Lynx vs. Fever final score: Indiana downs Minnesota in Game 4, 87-78, to win the WNBA Finals

The Indiana Fever defeated the Minnesota Lynx, 87-78, Sunday night to win their first ever WNBA Finals

Lynx vs. Fever final score: Indiana wins 76-59 to take 2-1 series lead

The Minnesota Lynx now face elimination after losing game three of the WNBA Finals in Indiana Friday.

Lynx vs. Fever game 3: Preview, game time, TV schedule

The Minnesota Lynx play the Indiana Fever in game three of the WNBA Finals at 7 p.m. CT Friday in Indianapolis. The series is tied 1-1 after the Lynx won game two Wednesday.

Seimone Augustus and Maya Moore led the way in Wednesday's win, scoring 27 and 23 points respectively. Lindsay Whalen added 14 points. Tamika Catchings had 27 for Indiana.

Indiana coach Lin Dunn was upset that Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve was not ejected from the game. Reeve received a technical foul, then slammed her jacket down after receiving it, which Dunn felt should've earned Reeve a second technical and an ejection.

''There's no doubt in my mind that her behavior after the first technical warranted ejection, and I was very disappointed that the officials allowed her to in some ways, you know, just kind of a lack of respect for the game and lack of respect for them," Dunn told the Associated Press.

The teams play a best of five series in the WNBA Finals. Game three will be televised on ESPN2.

Lynx vs. Fever final score: Minnesota evens WNBA Finals with 83-71 victory

Seimone Augustus and Maya Moore dominated Minnesota's crucial Game 2 win.

Minnesota Lynx have long break before WNBA Finals

Now that they've clinched their second-consecutive Western Conference Championship, the Minnesota Lynx can enjoy an extended rest before the WNBA Finals.

Coach Cheryl Reeve gave players a day off on Monday, following their big win on Sunday that propelled them into the finals. Said Reeve:

"We're beat and we're tired, both physically and mentally. One of the pleasing things about this break is that now we can start to breathe a bit. The calm is there to help us physically and mentally prepare for the next step."

And Reeve certainly knows how to prepare a team for the finals. In four seasons as an assistant coach for Detroit, the Shock made it to three WNBA finals.

The Lynx will play either Connecticut or Indiana on Sunday in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. Minnesota will start its title defense at home at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

Lynx Vs. Sparks final score: Minnesota advances to WNBA Finals with 80-79 win

The Minnesota Lynx completed their sweep of the Los Angeles Sparks in the Western Conference finals of the WNBA Playoffs with a close 80-79 win at Staples Center on Sunday.

The Lynx trailed by eight points heading into the fourth quarter, but they made sure the series did not shift back to Minnesota by outscoring Los Angeles 23-14 in the final quarter.

Seimone Augustus and Maya Moore led the charge, with Augustus making 8-of-12 shots to score a team-high 21 points. Moore was right behind with 20 points.

The Sparks' Candace Parker rose to the occasion, scoring 33 points, but the rest of the team couldn't follow her lead down the stretch.

The Lynx are returning to the WNBA Finals where they will have a shot at getting back-to-back titles. They will face the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Connecticut Sun and Indiana Fever. The Sun lead the best-of-three series 1-0.

WNBA Playoffs: Lindsay Whalen impressing by playing through pain

It's obvious Lynx guard Lindsay Whalen is in pain, but not based on her performance on the court.

The Hutchinson, Minn., native had a noticeable amount of tape bracing her left wrist as the defending WNBA champions defeated the Los Angeles Sparks 94-77 in the first game of the Western Conference finals. Whalen had 12 points, three assists, two rebounds and a steal, with only one turnover, in the win.

"She was basically out there with one hand," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve told the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. "She is in a lot of pain."

The Lynx take their 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series to Los Angeles for game two, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT Oct. 7. They finished with the WNBA's best record at 27-7. Their 27-7 mark was good enough for the top seed in 2011 as well, and only lost one game. The Lynx were given all they could handle in the deciding third game of the Western Conference semifinals by Seattle, but advanced with a 73-72 win.

Sparks vs. Lynx final score: Minnesota wins 94-77, go up 1-0 in series

The Minnesota Lynx outscored the Los Angeles Sparks 32-16 in the second quarter on Thursday night as they won Game 1 by a final score of 94-77. The win puts the Lynx up 1-0 in the best of three western conference final, with Game 2 scheduled to be played Sunday in Los Angeles.

The Lynx were led by Maya Moore, who had 20 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists. Rebekkah Brunson chipped in with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Seimone Augustus had 16 points, seven assists, and six rebounds for the game. The double-double was the third in four playoff games for Brunson.

Candice Parker led the Sparks with 25 points and 11 rebounds, and Alana Beard chipped in with 16 points of her own. The Lynx managed to slow down Kristi Toliver on Thursday, holding her to just 12 points in Game 1. Toliver had averaged 26 points per game in the Sparks western conference semifinal.

Game 2 will be played Sunday in Los Angeles, and the Lynx are just 4-21 all time in LA. The game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT and will be aired on ABC.

WNBA Playoffs: Lynx preparing for offensive-minded Sparks

On Thursday, the Los Angeles Sparks will visit the Target Center for the first game of the best-of-three Western Conference finals against the Minnesota Lynx. It promises to be the marquee series of the entire season. Of course, there's the finals after this one, but the Sparks and Lynx are the two most decorated teams in the league. As the Star Tribune notes, the Sparks have a considerable amount of hype surrounding them, despite finishing second in the conference behind the Lynx.

That's likely due to the star power in Los Angeles. Canadace Parker was named the player of the month in the West four times out of a possible five this season. Teammate Kristi Toliver won the award in August, while Parker notched five player of the week titles as well. There's a lot of offensive firepower to go around.

Usually, the Lynx would be favored to win for a number of reasons. On one hand, they're no slouches when it comes to scoring and on the other, they're a great rebounding team with the ability to stifle offenses with superior schemes and a strong defensive roster. On the other hand, they may not be as favored due to the injury concerns surrounding Lindsay Whalen.

Whalen is the Lynx's star player, and she's nursing a broken finger (suffered at the London Olympics) and a bruised left wrist (her non-shooting hand), which she suffered in the first quarter of the team's win over Seattle on Tuesday. She came back and gutted that game out to seal the 73-72 win and isn't likely to miss time in the conference finals, but stemming the offensive tide of the Sparks could be a tougher challenge than usual.

Lindsay Whalen Injury: Broken finger won't keep Lynx guard from playing

Lindsay Whalen of the Minnesota Lynx has been playing some great basketball, and given the fact that she's playing through a broken finger and a bruised wrist, it makes it all the more impressive. The broken finger came during the London Olympics, according to the Pioneer Press, and the bruised wrist is a new injury, suffered in Game 3 of Minnesota's series against Seattle in the Western Conference semifinals.

Whalen was slow to get up in the first quarter of her team's 73-72 victory Tuesday, and had to get X-rays during the game. The X-rays showed no broken bones in her left wrist (her non-shooting hand), and she came back to the court to gut out the win. Next, the Lynx will move on to the conference finals against Los Angeles, on Thursday night at Target Center.

According to the piece, Whalen has been showing signs of the injuries at practice, throwing one-handed passes and given her left hand time to rest here and there. Still, it's not something that's going to keep her out when the conference finals roll around. Whalen will play the best-of-three series from the start, and only rest if games are truly locked away, or if the injury worsens.

Storm vs. Lynx final score: Minnesota defeats Seattle in deciding game, 73-72

The Minnesota Lynx defeated the Seattle Storm 73-72 on Tuesday night to advance to the Western Conference Finals. The Storm had a chance to win the deciding game in the final seconds, but forward Lauren Jackson's turnaround jumper clanged off the rim.

Seimone Augustus led the Lynx with 21 points on 8-15 shooting on the field -- she also added four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Forward Maya Moore was right behind Augustus with 20 points to go along with six rebounds and two assists. Rebekkah Brunson was the third member of the Lynx in double digits, with 16 points to go along with a team leading nine rebounds.

The game was close to dead even for much of the game, with the Storm even tying the game on a Jackson jumper with 7:15 left in the fourth quarter. But the Lynx never relinquished the lead, eventually hanging on for a hard-won victory.

The Lynx will face the Los Angeles Sparks, who swept their division series, in the West finals.

WNBA Playoffs: Lynx host Storm for decisive Game 3

The Minnesota Lynx will play host to the Seattle Storm in an elimination game on Tuesday night.

The defending-champion Lynx were also pushed to a Game 3 in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs last season. Forward Rebekkah Brunson hopes that having that experience will be a difference maker:

"We did put ourselves in a similar situation last year so we know that it's not over. We know if we come out on Tuesday night and play the way that we're supposed to play, and focus in, then we're in a good position."

But if they are going to have any chance at a repeat, Minnesota will have to improve on Sunday night's disappointing double-overtime loss. A win would advance the Lynx to the conference finals, where they'd take on the Los Angeles Sparks.

Minnesota should like its chances, since the team was a WNBA-best 16-1 at home this season. The Lynx also won three of their four regular season meetings with the Storm.

Still, the Storm came into the playoffs hot, winning three in a row to end the season.

Tuesday's game will air on ESPN 2.

WNBA Playoffs: Ricky Rubio bought 500 tickets for Tuesday game

Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio has purchased 500 tickets for Tuesday's WNBA playoff game between the Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm.

The Lynx ticket office will allocate those upper-level seats to the public by giving a free pair to the first 250 people to call in. This same model was followed last season, when Rick Adelman and David Kahn, along with the Vikings, Twins and Wild, purchased tickets.

Of course, having fans purchase the tickets themselves would be the best option, but at least high-profile athletes and teams in the Twin Cities community are showing their support for the Lynx, who are a championship-level team once again this season. Rubio, along with Kevin Love, attended Game 1 of the series at Target Center, which was won by the Lynx. Love bought out 500 seats to give away for that game.

Minnesota lost a thriller in Game 2 in Seattle, setting the stage for Tuesday night's contest.

Lynx vs. Storm final: Seattle buzzer beater keeps Storm playoff hopes alive

Seattle Storm forward Lauren Jackson made a game-tying three as time expired in regulation and the Storm eventually defeated the Minnesota Lynx in double overtime, 86-79. Seattle's win leaves the two teams knotted at one game apiece in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Seattle entered the fourth quarter down six points, but quickly mounted a comeback, holding a two-point lead with under two minutes to play. A few missed shots and a turnover, coupled with free throws on the other end had the Storm down four points late. Sue Bird made a jump shot with 12 seconds remaining to cut the lead to two. After a quick foul, Taj McWilliams-Franklin was faced with two free throws to put the game on ice, however, she could only convert 1-of-2, and Seattle's Lauren Jackson drilled a three as time expired.

The Storm were led by strong efforts from Sue Bird and Tanisha Wright. Bird scored 22 points, including six points in the second overtime period, and added seven assists and four steals while Tanisha Wright scored 18 points of her own.

Seimone Augustus led the way for Minnesota with 20 points and seven rebounds. Rebekkah Brunson contributed to the winning cause as well with a double-double, 22 points and 15 rebounds.

The Lynx and Storm will square off in a series-deciding Game Three of the conference semifinals Tuesday in Minnesota.

Lynx vs. Storm score update: Minnesota leads Seattle at halftime, 37-36

Behind the effort of Maya Moore, the Minnesota Lynx take a lead into halftime against the Seattle Storm of Game Two of the conference semi-finals, 37-36.

Moore has 10 points, one assist, one steal and one block, and Rebekkah Brunson has added seven points of her own.

Tanisha Wright has kept the game close for Seattle, leading the team in scoring with 13 points. Sue Bird has added nine points as well. Lauren Jackson has five rebounds and a block, but has yet to record a point. She is 0-for-5 from the field.

Sunday marks game two of the three game conference semi-final series. Should Seattle win and force a game three, that game will be played Tuesday in Minnesota.

The Lynx are 3-1 against Seattle this season, however, they struggle away from home. Of their seven regular-season losses, six came on the road. They finished the regular season with the No. 1 offense in the WNBA.

WNBA Playoffs: Minnesota Lynx hoping to advance to semifinals

The Minnesota Lynx have a chance to sweep the Seattle Storm and advance into the semifinals of the WNBA Playoffs if they're able to pick up a Sunday night victory on ESPN.