With leading scorer Seimone Augustus sidelined by an injury, the Lynx still showed they have plenty of firepower. The defending WNBA champions routed Seattle 79-55 on Wednesday at Target Center before an announced crowd of 8,263 to remain undefeated.
The Lynx's 8-0 start is the third best in the WNBA's 16-year history. Los Angeles was 9-0 twice, in 2001 and 2003. The Lynx have won 14 games in a row, going back to the playoffs last year.
Augustus, who is averaging 18 points, missed her first start in two seasons because of a strained right quad. She is considered day to day.
Without her, the Lynx spread the ball and the scoring around. Five players scored in double figures, including rookie forward Devereaux Peters who had 14 points and four assists.
Seattle was holding opponents to a league-low 38.6 percent shooting. But the Lynx had a lot of success going inside. Aging center Taj McWilliams-Franklin, 41, scored a game-high 17 points. Peters her backup had a season-high for points.
Forwards Maya Moore and Rebekkah Brunson had 12 and 10 points, respectively. The other player in double figures was Candice Wiggins. She came off the bench to score 12 points. She was four of seven from behind the arc.
TheLynx shot 54.7 percent from the floor, the seventh time this season they have shot at least 50 percent. An amazing statistic considering the other 11 teams have accomplished that feat four times combined.
Tanisha Wright led the Storm, the 2010 league champions who have fallen on hard times, with 14 points. Seattle's poor 1-5 record is a bit deceiving, three of its losses have been to once-beaten Los Angeles and the other two to the Lynx.
The Lynx made 10 of their first 14 shots to open up an 18-point lead at 25-7 in the opening quarter. The Storm, who shot only 35.5 percent in the first half, cut that gap in half when Sue Bird made a three-pointer to make the score 37-28.
That was as close as the Storm would get in the first half. The Lynx scored the next six points and, despite a late Seattle basket, led 43-30 at intermission.
The Lynx, the best shooting team in the WNBA, shot 66.7 in the first half. The home team's front line was especially effective, with the three starters combining for 25 points. Rebekkah Brunson had 10, Taj McWilliams-Franklin eight and Maya Moore seven.
Lynx notes: The Lynx play their next three games on the road. Their return home June 21 against the New York Liberty. Their road trip starts at Tulsa on Saturday, then continues at Phoenix and Seattle at the end of next week.
Several reports are saying the Los Angeles Sparks, who are 5-1 and second in the West, will release injured guard Sharnee Zoll and sign Coco Miller, the former Minnesota high school star at Rochester Mayo. Miller was cut by Atlanta last month; she is an 11-year WNBA veteran. Her twin, Kelly, plays for New York.
Celebrity-watching: Ricky Rubio of the Timberwolves was sitting behind the basket at one end of the court, ex-governor Jesse Ventura was in the front row on the other end.