Moore gets a taste of losing, and spits it out

Maya Moore's teams lost four games in four seasons at Connecticut. She said her high school team never lost more than one game a year.

Round it off, and Moore loses basketball games about as often as the average human files taxes, making the Lynx's home opener on Sunday at Target Center an unlikely pinch point in her remarkable career.

Another loss, and the Lynx's celebrated rookie would have gone home Sunday night bearing a personal three-game losing streak. Predictably, Moore was the most dynamic player on the court during Minnesota's 86-69 blowout of Los Angeles, before an enthusiastic crowd announced at 10,123.

"I lost my last game in college," she said. "I lost my first game in the pros.

"That's a losing streak. This win feels a little bit better, because I had to respond and get that bad taste out of my mouth."

If most humans had to deal with bad tastes as infrequently as Moore, Listerine would be out of business.

"We're glad we were able to avoid that, for now, with her," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said.

And that would make Moore ... "She's our 'Bron-Bron,' " guard Candice Wiggins said in a stage whisper, referring to LeBron James' nickname. "I think she's kind of already there. She can do everything.

"I think the game has been waiting for a player who can do everything the way she does, and we've found her. I don't think there are any limitations to what she can do."

In the season opener, at Los Angeles on Friday, Moore scored a team-high 21 points. Sunday, she was more timely than dominant.

After picking up two quick fouls, she spent most of the first half on the bench.

The Lynx held a 46-40 halftime lead, but went to the locker room upset by lapses that enabled the Sparks to make three-point shots on their last two possessions.

Her steal on the first defensive possession led to a Lindsay Whalen fast-break layup. Then Moore drilled two consecutive three-pointers in transition. It was 54-42, and the rout was on.

"I think her shot-making ability really sets her apart from a lot of people," Whalen said. "Even other No. 1 picks. She does a lot of intangible things on the floor, too. Some of the shots she made -- and using veteran moves, getting people into the air and drawing fouls -- let's just say she can be really, really good."

Moore would make five of her eight second-half shots. In 25 minutes, she would score 16 points, with three rebounds, an assist, two steals and a block.

While her three-pointers broke the game open, she showed off her athletic ability more on defense, blocking one shot well into the stands and jumping in front of opponents to make steals like a cornerback intercepting a pass.

Moore has grown accustomed to accomplishments. She became the second two-time winner of the Naismith Award, given to the best high school player in the country, and graduated from high school with a 4.0 grade point average.

"She has this physicality about her," Wiggins said. "But even when you take that away, she has so many intangibles going for her."

Moore's also the proud owner of a one-game winning streak. That might not seem like much to her, but it's enough to warm a Minnesotan's heart.