Fowles leads Lynx past Fever, secure playoff bye

Sylvia Fowles scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and the Minnesota Lynx pulled away in the second half for a 92-73 win over the Indiana Fever on Friday night, clinching a first-round bye in the WNBA playoffs.

Minnesota (21-10) has won 16 of 19 games en route to securing a top four seed as the playoffs begin next week. Indiana (6-25) will finish with the worst record in the league and clinched the best chance at winning the draft lottery.

The Lynx were up seven midway through the third quarter before closing with a 13-4 run to lead 70-54. The Fever, playing their third game in six days with only seven players available, never threatened in the fourth quarter.

Napheesa Collier finished with 17 points and Crystal Dangerfield added 15 for Minnesota.

Kelsey Mitchell matched her season high with 26 points and with nine field goals, joining Candice Dupree (once) and Tamika Catchings (three times) as the only Indiana players to reach 200 field goals in a season.