San Antonio – The Lynx lost their third game in a row, a season high, falling 92-76 on Friday night to San Antonio, a team they have dominated in recent seasons.
The Lynx (24-9) had beaten the Stars eight games in a row, including four times this season, and 17 times of the past 19 meetings.
But San Antonio had more to play for this night. An announced crowd of 12,659, the largest of the season at the AT&T Center, turned out to watch the Stars clinch the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with the victory and cheer guard Becky Hammon.
The 16-year veteran, a native of Rapid City, S.D., played her final regular-season game before retiring. She had 10 assists and seven points.
"It felt good to be out there standing … after we won tonight, I can tell you that," Hammon said. "It would not have been as enjoyable had we not won. So that was the first thing, getting in the playoffs was a great feeling."
The Stars are a game behind Los Angeles, which is third in the West and beat Seattle 77-65 on Friday, with one game left for each team. If they tie, San Antonio will be the third seed and play the Lynx in the first round of the playoffs.
Forward Maya Moore led the Lynx with 20 points, 17 in the first half.
But the Lynx played without second-leading scorer Seimone Augustus (16.6 ppg), who has a swollen left knee. She did not make the trip. Augustus missed eight games in a row and nine games total earlier this season because of bursitis in that same knee. Her current issue is unrelated to the bursitis. She is unlikely to play in Saturday's regular-season finale against Tulsa at Target Center.
