The Minnesota Lynx certainly will miss Seimone Augustus and Monica Wright, but the emergence of Anna Cruz has complemented the steady play of Maya Moore to soften the blow.
Losing star players is something the Tulsa Shock have had to overcome all season.
Visiting Minnesota seeks a fourth consecutive win while the Shock look to avoid a third straight defeat Sunday.
The Lynx (11-3) announced prior to Friday's game against Chicago that Augustus underwent arthroscopic surgery on her right knee and will be out indefinitely.
This is the first known problem in the veteran's right knee after she tore her left ACL in 2009 and missed 10 games last season with left knee soreness. Augustus was named an All-Star after averaging 15.4 points, second on the team to Moore's 19.6.
Just one day earlier, the Lynx announced Wright underwent the same procedure and also will be out an undetermined amount of time. Minnesota didn't have much trouble without them against the Sky behind Moore's season-high 29 points in an 84-66 win.
Moore has scored at least 20 in six straight, one shy of her own franchise record, but she was more pleased with the play of Cruz, who finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
It marked the first start of the season for Cruz, who started all 34 games as a rookie for New York last season before the Lynx acquired her on draft night for the Nos. 11, 23 and 28 picks. She was playing in her fifth game since joining Minnesota earlier this month after being with the Spanish national team.
"She's a pro," Moore said. "This isn't new for her, but I'm just so impressed how she can come in mentally and get everything we're trying to do. It's taken us all of training camp and building up to this point of the season, and she's only been here a little while, but she can just hop in and get it and go."
Both teams will look much different from their previous two meetings. Minnesota won the season opener 83-75 behind 26 points from Lindsay Whalen and 23 from Moore on June 5 before Skylar Diggins had a season-high 26 in the Shock's 86-78 victory June 21.
Diggins, though, tore her right ACL exactly one week later and will miss the remainder of the season. Tulsa (10-6) also has played each game without All-Star Glory Johnson, who is sitting out due to her pregnancy.
Odyssey Sims missed over a month with a knee issue, but she's averaged 16.4 points while the Shock try to remain among the contenders in the Western Conference. She's shot just 8 for 29 over the last two, though, with Tulsa dropping both.
Sims had a season-low eight points in Wednesday's 83-80 loss to Indiana and finished with 14 in Friday's 65-58 defeat at San Antonio.
Riquna Williams has averaged 17.6 points in the last seven while starting in place of Diggins, but she scored just 10 and shot 3 of 13 from the field Friday after scoring a season-high 31 against the Fever.
The Shock, who shot a season-worst 30.9 percent against the Stars, have lost 20 of the last 22 meetings with Minnesota.
