The New York Liberty did more than spoil Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve’s first attempt at becoming the WNBA career-wins leader. Reeve, who is tied with Mike Thibault at 379 regular-season wins, had to send her star rookie Olivia Miles to the bench early in the 4th period and ultimately lost 99-86.

“She came out. It looked like she was, like [she was] tucking at her leg or, you know? Looked uncomfortable,” said the reporter, asking if that was the reason behind her exit with over 8:00 min left in the game. Reeve confirmed that was indeed the case.

“Cramping. That’s what she told me last I heard,” Reeve said, as per the post-game press conference uploaded by the Minnesota Lynx YouTube channel.

According to reporter Myles Ehrlich, Miles seemed frustrated as she came off the court with over eight minutes remaining in Q4. She was seen holding and punching her left leg during that sequence as well, remarking that Miles herself wasn’t happy about it.

However, coach Reeve didn’t give any other details about the cramps. Miles hasn’t faced any major injury scares so far in her first season in the W and has averaged 30.6 minutes per game. In fact, the 26 minutes she played against the Liberty were the fewest for her in the last five games.

The Liberty had a convincing 10-point lead when Miles came off the court, and without her, it only got harder for the Lynx to close the gap.

That lead eventually widened to 13 points by the time the final period ended at the Barclays Center. Breanna Stewart’s 36 points and the NY Liberty’s hot shooting dominated the game completely.

Nevertheless, the No. 2 draftee’s performance had made quite an impact before she left the court. She recorded 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. However, she struggled with her shooting, making only 5 of 16 for 31.3% from the field. Furthermore, she also couldn’t connect a single three-pointer in the entire game.

However, the Lynx head coach wasn’t too worried about Miles’ shortcomings.

Cheryl Reeve Called It a Learning Experience for Olivia Miles

“I think like a lot of the games that we’ve been in, it’s really fun to kind of share the journey with her,” Reeve said in the postgame presser.

“She’s learning an opponent for the first time. The wheels are turning, and at halftime, she’s coming out like, ‘I’m trying to figure them out.’ She sees that as a challenge, and she’s very up for the challenge,” said the coach.

“So, certainly ups and downs just like most of the players that played in the game today. Certainly wish she wasn’t feeling the way she was with the cramps.”

Although she faced tougher defenses like the Golden State Valkyries, even for generational talents like Miles, understanding veteran defenses takes time.

Furthermore, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones were in top form during the clash. Stewart dropped a 36-point performance, scoring 14-19 from the field and 6-6 three-pointers. Ionescu notched 17 points, 6 assists and 4-4 from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Jones’ 14-point performance saw her hit 15 rebounds and 5 assists.

With cramps, Olivia Miles shouldn’t be subjected to availability issues in the upcoming games. However, we can get a clearer perspective after the injury report comes out before their next game, which will be against the Connecticut Sun at Target Center on July 6.