MINNEAPOLIS – For the second time in a month, Lynx forward Maya Moore was named WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week on Monday, for the games played between Sept. 3 and Sept. 9.
Over that time period, Moore and the Lynx complied a 3-0 record, beating Los Angeles, Atlanta and San Antonio, three playoff-bound teams. Against Atlanta, the Lynx came back from a 25-point deficit, which tied them for the largest comeback win in league history. Minnesota is currently on an 11-game winning streak, and Moore’s play has contributed in large part to that success.
On the week, Moore averaged 21.3 points and 11.0 rebounds per game, good for second in the Western Conference in both categories. She led the league in steals, with 10 total in those three games, and she shot 48.9 percent from the field. With just six games remaining in the Lynx’s regular season, Moore is 13th in the WNBA in scoring (16.1 points per game) and 14th in rebounding (6.3 rebounds per game). Her team’s strong lineup likely detracts from her statistics, which are already impressive.
Since the Olympic break, Moore’s scoring has been up; she has averaged 18.9 points per game in the nine contests since returning from London. She also had a season-high seven steals last Tuesday against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Moore won Player of the Week accolades for the week of Aug. 16-19, immediately following the Olympic break. She also won Rookie of the Month honors twice last season on her way to being named the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year after the season.
Lindsay Harding of the Atlanta Dream won Player of the Week honors in the Eastern Conference.
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