It was an up-and-down first 25 games for the Lynx, but they arrived at their All-Star break — with the game Saturday at Target Center — in pretty good shape all things considered.

By defeating the Liberty on Tuesday for their third consecutive victory, the Lynx improved to 15-10 — in the top four of the league and just a game behind Atlanta for the second-best record.

Those distinctions are important in the WNBA, where under the current playoff format teams are seeded 1-8 for the playoffs, with the top two seeds getting double byes and the Nos. 3 and 4 seeds getting single byes.

The post-break schedule is intense. There are just nine games remaining, including three in a span of four days right out of the break against three of the league's best teams. How the Lynx fare against Los Angeles, Seattle and Atlanta in that demanding stretch could determine their ultimate position.

Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. mrand@startribune.com