There is plenty to celebrate for the Minnesota Lynx as the No. 1 seed in the WNBA playoffs put a lid on the 2016 regular season.
Rest is not in the plans for the Lynx, at least not Saturday. After the regular-season finale, Minnesota will not play again until Sept. 28 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
The challenge in Atlanta's up-and-down season has been the play of the Dream supporting cast behind star Angel McCoughtry.
There's one mark left for Minnesota to set -- with a win over the Atlanta Dream on Saturday, the Lynx can set a new franchise record for wins in a season (28). Minnesota routed Atlanta 83-65 in Minneapolis on July 20 and has won six of its last seven games and 12 of 14.
With three wins -- by an average margin of four points -- the Dream hold the third spot in the Eastern Conference at 17-16. Atlanta has clinched one of the eight postseason spots and is back in the playoffs for the fourth time in franchise history.
The Lynx, with home-court advantage locked up throughout the playoffs and a first-round bye entering the postseason, signed Lindsay Whalen and Seimone Augutus to multi-year extensions earlier this week and momentum is at their backs as the franchise looks to repeat as WNBA champions.
Atlanta currently holds the No. 5 seed in the playoffs and would face the Mercury in the first round if the postseason began Saturday. A win Saturday could increase the Dream's chances of grabbing a top four seed and first-round bye. Chicago is one game ahead of Minnesota entering Saturday but plays Seattle on Sunday, the final day of the regular season.
The Sky won for the sixth time in eight games on Friday and can lock up the fourth spot by beating the Storm. It will have to do so without leading scorer Elena Delle Donne, who injured her thumb on her shooting hand on Sept. 7 and underwent surgery Tuesday. The reigning MVP has missed the last four games. She is listed as day-to-day.
The road hasn't been unkind to the Lynx, who tied a franchise-best mark earlier this week with a 13th road win.
The Lynx announced that they will wear a patch on their jerseys to celebrate the life of Jacob Wetterling. The patch will be worn in Saturday's home game against at Atlanta and at all games throughout the semifinals of the playoffs.
