Minnesota Lynx continue their hot streak on top
Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve, right, questions a call during the second half of a WNBA basketball game against the Dallas Wings in Arlington, Texas, Sunday.
LM Otero | AP
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Audio transcript
NINA MOINI: Cheryl Reeve went from Tennessee to Texas, where the Lynx beat the Dallas Wings on Sunday. And with that, she tied the league's record for coaching wins. It was held by former WNBA coach, Mike Thibault, who spent his early childhood in guess where? Minnesota. Joining me now to talk about the latest in basketball and other sports news are contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson. Hey, guys. Happy Monday.
ERIC NELSON: Yeah.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Happy heatwave, Mina.
ERIC NELSON: Happy Monday.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, it's hot out there like the Lynx record.
ERIC NELSON: Exactly.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yes.
NINA MOINI: Wally, tell us a little more about how the Lynx did this weekend.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, they went down to Dallas, as you mentioned, and they beat the Dallas Wings, which, of course, is also the home for Paige Bueckers from Hopkins. And Paige had a good game. Let's not forget that, that she is playing well. She had 25 points on 10 of 17 shooting. So it was a good game for her, but the Dallas Wings fall short.
Minnesota got another good game out of Olivia Miles. She's the leading contender in the WNBA for Rookie of the Year. But she might be MVP. Or she is at least in the conversation right now. She had 21 points yesterday, eight assists, three rebounds. She was the second-overall pick. Minnesota moved up in the draft to get her. And she has been all that and a bag of chips, so to speak. She has been really good. And they win another basketball game to move to 15 and 4.
Natasha Howard also put up 21 points. Natasha also had 14 rebounds in the game. So a double double for her. Kayla McBride finished with 17. So Minnesota Now 15 and 4, best record in the WNBA. And they will next play-- by the way, they play on Friday. They'll be in New York to take on the Liberty. Minnesota is one game better than Las Vegas in the Western Conference. And Las Vegas has the second-best record in the league, so one game better than Las Vegas for the second-best record.
So yeah, it's all good right now for the Lynx And we keep saying this, but I'll keep saying it until she comes back. But they're winning without Napheesa Collier. So when Phee comes back, Lord only knows how good they'll get. Hopefully very good.
NINA MOINI: Hopefully. All right, Eric. We got to talk about the Twins. Last week's series against the LA Dodgers was a bust, I hear. They got swept at home. But it seems like things were looking up when they played Colorado. What's the latest there?
ERIC NELSON: Well, sometimes in sports, the schedule can slap you in the backside, and then it can also be something good. The Dodgers are the best team in baseball, the Rockies are the worst. So when LA left town, in comes Colorado, and the Twins win 2 out of 3. It was a whiff city yesterday at Target Field.
Pitcher Connor Prielipp whiffed, or struck out if you will, a career-high 10 in six innings to pace the Twins to a 3-to-2 win over Colorado. And the game-winning RBI was supplied by Ryan Kreidler, who hit a go-ahead home run in the seventh. And how about Kody Clemens? He also hit a tater for the Twins. And by the way, that was Kody's father, the rocket man, Roger Clemens, providing color analysis on last night's New-York-Yankees-Boston game on NBC.
Yoendrys Gomez pitched a perfect ninth and eighth save for the Twins, and it was Royce Lewis jersey day, which is pretty cool because a lot of fans were wearing the Lewis jersey at Target Field. I was at the game. But the irony is, earlier this year, Lewis was struggling. And the Twins sent him down to triple-A St. Paul. He regained his batting stroke, and now he's back with the ball club, and good enough to have his own jersey day, I guess.
Tonight, Minnesota is at Houston. The Twins are 40 and 45. The Astros are 42 and 44. But despite a subpar record, the Houston Astros are just one game behind Seattle in the very mediocre AL West. And I've always said never, ever count the Astros out. They played in seven straight American League Championship Series between 2017 and 2023. They won two World Series titles in that span. Houston missed the playoffs in 2025, which snapped a streak of making the postseason eight straight years.
But they are positioned again to get to the postseason. And one other footnote if you're going to watch the game tonight. Yordan Alvarez of the Astros and Byron Buxton of the Twins both have 25 home runs. That's the second most in Major League Baseball. These are two elite guys.
NINA MOINI: OK.
ERIC NELSON: Yeah.
NINA MOINI: So since we last talked, Wally, many Timberwolves fans are still processing the news that maybe their favorite player, Naz Reid, is going to the Charlotte Hornets. People are probably going to have to get those tattoos of him removed that they got. Wally, tell me about how the team's looking now.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: I'm wondering what to do with my Naz Reid beach towel. Those were very popular, by the way. That might have been one of the more popular giveaways the Timberwolves ever had, because you'd go to games afterwards. Was it last year or the year before? They gave away those beach towels.
NINA MOINI: Yeah.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: You'd go to a game two, three weeks later and it wasn't Naz Reid beach towel night, and people would still bring them to the basketball game at Target Center and waving them around. So yes.
NINA MOINI: I think you can still use a towel. I think a tattoo is a bit more of a permanent commitment.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, that's true.
NINA MOINI: I guess you're going to keep your tattoo then.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yes, I'll keep my tattoo and my towel. The towel doesn't have a Charlotte Hornets logo on it though. It has a Timberwolves logo. OK, so as you mentioned, since we last talked last Monday, the Timberwolves traded Julius Randle away to Brooklyn. That was a salary dump. So basically, what they did, they actually moved down in the draft in order to make the trade. That's what they got back. They went from the 27th to 28th pick, and they ended up drafting 31st I believe it was. Anyway, so the point is they moved some salary because Julius Randle no longer fit into their future plans.
So when you look at it and say, OK, what's left from the Karl-Anthony Towns trade that they made the season before? Well, they traded KAT away to New York, and they got Donte DiVincenzo and they got Julius Randle. Now Randle is gone and they basically got nothing back for him. Donte is still a member of the Timberwolves, but he will likely not play at all this coming season because of that ruptured Achilles. So he is out for the year for the most part. Unless he makes a miraculous recovery, it sounds like he's out for the year. Of course, Karl-Anthony Towns has an NBA title. The Timberwolves don't.
On Thursday then, the Wolves made the trade that you just mentioned. Naz Reid goes to Charlotte. LaMelo Ball comes to Minnesota. Ball, very good player, averaged 20, points 5 rebounds, 7 assists last year. The Wolves now are in the market for a power forward since they've traded both Julius Randle and Naz Reid away. But they do have a $15-million what they call a mid-level exception under the salary cap. So they'll probably go out and try and buy one, and see if that person that they bring in can somehow gel with the rest of the club. So lots still to come, I think with the Timberwolves. But that's where they stand right now. And yes, it has changed drastically.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, the Wild also made some roster moves, huh, Eric?
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, Nina. NHL draft was Friday and Saturday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. Minnesota had three picks. Every single one of the choices is so young, they can't legally drink in the US. On Saturday, the Wild selected center Adam Anderson in round three. He's just 17 years old. And he played for Leksands IF of the Swedish under-20 league last season.
In the fourth round, Minnesota grabbed forward Kayden Lemire. He's 18. He played for the Prince George Cougars in the Western Hockey League last season. And in round five, Minnesota was able to get Filip Ruzicka, also 18 years old, who played for the Brandon Wheat Kings in the WHL last season.
He's originally from Czechia. And the thing about Ruzicka, this guy eclipses the entire goal. He's 6 feet 8, 229 pounds. You put the pads on him, how do you get a puck past this guy? It's going to be very difficult.
Some other wild notes. Bill Guerin named NHL GM of the year for this past season. He made a huge splash by acquiring Quinn Hughes from Vancouver. And once again, Minnesota was the state that produced the most NHL draft picks. A total of 53 players from the US were chosen, and 12 came from the Land of 10,000 Rinks, perhaps the best known one, Wyatt Cullen.
NINA MOINI: All right.
ERIC NELSON: Was the top Minnesotan chosen first round pick goes to Nashville. He's from Moorhead. You may remember his father, Nina, Matt Cullen.
NINA MOINI: I don't, but I'm so sorry. We're going to have to go. Eric and Wally, thank you so much. Thank you all for tuning in.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
ERIC NELSON: Yeah.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Happy heatwave, Mina.
ERIC NELSON: Happy Monday.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, it's hot out there like the Lynx record.
ERIC NELSON: Exactly.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yes.
NINA MOINI: Wally, tell us a little more about how the Lynx did this weekend.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, they went down to Dallas, as you mentioned, and they beat the Dallas Wings, which, of course, is also the home for Paige Bueckers from Hopkins. And Paige had a good game. Let's not forget that, that she is playing well. She had 25 points on 10 of 17 shooting. So it was a good game for her, but the Dallas Wings fall short.
Minnesota got another good game out of Olivia Miles. She's the leading contender in the WNBA for Rookie of the Year. But she might be MVP. Or she is at least in the conversation right now. She had 21 points yesterday, eight assists, three rebounds. She was the second-overall pick. Minnesota moved up in the draft to get her. And she has been all that and a bag of chips, so to speak. She has been really good. And they win another basketball game to move to 15 and 4.
Natasha Howard also put up 21 points. Natasha also had 14 rebounds in the game. So a double double for her. Kayla McBride finished with 17. So Minnesota Now 15 and 4, best record in the WNBA. And they will next play-- by the way, they play on Friday. They'll be in New York to take on the Liberty. Minnesota is one game better than Las Vegas in the Western Conference. And Las Vegas has the second-best record in the league, so one game better than Las Vegas for the second-best record.
So yeah, it's all good right now for the Lynx And we keep saying this, but I'll keep saying it until she comes back. But they're winning without Napheesa Collier. So when Phee comes back, Lord only knows how good they'll get. Hopefully very good.
NINA MOINI: Hopefully. All right, Eric. We got to talk about the Twins. Last week's series against the LA Dodgers was a bust, I hear. They got swept at home. But it seems like things were looking up when they played Colorado. What's the latest there?
ERIC NELSON: Well, sometimes in sports, the schedule can slap you in the backside, and then it can also be something good. The Dodgers are the best team in baseball, the Rockies are the worst. So when LA left town, in comes Colorado, and the Twins win 2 out of 3. It was a whiff city yesterday at Target Field.
Pitcher Connor Prielipp whiffed, or struck out if you will, a career-high 10 in six innings to pace the Twins to a 3-to-2 win over Colorado. And the game-winning RBI was supplied by Ryan Kreidler, who hit a go-ahead home run in the seventh. And how about Kody Clemens? He also hit a tater for the Twins. And by the way, that was Kody's father, the rocket man, Roger Clemens, providing color analysis on last night's New-York-Yankees-Boston game on NBC.
Yoendrys Gomez pitched a perfect ninth and eighth save for the Twins, and it was Royce Lewis jersey day, which is pretty cool because a lot of fans were wearing the Lewis jersey at Target Field. I was at the game. But the irony is, earlier this year, Lewis was struggling. And the Twins sent him down to triple-A St. Paul. He regained his batting stroke, and now he's back with the ball club, and good enough to have his own jersey day, I guess.
Tonight, Minnesota is at Houston. The Twins are 40 and 45. The Astros are 42 and 44. But despite a subpar record, the Houston Astros are just one game behind Seattle in the very mediocre AL West. And I've always said never, ever count the Astros out. They played in seven straight American League Championship Series between 2017 and 2023. They won two World Series titles in that span. Houston missed the playoffs in 2025, which snapped a streak of making the postseason eight straight years.
But they are positioned again to get to the postseason. And one other footnote if you're going to watch the game tonight. Yordan Alvarez of the Astros and Byron Buxton of the Twins both have 25 home runs. That's the second most in Major League Baseball. These are two elite guys.
NINA MOINI: OK.
ERIC NELSON: Yeah.
NINA MOINI: So since we last talked, Wally, many Timberwolves fans are still processing the news that maybe their favorite player, Naz Reid, is going to the Charlotte Hornets. People are probably going to have to get those tattoos of him removed that they got. Wally, tell me about how the team's looking now.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: I'm wondering what to do with my Naz Reid beach towel. Those were very popular, by the way. That might have been one of the more popular giveaways the Timberwolves ever had, because you'd go to games afterwards. Was it last year or the year before? They gave away those beach towels.
NINA MOINI: Yeah.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: You'd go to a game two, three weeks later and it wasn't Naz Reid beach towel night, and people would still bring them to the basketball game at Target Center and waving them around. So yes.
NINA MOINI: I think you can still use a towel. I think a tattoo is a bit more of a permanent commitment.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, that's true.
NINA MOINI: I guess you're going to keep your tattoo then.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yes, I'll keep my tattoo and my towel. The towel doesn't have a Charlotte Hornets logo on it though. It has a Timberwolves logo. OK, so as you mentioned, since we last talked last Monday, the Timberwolves traded Julius Randle away to Brooklyn. That was a salary dump. So basically, what they did, they actually moved down in the draft in order to make the trade. That's what they got back. They went from the 27th to 28th pick, and they ended up drafting 31st I believe it was. Anyway, so the point is they moved some salary because Julius Randle no longer fit into their future plans.
So when you look at it and say, OK, what's left from the Karl-Anthony Towns trade that they made the season before? Well, they traded KAT away to New York, and they got Donte DiVincenzo and they got Julius Randle. Now Randle is gone and they basically got nothing back for him. Donte is still a member of the Timberwolves, but he will likely not play at all this coming season because of that ruptured Achilles. So he is out for the year for the most part. Unless he makes a miraculous recovery, it sounds like he's out for the year. Of course, Karl-Anthony Towns has an NBA title. The Timberwolves don't.
On Thursday then, the Wolves made the trade that you just mentioned. Naz Reid goes to Charlotte. LaMelo Ball comes to Minnesota. Ball, very good player, averaged 20, points 5 rebounds, 7 assists last year. The Wolves now are in the market for a power forward since they've traded both Julius Randle and Naz Reid away. But they do have a $15-million what they call a mid-level exception under the salary cap. So they'll probably go out and try and buy one, and see if that person that they bring in can somehow gel with the rest of the club. So lots still to come, I think with the Timberwolves. But that's where they stand right now. And yes, it has changed drastically.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, the Wild also made some roster moves, huh, Eric?
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, Nina. NHL draft was Friday and Saturday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. Minnesota had three picks. Every single one of the choices is so young, they can't legally drink in the US. On Saturday, the Wild selected center Adam Anderson in round three. He's just 17 years old. And he played for Leksands IF of the Swedish under-20 league last season.
In the fourth round, Minnesota grabbed forward Kayden Lemire. He's 18. He played for the Prince George Cougars in the Western Hockey League last season. And in round five, Minnesota was able to get Filip Ruzicka, also 18 years old, who played for the Brandon Wheat Kings in the WHL last season.
He's originally from Czechia. And the thing about Ruzicka, this guy eclipses the entire goal. He's 6 feet 8, 229 pounds. You put the pads on him, how do you get a puck past this guy? It's going to be very difficult.
Some other wild notes. Bill Guerin named NHL GM of the year for this past season. He made a huge splash by acquiring Quinn Hughes from Vancouver. And once again, Minnesota was the state that produced the most NHL draft picks. A total of 53 players from the US were chosen, and 12 came from the Land of 10,000 Rinks, perhaps the best known one, Wyatt Cullen.
NINA MOINI: All right.
ERIC NELSON: Was the top Minnesotan chosen first round pick goes to Nashville. He's from Moorhead. You may remember his father, Nina, Matt Cullen.
NINA MOINI: I don't, but I'm so sorry. We're going to have to go. Eric and Wally, thank you so much. Thank you all for tuning in.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
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