Adair becoming adept at coming off Lynx bench

With Amber Harris (ankle) still injured, the Lynx have only one post player with WNBA experience on the bench.

That is Jessica Adair. She is technically in her third season with the Lynx, but in her first season she only played in the last game.

Last season she finished strong in the playoffs. She played in all eight postseason games and averaged 5.8 points and 3.6 rebounds in 12.3 minutes, or a little over one quarter

"I am headed in the right direction," the 6-4 Adair said on media day earlier this month. "[Assistant] coach Jim Petersen is a great coach and he is always putting something new in and challenging us."

Adair polished her game playing for Tarsus in Turkey. She averaged 12.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 13 games. She shot 51.5 percent from the field.

"Going overseas and playing is always tough," Adair said. "So whenever you are back is an awesome feeling. And to be back in Minnesota is definitely [great].

"Monica [Wright, a teammate} was over there," Adair said. "Miss Amber [Harris] was over there for a little while, but I missed her. She left and ended up in Israel. "

So far this season, Adair has scored nine, four and two points. She is six for 10 from the field, three of four from the line.

Adair re-signed a one-year contract with the Lynx on Jan. 26.

THREE UNBEATENS LEFT

After Friday's three WNBA games, there are only three WNBA left with perfect records: the 3-0 Lynx in the West and 3-0 Connecticut and 2-0 Indiana in the East.

The scores:

Renee Montgomery, the former Lynx guard who has been benched, responded with a game-high 23 points. She doesn't like her new role, but did provide a spark when she came in. She was eight of 16 from the field, two of five on threes. She had three assists, five turnovers, not a good ratio there.

The 23 points were the most by a Sun reserve since Montgomery riddled the Lynx for 33 on Aug. 3, 2010.

The Sun is 3-0 for the second time in franchise history and will stay that way, with no games set, until it plays the Lynx on June 1 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Kara Lawson, who is starting in front of Montgomery, had 13 points. Center Tina Charles had 18 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

Daniell Adams had 21 points to lead the Stars while point guard Becky Hammon had 11 points and eight assists. Hammon also made news, saying she would play for Russia in the Summer Olympics again. The Rapid City, S.D. native is a naturalized Russian citizen and led that country's team to a bronze medal in 2008 in Beijing.

The Sky fell because they couldn't make a three -- 3 for 20, should have re-signed Erin Thorn of the Lynx -- and committed 22 turnovers.

Sylvia Fowles had 21 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago (1-1) but she did not get much help especially from the Seattle imports. Swin Cash had six points as a starter, Lecoe Willingham zero in almost 26 minutes as a reserve. Ouch.

Indiana is 9-1 in last 10 games against the Sky.

* Atlanta 100, New York 74: The Liberty fell to 0-4 after the Dream sped past them. Angel McCoughtry scored 23 points and Lindsey Harding 19 for Atlanta and the Dream outrebounded New York 37-29. O-boards were 13-5 for the home team.

Cappie Pondexter led NY with 18 but called her performance one of the worst in her career. Wonder if that phone at Janel McCarville's house in Custer, Wis., might be ringing this weekend. McCarville is sitting out for a second season.

SARDINE-PACKED

There is only one thing troubling about the Lynx playing so well. More media follow them. It's harder to get one-on-one interviews.

The first practice was actually kinda funny because of that.

The Lynx allow the media to watch the last 30 minutes of practice, but only from this small entry area at Life Time Fitness Center underneath Target Center.

So I counted 15 media members there, including three with TV cameras and two photographers with their gear. So that is what a sardine feels like, packed in a tin can.

UGLY STRETCH

The first two minutes of the second quarter of the Lynx-L.A. game on Thursday at Target Center were horrible for the home team. This is what the Lynx did on their first five possessions:

* turnover, Monica Wright double dribbles

* Maya Moore misses 11-foot jumper

* turnover by Moore, loses ball out of bounds

* turnover by Lindsay Whalen, loses ball

The Sparks went on a 7-0 run as the Lynx fell apart. Seimone Augustus hit a mid-range jumper for the Lynx to end that streak of futility. The basket came 2:15 into the quarter.

Moore had five turnovers, but late in the game she also had a huge offensive rebound.

This was the situation. Rebekkah Brunson, with the Lynx leading 85-82, went to the free throw line with 2:03 left. Brunson missed both free throws. But Moore got the rebound and Augustus hit a three-pointer.