An MVP kind of a night

In another stellar performance, Lindsay Whalen had 20 points, 10 assists and no turnovers.

September 9, 2011 at 5:49AM
Lynx point guard Lindsay Whalen made 10 of 15 shots from the field against Chicago on Thursday and broke the franchise record for most assists in one season. Minnesota beat Chicago 78-69.
Lynx point guard Lindsay Whalen made 10 of 15 shots from the field against Chicago on Thursday and broke the franchise record for most assists in one season. Minnesota beat Chicago 78-69. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

There was little at stake Thursday night. The Lynx already had clinched the top seed and home-court advantage throughout the WNBA playoffs.

Yet point guard Lindsay Whalen approached the second-to-last game of the regular season as if the Lynx were desperate. She kept driving for layups while getting knocked to the Target Center floor.

Whalen finished with 20 points, 10 assists and ZERO turnovers -- a stats line unprecedented in league history -- as the Lynx defeated Chicago 78-69 before an announced crowd of 8,781.

"Just got a couple of good rolls -- ahhh -- just fortunate to make a couple of those," Whalen said. The "ahhh" was for a bag of ice a trainer taped to an aching knee.

"[The game] meant a lot to us," Whalen said. "We wanted to win our last home game, and we wanted to be sharp going into the playoffs."

Whalen certainly is; she made 10 of 15 shots from the field.

"I get caught between teammate and fan all the time when I am out there on the court with [Lindsay]," Lynx forward Maya Moore said. "She is a hockey player playing basketball. She bounces right off of people and has the strength to finish."

Asked her impression of Whalen's performance, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve began with a three-letter description: "MVP."

"If you are only looking at statistics," Reeve said, "maybe [Whalen's season] is not so impressive to an average person that doesn't watch our team. I thought Whay solidified herself [for league MVP]. Tonight again was an exclamation point."

Whalen is averaging 14.1 points and a WNBA-high 5.9 assists per game.

Whalen's first assist early in the first quarter Thursday broke her own career and franchise record for assists, which now stands at 194.

Other MVP candidates are centers Tina Charles of Connecticut and Sylvia Fowles of Chicago and forward Tamika Catchings of Indiana.

"Lindsay has had an incredible season," said Carolyn Peck, an ESPN basketball analyst and one of the national voters. "She leads Minnesota and her team has dominated the league."

But Peck said the Lynx (26-7) have two other potential MVPs: Seimone Augustus and Rebekkah Brunson. Augustus scored a game-high 22 points against the Sky; Brunson played only 19 minutes and had a quiet two points and four rebounds.

Whalen? Her statistics screamed out.

Or, as Reeve told her point guard, "You had your swag on."

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