Lynx face Fever in one last tune-up before playoffs

The Indiana Fever close out a tough season when they play host to the playoff-bound Minnesota Lynx on Sunday afternoon in Indianapolis.

Indiana (12-27) has lost its last two games, including a 76-59 defeat to the Connecticut Sun on Friday. Kelsey Mitchell, the team's leading scorer at 18.1 points per game, scored 15 in the loss.

Despite their struggles as of late, the Fever have worked to maintain a positive mindset behind strong leadership. Veteran forward Emma Cannon, who has been in the league since 2017, talked about that after a loss to the Chicago Sky on Tuesday.

"I feel it's just leading by example," Cannon said. "My routine hasn't changed from the beginning of the season until now. I feel the younger girls see it and notice what I do, and I just try to be a leader to everybody and keep everybody positive and moving forward."

Indiana had success against Minnesota this season, winning two of the three meetings, including a 91-73 victory on Aug. 10 at home.

The Lynx (19-20) are coming off a 92-87 loss to the Sky on Friday despite 28 points from Napheesa Collier and 24 from Diamond Miller.

Collier, one of the top all-around players in the league, is averaging 21.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game for the Lynx, who got off to a slow start against Chicago.

"We didn't dictate enough in the beginning," Collier said, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "We weren't aggressive enough getting up in them, making them take bad shots. And it lit a fire."

Minnesota is currently sixth in the overall standings and needs a win Sunday over the Fever, coupled with an Atlanta Dream loss to Dallas, to move back into the fifth spot before the playoffs.

"We didn't execute tonight (against Chicago) but we have to lock in against Indiana," Collier said. "They work hard in every game they are in."