lynx gameday

6 p.m. at San Antonio • at&t ARENA • ESPN2; 106.2 FM

Lynx update: It was kind of like old times for the Lynx on Thursday night. At least in one respect: The big three of Maya Moore, Seimone Augustus and Lindsay Whalen were very good. Moore had 26 points, seven assists, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Augustus had 16 points, with six coming in the final 2:11, when the team needed it most. Whalen was three rebounds shy of a triple-double. That said, the team needs to get more consistency out of its bench, which helped cede that 15-point fourth-quarter lead. Coach Cheryl Reeve had to run her starters hard, with four of the five starters playing 31½ minutes or more. The good news? F Rebekkah Brunson, who had been battling body soreness in the games since her return from knee surgery, appears to be getting closer to 100 percent. She had eight points and seven rebounds, but her defense was very good inside and she had three steals.

Stars update: After appearing a little tentative early, the Stars played a very good game Thursday. Good enough to dissolve a 15-point deficit and take a one-point lead late in the game. There is no question the team will take some confidence from the way it played in the fourth quarter Thursday into Saturday's game. "They're a championship team, and we got a glimpse what it takes to play at a championship level," Stars coach Dan Hughes said after the game. "Minnesota is a great team," said forward Sophia Young-Malcolm, who scored nine of her 16 points in that fourth quarter. "We proved that coming back from 15 points behind. I think we got over the hump.'' F Kayla McBride scored 20 points in her first WNBA playoff game. G Becky Hammon, trying to keep alive her final season, scored 12 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter. The Stars need to cut down on the 15 turnovers they had Thursday, which resulted in 14 Lynx points. The Stars also will be looking to get more out of Jia Perkins, who scored just seven points after averaging 18.0 points per game vs. the Lynx in the regular season.

Kent Youngblood