Olivia Miles Leads Minnesota Lynx With 21 Points In Debut
Olivia Miles scored 21 points and handed out eight assists in her first game for the minnesota lynx. The No. 2 pick led Minnesota in both categories, but the Lynx still opened the season with a loss to the Atlanta Dream.
Mortgage Matchup Center Debut
Minnesota brought Miles into the rotation and immediately asked for creation. She finished with a Usage Rate of 26.3 and became the fifth player in WNBA history to post at least 20 points and five assists in a debut.
That kind of line is hard to ignore when the Lynx were trying to reset after a season-opening defeat. Kayla McBride added 20 points and took five free throw attempts in that first game, giving Minnesota another scoring source as the offense adjusted without Napheesa Collier.
Missing Pieces For Minnesota
Collier and Dorka Juhasz were ruled out for Minnesota against the Phoenix Mercury. Collier had led the Lynx last season with 22.9 points per game and a 27.8 Usage Rate, while she also finished third on the team in assists at 3.2.
That left Miles with a bigger load than a typical debut. In 11 games without Collier last season, McBride’s free throw attempts rose from 1.8 to 5.1 and her scoring climbed from 13.7 to 15.5, a reminder of how Minnesota has handled offense when its top option is unavailable.
Phoenix Mercury Rematch
The Lynx traveled to Mortgage Matchup Center for a rematch of last season’s semifinals. Phoenix also had absences, with Valériane Ayayi, Monique Akoa Makani, and Sami Whitcomb ruled out because of knee injuries.
Natasha Mack won the opening tip in each of the Mercury’s first two games, and across last season’s Finals plus the 2026 preseason and regular season, she has tipped the ball to Alyssa Thomas in seven of eight games. Thomas has attempted the first shot four times in those eight games. Phoenix entered last season with a 15-16 ATS record as the favorite, while Minnesota had already shown in its opener that it could cover a 5.5-point spread even in defeat, after giving up a 15-point halftime lead to Atlanta.
For Minnesota, the debut offered a clean read on Miles: she can score, create, and carry a larger role right away. The loss still left the Lynx searching for a better closing stretch, but they now know their second pick can step into a primary offensive job from the first night.
