The Minnesota Lynx versus the Las Vegas Aces is always a fiery competition in the West. However, this time, they did not have their defensive shooter in Napheesa Collier. That didn’t matter much. Rookie Olivia Miles gave her team multiple opportunities to win while ending the night with a career-high 29 points. She even made the reigning Defensive Player Of The Year, A’ja Wilson, look lost.
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Miles knew what this game would bring, but she didn’t let it get to her skin. With the score reading 93-91, Miles was defended by Wilson at the top of the key. She drove right by her for a left-handed finish with ‘and one’ to take a one-point lead. She made another clutch three to bring the score closer. Unfortunately, her step-back three-pointer to win the game fell short, and the Lynx lost the game 100-97. However, coach Reeve was all praise for her rookie’s resilience after the game.
“For Liv, that’s what I enjoy when you have a rookie like that,” Reeve told the media. “Maybe not playing her best, maybe turning it over, not defending the way we need her to defend, whatever it is. Then just willing yourself at the end and willing the team at the end to give us a chance. That’s a special player.”
Olivia Miles had a mixed day. On one hand, she scored a game-high 29 points while going 11-20 from the field. On the other hand, she had only one assist and a career-high 6 turnovers while going scoreless in the first quarter. However, her fourth-quarter comeback was worth applauding.
Miles has been phenomenal for the Lynx so far. She is averaging 18.6 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game. This was her first reality check of the season, as she has blazed away in almost every game so far. Her poise and maturity are beyond her years and Miles is committed to learning from this matchup.
“I’m kind of beating myself up for the turnovers. I feel like a lot of them were unforced. But I’m also giving myself grace. I have to learn. It’s my first time playing against them and feeling the pressure of the game,” Miles said in her press conference. “I’ll be better. Definitely going to take this one and learn from it. Take the good with the bad. It’s not always as bad as you think it is, and it’s not always as good as you think it is.”
She went up against an experienced guard lineup of Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd, and, of course, Wilson. She was still the better player for most of that second half. The fact that she had the mental capacity to recover is already a positive sign. But Miles could have gotten the win if not for some unlucky errors.
Kayla McBride was called for a foul on Loyd on the perimeter, which was reviewed. It looked close in slow motion, but ultimately the call held. They already did not have Natasha Howard, who fouled out by the final 2:36 minutes. In 32 minutes, though, the forward had already scored 22 points, 9 rebounds, and four steals.
Their frontcourt depth was tested as the Aces went to Wilson almost every time in the important moments, who took advantage of the mismatch around the paint.
Nevertheless, this trial by fire will eventually work in favor of Olivia Miles and the Minnesota Lynx. While the Aces now lead the Western Conference for the Commissioner’s Cup, the Lynx can certainly look to improve once Napheesa Collier is back. The Lynx crumbled in the playoffs last year, and such games will prepare this team, led by a young star, for those kinds of situations.
