Lynx 85, Wings 81: Home Sweet Home

The Minnesota Lynx held their 2025 home opener on Wednesday at Target Center, welcoming Paige Bueckers back to her home state for the first time with the Dallas Wings.

Home Sweet Home.

The Minnesota Lynx took their home floor in Minneapolis for the first time of the 2025 WNBA season on Tuesday, hosting a familiar opponent in front of a big crowd at Target Center.

Minnesota welcomed Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings into Target Center, facing the Wings for the second time in three games. After defeating Dallas 99-84 in the season opener in Texas on May 16, Minnesota made it two in a row while escaping with an 85-81 victory on Tuesday.

As a result of the win, the Lynx remain undefeated on the season with a perfect 3-0 record.

Balanced Offense Led By Phee

Once again, Minnesota spread things out offensively, with six players either reaching or coming up just shy of the double-digit mark. And like we’ve seen in all three games, Napheesa Collier led the charge.

Collier posted her third straight 20-point game to begin the year, leading the Lynx with 28 points while shooting 12-for-12 from the free throw line to go along with eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals over 37 minutes.

Behind Collier, Courtney Williams had 13 points, seven assists and five rebounds, Alanna Smith had 13 points, six rebounds and two blocks, Natisha Hiedeman had 10 points, eight assists and two rebounds, and Karlie Samuleson and Bridget Carleton each had nine points.

Once again against Dallas, Minnesota had a strong showing from deep, notably in the opening half, to create a lead. The Lynx connected on nine threes, the second time this season with nine or more threes (both occurrences came against the Wings).

Turnovers Keep Things Close

One thing that haunted Minnesota throughout the game was some sloppy play that resulted in a season-high turnover total. That kept the Wings in the game and held the Lynx back from building a comfortable lead down the stretch.

With 10 turnovers in the opening half, Minnesota ended the game with 19 turnovers, which resulted in 21 points for Dallas. In the first two games combined, the Lynx had 21 turnovers total.

The good news for Minnesota was that it forced Dallas to turn the ball over plenty as well, forcing the Wings into 14 turnovers, resulting in 10 Lynx points.

Bueckers Returns Home

For the first time as a pro, Minnesota native Paige Bueckers returned to her home state to take on the team she grew up watching and idolizing.

In her first game in Minnesota as a WNBA player and with a large fan presence in support of the former Hopkins star, Bueckers had a quiet first half, scoring-wise, not connecting on a shot in a scoreless opening half.

But she stormed onto the scene more in the second half, recording a double-double of 12 points, 10 assists, and three steals over 37 minutes. According to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, Bueckers is the third player in WNBA history to record a points/assist double-double within her first three career games.

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Up Next

The Lynx will remain at home Friday to continue their current three-game homestand, welcoming in the Connecticut Sun to Target Center in the first matchup of the season between the two squads.

Minnesota and Connecticut will tip off at 6:30 PM CT in Minneapolis and can be seen on ION.