The Lynx hold serve

If you think what the Lynx did Friday was easy, please look at the way the rest of the WNBA first-round playoff series are going.

To recap:

Los Angeles opened with a loss to visiting Phoenix. Atlanta suffered a home loss to Washington. Before the Lynx played Seattle Friday night at Target Center, Chicago, the top team in the Eastern Conference, was thumped by visiting Indiana.

So it wasn't easy. Yes, the Lynx struggled a bit to start Friday's game, finding it difficult to distance themselves from the Storm until the second half. But they're still the only higher seed holding serve so far.

So there's that.

Here are some thoughts on tonight's game:

1.Storm guard Temeka Johnson is very, very quick. The Lynx will have to do a better job stopping her from penetrating the lane if they want to close out the series Sunday in a game that will be played in the Tacoma Dome.

3. I really admired the intensity Rebekkah Brunson came out with tonight. It was like she had been saving her energy up for the playoffs. It was her play that kept the Lynx in the lead in the first half. She had 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting, with nine rebounds and four assists.

4.Six Lynx players had two or more assists tonight.

5.The Lynx bench, up and down this season, got big contributions from both Monica Wright and Devereaux Peters . Wright had nine points, Peters eight.

6.One of the reasons Moore played so well is that coach Cheryl Reeve was determined to limit her time at point guard in the playoffs. That meant some key minutes off the bench for Lindsey Moore, who didn't score, but didn't turn the ball over in 11-plus minutes. When Wright is able to play the two guard, she is much more comfortable.

7.Center Janel McCarville only scored two points tonight. But she and Brunson combined for 17 rebounds and six assists. The Lynx were passing very well out of the high post tonight.

9. A key stat: The Lynx scored 24 points off 15 Storm turnovers tonight. They had a 13-point edge in that department.