Her left knee bursitis flaring up again, Lynx star guard Seimone Augustus will not play tonight against Seattle at Target Center.
This will be the second game Augustus has missed since the pain started flaring up before the Lynx's loss in Phoenix June 18. Monica Wright will start in Augustus' place.
For a mid-season game, this one has some juice. Coach Cheryl Reeve was not happy with what she saw in Minnesota's loss in Seattle Friday, when the team had just 12 assists, shot a season-low 39.7 percent and struggled defensively against Storm forward Camille Little and center Crystal Langhorne.
Before the game Reeve emphasized that things need to change in tonight's rematch. "I don't think our offense played at a level where we were exerting ourselves and being disciplined in what we were trying to get," she said. "I thought we were impatient and we didn't let those things develop. We were forced into some harder shots. I guess this is where I'm supposed to say give Seattle's defense credit. I think largely it's us; opponents are shooting 45 percent against' em. We struggled to understand what was open."
And then, Reeve offered a promise: "We will dot it tonight," she said. I don't know if we'll make our shots, but we will execute our offense.''
It's my guess that Reeve's decision to start Wright instead of Tan White in place of Augustus is an indication that Wright might be feeling a bit more confident in her healing knee. We'll see. One thing is certain. The Lynx will have to defend better and execute better on offense to break this 0-2 record vs. Seattle this season. Especially with Augustus out.
