Lynx guard Anna Cruz will not play tonight.

Cruz warmed up with the team tonight. And Cruz – who turned her right ankle late in Wednesday's victory over Los Angeles -- was moving well. But coach Cheryl Reeve said Cruz just wasn't ready enough to play.

"She's a scratch," Reeve said. "There is still a little too much pain and weakness. She can put weight on it; you can see she's warming up. It's more when you get into the intense cutting (that the ankle bothers Cruz). So we'll go with Renee in her place.''

That would be Renee Montgomery, who figures to get significant minutes tonight. She will start with Lindsay Whalen in the backcourt. After that?

"There will be some pretty interesting matchups," Reeve said.

There is still a chance Cruz would play Saturday in Tulsa. The team will need a third guard more on the back end of a back-to-back.

Some other pre-game notes:

--This is the return to Target Center of both Damiris Dantas and Reshanda Grey, who were traded to Atlanta this week in the three-team deal that brought Sylvia Fowles to Minnesota.

--Tonight is Native American Heritage Night. Many Native American fans are here, some with shirts or signs supporting Atlanta guard Shoni Schimmel, a member of the Conferated Tribes of Umatilla Indians.

--This will be the second start for Fowles, who said her timing felt about two seconds off on Wednesday. Reeve said it will take a while for Fowles to get totally comfortable in the Lynx system, but Fowles figures to be a bit more comfortable tonight.