The Seattle Storm are playing their best basketball of the season.
The Minnesota Lynx are playing some of their worst.
Those two teams will meet Friday night in Seattle in the first of two head-to-head matchups in three nights, with the next game on Sunday in Minneapolis.
Seattle (9-21) has won three of its last four and five of its last seven.
Seattle has been able to count all season on the scoring of Jewell Loyd, the WNBA’s leading scorer at 24.1 points per game. But recently she has been getting more help. Seattle’s bench chipped in 28 points in an 81-71 win against the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday.
The Lynx (14-16) began the season by losing their first six games before fighting back to .500 after a five-game win streak in late June-early July. Minnesota’s current slide includes a 91-73 loss at last-place Indiana in their most recent game on Aug. 10.
Indiana had a 39-26 rebounding edge — including 13-7 on the offensive glass — and Minnesota was outscored 34-18 in the paint.
The Fever starters outscored the Lynx starters 75-42.
