Wings fly home to face Lynx in first of a two-game set
The Dallas Wings will hope to bring some of their road success back home Thursday night when they play host to the Minnesota Lynx in the first of two games in three days between the two teams at Arlington, Texas.
The Wings (5-6) head home after a rugged, but successful five-game road trip against three of the league's top teams. Dallas played twice in Seattle, earning a split against the defending WNBA champs, then defeated Phoenix twice before losing at Las Vegas 85-78 on Sunday.
Sunday's loss snapped the Wings' three-game win streak as well as a three-game stretch in which they allowed an average of only 69 points a game. Now 4-4 on the road, the Wings have won just one of their three home games so far.
Satou Sabally recorded a season-high 24 points against Las Vegas, and Isabelle Harrison scored 13 points and had 9 rebounds.
Arike Ogunbowale scored a season-low 11 points but extended her streak of double-digit scoring to 48 games. She struggled from the floor, making just 2 of 12 shots. She was scoreless in the fourth quarter when the Wings managed just 15 points.
Despite the setback, Sabally said she has been encouraged by how the Wings have improved from last season and from game to game in 2021, and says the team should make the playoffs for the first time in four seasons.
"The playoffs for me, that's a no-brainer," Sabally told Sports Illustrated last week. "We should be in there. There's no room for discussion for that."
Minnesota travels to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex on the heels of a 105-89 loss at home to Chicago on Tuesday. Naphessa Collier poured in 27 points -- 21 of those in the game's first 12 minutes -- for the Lynx (4-6) in the loss. Sylvia Fowles added 14 points for Minnesota.
"We have to learn from it," Collier said after the loss to Chicago. "Dallas is another team with athletic people. We know what we need to do. We're smart basketball players. But sometimes we get stuck on our heels, and it shows."
Minnesota has lost two of three after a three-game winning streak. The Lynx have yet to win on the road this season (0-3).
--Field Level Media
