The Minnesota Lynx walked into Crypto.com Arena and once again took care of business with a 99–83 win over the LA Sparks. But this wasn’t just another routine game. With Kevin Durant sitting courtside, this was a show, and the main character of it was Olivia Miles, whose aggressive game style had everyone on their feet from the jump. 

With the Lynx up by 11, Miles had the ball in her hands when her teammate set a screen to free her up. But instead of opening space, it drew two defenders her way. However, at that point, she already found her rhythm. So with a quick hesitation fake, she burst straight to the rim and finished a left-handed layup off the glass. And right after finishing the layup, she turned and made sure her opponents knew they couldn’t stop her.

“You can’t f****ng guard me,” the Lynx rookie shouted.

This wasn’t just empty talk. Throughout the night, Sparks’ defenders struggled to keep up with her shiftiness and ability to score even when the defender was in her face. As a result, Olivia Miles went on to finish with a season-high 31 points on 12-of-15 shooting. But the real damage came before halftime.

In the second quarter alone, she dropped 17, which helped her record 24 points as the first half ended, a WNBA rookie record.

Now, Los Angeles did try to fight their way back in the second half as they actually matched Minnesota’s intensity, including a 24-25 run in the fourth quarter, but the game was already decided in that explosive first-half run where Olivia Miles dictated. 

To be fair, the Sparks weren’t at their full strength. Kelsey Plum missed the game with a lower left leg injury, while Cameron Brink was also sidelined after rolling her ankle in their previous outing. That took away two key pieces on both ends of the floor.

Still, even with that context, what Miles did wasn’t about matchup advantages because she didn’t just capitalize on openings; she was creating them. However, is this even a surprise anymore? Just a few games ago, she lit up the Golden State Valkyries with eight threes, which was another WNBA rookie record as she surpassed Caitlin Clark’s previous mark.

The 23-year-old is currently averaging 19.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game, according to ESPN, and has led her team to 12 wins in the 2026 season so far. So social media is already pushing her into the Rookie of the Year conversation as the early frontrunner.

But if there is any doubt about her being the most exciting rookie this year, because the Sparks were without their star players, Los Angeles and the Lynx will lock horns once again on July 15th. So, fans hoping to see Olivia Miles go up against a potentially fully loaded Sparks roster with Kelsey Plum and Cameron Brink back in the mix will just have to wait for the rematch.