Going into halftime Sunday, the Lynx up 10 against the Phoenix Mercury in a game to decide the West Conference leader, there was something a little off about Maya Moore.
In the Lynx's loss to Los Angeles on Tuesday, Moore finished 2-for-11 from the floor. Against the Mercury, it appeared she picked up where she left off, scoring just four first-half points on 1-for-6 shooting.
But Sunday, a weak performance from Minnesota's leading scorer wasn't going to cut it. In the second quarter, Seimone Augustus left the game with a sprained left ankle and never returned. That meant that everyone, including Moore, had to step up.
Moore is "a player that has great pride in what she's doing, and doesn't feel very good to miss five shots like that," Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said after the Lynx's 91-59 victory.
It took Moore only 15 seconds after halftime to begin making up for her teammate's absence as she received a pass from Lindsay Whalen and drained a three-pointer. Moore finished the game with 23 points on 8-for-17 shooting, 3-for-6 from long range.
With the top spot in the West Conference on the line — something the Lynx haven't surrendered in almost two years — Augustus helped Minnesota break away early, scoring eight first-quarter points on 4-for-5 shooting. Prior to Sunday's game, Augustus averaged 19.6 points per game in the Target Center, while averaging just 13 in other arenas.
Augustus was seen walking with crutches after the game, and will have an MRI on Monday. Her injury could be troublesome for the Lynx, who will host Atlanta on Tuesday. The 10-1 Dream own the best record in the WNBA.
The players expressed concern for their teammate's well-being after the game, but Monica Wright was pleased with how her team fared without Augustus.