Lynx lock up WNBA top seed despite loss to Fever; Miles nursing calf injury

Minnesota clinched the No. 1 playoff seed when Portland beat Golden State, but a 96-77 loss in Indiana and Olivia Miles' calf injury raised concerns ahead of the postseason.

The Minnesota Lynx secured the top seed in the WNBA playoffs on Tuesday night without winning, falling 96-77 to the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse before the Portland Fire's 90-82 overtime victory over the Golden State Valkyries handed Minnesota the No. 1 spot anyway.

The Lynx trailed by as many as 29 points in the first half, their largest deficit of the season after never being down more than 20 in any previous game. They cut the margin to seven with a 30-14 third quarter, but Indiana held Minnesota to 13 points in the fourth while the Lynx rested their starters for much of the second half.

Caitlin Clark paced the Fever with 27 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Napheesa Collier called the performance embarrassing, saying the team should be disappointed in what it put on the floor.

Rookie Olivia Miles was a late scratch with a left calf injury after being listed as questionable. She told ESPN the absence was precautionary and that she planned to try practicing Wednesday before deciding whether to play in Thursday's regular-season finale against the Fever in Minnesota.

Miles, averaging 19.8 points, has 790 points this season after scoring 21 in Sunday's win over Connecticut, breaking Caitlin Clark's rookie scoring record of 769 set in 2024. The Lynx, now 32-11, have made the playoffs in all but two seasons under coach Cheryl Reeve, winning four championships, most recently in 2017.