Aces this Saturday, and if given the chance, the Aces will gladly exploit the same defensive breakdowns the Sparks put on tape.
