MINNEAPOLIS (Interstat) — The Minnesota Lynx defeated the Toronto Tempo 100-72 on Thursday, May 21, 2026, at Target Center in front of 8,910 fans. Minnesota dominated from the start, taking a 27-14 lead after the first quarter and stretching the advantage to 53-32 at halftime. The Lynx outscored Toronto 23-16 in the third quarter to lead 76-48 entering the final period. Maya Caldwell led Minnesota with 16 points. Olivia Miles added 14 points and five assists, Courtney Williams had 15 points and eight rebounds, and Natasha Howard and Kayla McBride each scored 13. Kia Nurse topped Toronto with 23 points, shooting 7 of 15 from the field including five 3-pointers. Minnesota shot 55.1 percent from the floor to Toronto’s 33.8 percent. The Lynx held a 42-36 rebounding edge and forced 13 turnovers. Toronto made 12 of 41 three-point attempts while Minnesota hit 10 of 24. Toronto fell to 3-3 while Minnesota improved to 3-2.

MINNEAPOLIS (Interstat) — The Minnesota Lynx defeated the Toronto Tempo 100-72 on Thursday night at Target Center, improving to 3-2 while dropping Toronto to 3-3. The Lynx never trailed, establishing a double-digit lead in the first quarter and pulling away decisively in the second half before a crowd of 8,910. Minnesota scored the game’s first seven points, keyed by a driving layup from Natasha Howard and a reverse layup from Olivia Miles. The Lynx led 27-14 after the opening period, thanks to balanced scoring and aggressive defense that forced early turnovers from Toronto. Howard had eight points in the first quarter alone, while Kayla McBride added seven. The Tempo struggled to find offensive rhythm early, shooting poorly from the floor and committing multiple offensive fouls. Kia Nurse, who entered the game off the bench late in the first quarter, provided a spark with a 26-foot 3-pointer and another 24-foot 3-pointer in the final minute of the period. Nurse finished with a team-high 23 points on 27 minutes, adding four rebounds and two assists. Her scoring barrage in the fourth quarter kept Toronto within sight, but the deficit proved too large. Minnesota extended its lead to 53-32 by halftime. Courtney Williams tallied 10 points and five rebounds in the first half, while Maya Caldwell added eight points off the bench. The Lynx shot efficiently and controlled the boards, with Nia Coffey and Liatu King contributing key minutes. Toronto’s offense continued to sputter; Marina Mabrey struggled with turnovers and fouls, and the Tempo managed only 18 points in the second quarter. The third quarter saw Minnesota maintain its dominance. Olivia Miles scored seven points in the period, including a driving layup and a step-back jumper. The Lynx led 76-48 after three quarters. Toronto’s Kiki Rice, who finished with 11 points, six rebounds and four assists, hit two 3-pointers early in the third to cut the deficit temporarily, but Minnesota answered each time. Natasha Howard, who totaled 13 points and six rebounds, converted a three-point play midway through the period to keep the margin comfortable. The most critical stretch of the game occurred late in the second quarter and early in the third quarter, when Minnesota turned a 10-point lead into a 25-point cushion. A 17-4 run bridging the two quarters, featuring a 3-pointer by Williams, a layup by Howard and a pull-up jumper by Caldwell, effectively decided the outcome. Toronto called multiple timeouts but could not slow the Lynx attack. In the fourth quarter, Minnesota’s depth took over. Caldwell scored 11 of her 16 points in the final period, including two 3-pointers. She also had three rebounds and three assists. Liatu King finished with nine points and seven rebounds, while Eliska Hamzova contributed four points, six rebounds and two assists in limited minutes. The Lynx shot well from the free throw line and held Toronto to 24 points in the quarter, matching their own output. For Toronto, Kiki Rice was the only other player to reach double figures, scoring 11 points. The Tempo shot a low percentage from the floor and from 3-point range, and committed more turnovers than the Lynx. Brittney Sykes had a quiet night, and Laura Juskaite, who started, managed only two field goals. Toronto’s bench, led by Nurse, outscored the Minnesota bench in the fourth quarter but could not overcome the early deficit. Nurse’s performance marked her best scoring output of the season after a series of limited minutes in previous games. She had played 13 minutes against Phoenix on May 19, 12 minutes against Los Angeles on May 17, and nine minutes in the loss to Los Angeles on May 15. On Thursday, she logged 27 minutes and was the focal point of Toronto’s offense, making five 3-pointers and several free throws. Her 23 points were a game high for the Tempo. Minnesota’s balanced attack featured five players in double figures. Williams had 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Miles totaled 14 points, four rebounds and five assists. Kayla McBride added 13 points, and Howard finished with 13. Nia Coffey contributed eight points and three rebounds, and Maya Caldwell’s 16 points included four 3-pointers. The Lynx assisted on 20 of their 39 made field goals. Toronto’s previous results included a road win at Phoenix and a split with Los Angeles, while Minnesota had lost to Chicago on May 17 before the win over Toronto. Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Minnesota 96, Toronto 89, and the Lynx were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-6.5. The total score of 72 went over the over/under line of 171.5. Interstat’s ELO system gave Minnesota a 75.80 percent probability to win.

WNBA: Toronto Tempo at Minnesota Lynx MINNEAPOLIS (Interstat) — The Toronto Tempo and Minnesota Lynx, both sporting 2-2 records across all competitions, meet Thursday night at Target Center in a pivotal early-season WNBA matchup. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CDT. Toronto arrives following a 106-96 victory Sunday over the Los Angeles Sparks. Guard Brittney Sykes fueled the win with a dominant 38-point, one-rebound, three-assist performance in 38 minutes. It marked the third consecutive game Sykes has scored at least 18 points, following efforts of 27 and 18 points in the previous two contests. For the season, Sykes is averaging 24.3 points per game, shooting efficiently from the floor and serving as the Tempo’s primary offensive initiator. Guard Kiki Rice contributed 19 points and five rebounds in Sunday’s win, while Marina Mabrey added 14 points. Toronto’s other results this season include a 95-99 loss at Los Angeles on May 15, an 86-73 home win over Seattle on May 13, and a 65-68 home loss to Washington on May 8. Minnesota enters Thursday’s game looking to rebound from an 86-79 home loss to Chicago on Sunday. Forward Natasha Howard posted 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the defeat. Guard Kayla McBride logged 40 minutes and recorded 20 points, seven rebounds and one steal. McBride has been a consistent scoring threat, tallying 20 and 11 points in her previous two outings. The Lynx have alternated wins and losses through four games, with victories at Dallas (90-86 on May 14) and at Phoenix (88-84 on May 12), and a 91-90 home loss to Atlanta on May 9. Guard Olivia Miles chipped in 13 points and six rebounds against Chicago. A key subplot: both teams are searching for consistency after splitting their first four contests. Toronto’s offense has leaned heavily on Sykes’s scoring bursts, while Minnesota relies on a balanced attack led by McBride and Howard’s versatility in the frontcourt. The Lynx will also look to exploit home-court advantage at Target Center, where they have played only once so far this season. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 96-89 victory for Minnesota. Following Thursday’s game, Toronto travels to face Portland on May 23, while Minnesota visits Chicago on May 23.