The Minnesota Lynx’s Centre, Sylvia Fowles, returned to the court on Thursday with a double-double, helping the team to a season-high in points and their first back-to-back victories. By shooting 50.7 percent from the field and outrebounding the Mercury 42–23, Minnesota defeated host Phoenix 100–88.
Fowles had 14 points on 7 of 12 shooting and 10 rebounds in 22 minutes despite missing the previous five games due to cartilage damage in her right knee. The 2017 WNBA MVP, who will retire after this season, admitted that she does not anticipate her knee to be 100 percent, but she felt terrific returning to action.
Injury Problem of Minnesota Lynx this season
The Lynx (5-13) have experienced injury problems this season, but since June 14 things have appeared to be improving in their recent games. They now have two straight victories against Phoenix after losing by two points at Seattle and one point at league-leading Las Vegas (6-12).
Fowles announced to be Captaining the All-Star side by NBA
As one of four co-captains for the July 10 event in Chicago, it was revealed on Wednesday that Fowles had been selected as an All-Star Game starter. She is the all-time top rebounder in the WNBA and was an important member of the two Lynx championship teams in 2015 and 2017. Fowles has been shooting 63.6 percent and averaging 16.3 points and 10.2 rebounds this season.
Fowles about her return to the Courtside
Fowles, 36, after her return from injury and superb performance, added, “I feel good enough to go out there. Today, I made a leap of faith. It entails leaving my thinking behind and simply acting in the world. I wasn’t sure how well I would play, but my sessions have been excellent. Of course, you’re going to be unsure, especially if you’re aware of a knee injury. But if I practice it, I can also practice it against other players.”
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve about Fowles captaining the All-Star side
“Syl is such a part of our identity, she’s somebody who gives [her teammates] great confidence. The energy was off the charts. She was just raring to go. Really productive. For me as a coach, this was probably from a chemistry standpoint as good as it’s been all season. But we’ve had to go through some real challenges. I like where this team is now. We’ve made real progress.”
Comments