Courtney Williams scores 25 in Lynx’s 96-81 win over Dream
Courtney Williams scored 25 points and the courtney williams-led Minnesota Lynx beat the Atlanta Dream 96-81 on Wednesday at Target Center. The win pushed Minnesota to 5-2 and gave it a third straight victory, while Atlanta dropped to 4-2.
Target Center offense
Williams set the scoring pace, but Minnesota did not need a one-player carry job. All five starters finished with at least 12 points, and the lineup that Cheryl Reeve has leaned on again looked balanced enough to erase the sting of Atlanta’s season-opening comeback win over Minnesota.
Olivia Miles added 16 points, eight assists and five rebounds, while Natasha Howard scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Nia Coffey supplied 14 points, with nine of them coming in the first quarter. That distribution mattered more than any single shot: Minnesota’s starters kept the game from turning into a second-half chase.
Reeve’s starting five
Reeve has spent the early season talking about the group’s chemistry, and she said, “Their connectivity” and “I felt it in training camp.” She added, “It’s not necessarily common, you know, Typically, it takes a little bit longer.” The numbers back up the point. Minnesota’s starting five entered Wednesday with the largest net point margin of any lineup in the WNBA at plus-52.
That edge showed again against Atlanta. Reeve said, “Overall defensively, as a team, we were good” and “Our starters are great. We’re still trying to bring along and finding ways that we can get a full team effort in that space.”
Williams and Miles
Reeve also singled out the guard pairing around Williams and rookie point guard Olivia Miles, saying, “Courtney’s like Liv’s best hype person, wants her to go, go, go.” Miles responded with a line that fit the box score and the game flow: “It’s so easy to play with everyone, because there’s no egos” and “When we’re swinging the ball, we know we’re at our best.”
The friction point for Minnesota remains the depth behind that first unit. Reeve said the bench is still being brought along, and the quieter reserve minutes outside of the Toronto blowout leave the starters carrying most of the load for now. Williams’ 25-point night was the loudest reminder of how much that group still drives the Lynx.
Angel Reese finished with 10 points on 3-for-8 shooting for Atlanta, while Allisha Gray led the Dream with 21. Minnesota got the result it needed, and the next test is whether this starting five can keep producing at a pace that makes the rest of the league chase it.
