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Lynx-Sparks Preview

Aug 19, 2010 - 6:55 PM By KATE HEDLIN STATS Writer

Minnesota (12-20) at Los Angeles (12-20), 10:30 p.m. EDT

The Minnesota Lynx are facing a lot of pressure as their fight for one of the final two playoff spots in the Western Conference goes down to the last weekend of the season.

As if that weren't enough to deal with, Minnesota suspended starting center Nicky Anosike this week after she refused to accompany the team on its season-ending road trip.

Trying to put their off-court drama behind them, the Lynx face a Los Angeles Sparks team they're battling for a postseason berth Friday night.

At 12-20, Minnesota, Los Angeles and San Antonio are tied for the final two playoff spots in the West. The Lynx already have lost the season series to the Sparks after dropping the first three meetings.

Minnesota does own the tiebreaker over San Antonio while the Silver Stars won the season series against the Sparks. However, if the teams were to all finish with the same record, the Lynx would miss the playoffs by virtue of the combined head-to-head records.

Minnesota, which closes the season Sunday at Indiana, will have the additional burden of trying to clinch a playoff spot without one of its starters. The Lynx suspended Anosike on Wednesday after she refused to join the team for a three-game trek to close the regular season. She was averaging 9.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in 29.9 minutes per game.

Without one of its key contributors, Minnesota lost 68-64 at Seattle on Tuesday, dropping to 5-10 on the road. Lindsay Whalen scored 20 points, but the Lynx missed five straight shots to end the game - two by Whalen.

"We're in a playoff push and I want to set the tone," said Whalen, who attempted a season-high 18 shots, connecting on nine. "I felt that I could get off the bounce and get things going."

Whalen, who has scored 41 points the last two games, was held to eight in Minnesota's 78-77 loss to Los Angeles last Thursday. She hit a pair of free throws with 1.1 seconds left to give her team the lead, but Tina Thompson made a 17-foot buzzer-beater to lift the Sparks to their sixth straight win over the Lynx.

Los Angeles followed that game with a five-point victory over Tulsa on Saturday, but the Sparks fell 90-84 to Phoenix on Tuesday. They overcame a 16-point deficit but fell short despite Thompson's season-high 33 points.

"We've played 32 games in order to get to this point," Thompson said. "That's what you play all season for. You don't play all those games to get to this point and then be mentally or physically fatigued."

Los Angeles will close the season at Seattle on Saturday.

The Sparks have lost three straight at home but have won four in a row there over Minnesota, including an 88-84 victory June 13.