2023 Minnesota Lynx season

The 2023 Minnesota Lynx season was the 25th season for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association, and the fourteenth season under head coach Cheryl Reeve.

Reeve signed a multi-year contract extension to return as Head Coach in November, while also moving from General Manager to President of Basketball Operations. On December 13, 2022, the Lynx announced Clare Duwelius as the fourth General Manager in franchise history.

The Lynx earned the second overall pick through the 2023 WNBA Draft Lottery. They went into the lottery selection holding the fourth best odds to get the first overall pick, but still moved up two selections.

On November 22, 2022, Natalie Achonwa announced her pregnancy via Instagram.

The WNBA announced that the first WNBA Canada Game would feature the Chicago Sky and the Lynx on Saturday, May 13, 2023, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON. This would be the first-ever WNBA preseason game in Canada.

On September 4, Napheesa Collier was announced as the first-ever winner of the Sylvia Fowles Altruism Award. The Sylvia Fowles Altruism Award will be an annual award recognizing a Lynx player who best embodies the altruistic traits of kindness, selflessness and overall regard for the well-being of others throughout the community.

The Lynx season started out slowly as they lost five straight games to start the season, ending May 0–5. The losing streak was extended to six as the Lynx lost their first game in June. They won their first game of the season on June 3. They followed up the win with another loss, but then beat Los Angeles back to back. They lost two of their next three games, but won two straight games against Seattle to end June with a 6–4 record. Their two game win streak carried over into July, where the Lynx won their first three games of the month. This five game winning streak was followed by a three game losing streak. The Lynx would win four of their last five games of the month to finish July with a 7–4 record, and make it back to .500 overall. The better fortunes would not stick around to begin August as the Lynx lost three of their first four games. They did win three of their next four before losing the last two games of the month to finish August 4–6. Entering September, the Lynx were solidly in the hunt for a playoff spot. They won their first two games of the month and secured a playoff spot on September 5. They would lose their last two games of the season and finish September 2–2.

The Lynx finished the season 19–21, which saw them finish in a tie for fifth place in the playoff standings. In the tiebreaker with the Atlanta Dream and the Washington Mystics they finished second. The tiebreaker was overall record against the teams and Minnesota was 3–3. As the sixth overall seed in the 2023 WNBA Playoffs the Lynx would face off against the Connecticut Sun, with the first two games of the series being in Connecticut. In the first game of the series, the Sun got off to a hot start and ended up winning game one 90–60. Needing to win to force a third game, the Lynx won a close game in Connecticut 82–75. However, they could not seal the series at home, losing 75–90 to end their season.

Preseason

 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 1
 * May 5
 * Washington
 * W 72–69
 * Diamond Miller (19)
 * Dorka Juhász (10)
 * Tiffany Mitchell (6)
 * Target Center 5,001
 * 1–0
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 2
 * May 13
 * vs. Chicago
 * L 74–82
 * Tiffany Mitchell (19)
 * Juhász McBride (6)
 * Tiffany Mitchell (6)
 * Scotiabank Arena 19,800
 * 1–1

Regular Season

 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 1
 * May 19
 * Chicago
 * L 66–77
 * Napheesa Collier (17)
 * Jessica Shepard (8)
 * Jessica Shepard (7)
 * Target Center 8,024
 * 0–1
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 2
 * May 23
 * Atlanta
 * L 77–83
 * Napheesa Collier (20)
 * Jessica Shepard (10)
 * Napheesa Collier (5)
 * Target Center 7,803
 * 0–2
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 3
 * May 25
 * @ Phoenix
 * L 81–90
 * Aerial Powers (20)
 * Napheesa Collier (7)
 * Collier Mitchell (4)
 * Footprint Center 6,057
 * 0–3
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 4
 * May 28
 * @ Las Vegas
 * L 73–94
 * Napheesa Collier (21)
 * Jessica Shepard (15)
 * Jessica Shepard (7)
 * Michelob Ultra Arena 7,970
 * 0–4
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 5
 * May 30
 * @ Dallas
 * L 89–94
 * Kayla McBride (18)
 * Jessica Shepard (10)
 * Jessica Shepard (5)
 * College Park Center 3,484
 * 0–5


 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 6
 * June 1
 * Connecticut
 * L 84–89
 * Napheesa Collier (30)
 * Jessica Shepard (12)
 * Collier Shepard (4)
 * Target Center 8,124
 * 0–6
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 7
 * June 3
 * @ Washington
 * W 80–78
 * Kayla McBride (24)
 * Napheesa Collier (9)
 * Jessica Shepard (6)
 * Entertainment and Sports Arena 3,534
 * 1–6
 * - style="background:#ccc;"
 * 8
 * June 7
 * @ New York
 * colspan=4 | Postponed until July 28 due to poor air quality
 * Barclays Center
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 9
 * June 9
 * Indiana
 * L 69–71
 * Napheesa Collier (28)
 * Napheesa Collier (14)
 * Allen Shepard (4)
 * Target Center 8,510
 * 1–7
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 10
 * June 11
 * Los Angeles
 * W 91–86
 * Napheesa Collier (24)
 * Jessica Shepard (13)
 * Napheesa Collier (6)
 * Target Center 8,025
 * 2–7
 * - style="background:#bbffbb"
 * 11
 * June 16
 * @ Los Angeles
 * W 77–72
 * Napheesa Collier (25)
 * Napheesa Collier (6)
 * Rachel Banham (6)
 * Crypto.com Arena 5,265
 * 3–7
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 12
 * June 18
 * @ Las Vegas
 * L 62–93
 * Napheesa Collier (18)
 * Dorka Juhász (9)
 * Carleton Juhász (3)
 * Michelob Ultra Arena 8,036
 * 3–8
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 13
 * June 20
 * @ Los Angeles
 * W 67–61
 * Napheesa Collier (26)
 * Napheesa Collier (14)
 * Lindsay Allen (8)
 * Crypto.com Arena 4,180
 * 4–8
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 14
 * June 22
 * Connecticut
 * L 68–89
 * Napheesa Collier (21)
 * Collier Engstler (7)
 * Lindsay Allen (7)
 * Target Center 7,024
 * 4–9
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 15
 * June 27
 * Seattle
 * W 104–93
 * Napheesa Collier (33)
 * Dorka Juhász (12)
 * Lindsay Allen (9)
 * Target Center 7,014
 * 5–9
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 16
 * June 29
 * @ Seattle
 * W 99–97 (OT)
 * Napheesa Collier (31)
 * Collier Juhász (8)
 * Lindsay Allen (6)
 * Climate Pledge Arena 6,894
 * 6–9
 * 6–9


 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 17
 * July 1
 * @ Phoenix
 * W 86–76
 * Diamond Miller (25)
 * Napheesa Collier (9)
 * Lindsay Allen (8)
 * Footprint Center 8,777
 * 7–9
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 18
 * July 5
 * Indiana
 * W 90–83
 * Napheesa Collier (32)
 * Napheesa Collier (8)
 * Lindsay Allen (6)
 * Target Center 7,624
 * 8–9
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 19
 * July 7
 * Phoenix
 * W 75–64
 * Napheesa Collier (12)
 * Napheesa Collier (12)
 * Napheesa Collier (5)
 * Target Center 7,714
 * 9–9
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 20
 * July 9
 * Las Vegas
 * L 89–113
 * Napheesa Collier (18)
 * Carleton Collier Milić (5)
 * Rachel Banham (7)
 * Target Center 7,701
 * 9–10
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 21
 * July 12
 * Dallas
 * L 67–107
 * Napheesa Collier (11)
 * Allen Milić (5)
 * Allen Banham (6)
 * Target Center 13,351
 * 9–11
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 22
 * July 18
 * @ Atlanta
 * L 73–82
 * Napheesa Collier (35)
 * Dorka Juhász (12)
 * Lindsay Allen (5)
 * Gateway Center Arena 2,394
 * 9–12
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 23
 * July 20
 * Los Angeles
 * W 73–70
 * Napheesa Collier (22)
 * Dorka Juhász (10)
 * Diamond Miller (9)
 * Target Center 7,014
 * 10–12
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 24
 * July 22
 * Las Vegas
 * L 81–98
 * Diamond Miller (17)
 * Collier Juhász (8)
 * Lindsay Allen (4)
 * Target Center 7,801
 * 10–13
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 25
 * July 26
 * Washington
 * W 97–92
 * Napheesa Collier (24)
 * Napheesa Collier (11)
 * Diamond Miller (9)
 * Target Center 7,024
 * 11–13
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 26
 * July 28
 * New York
 * W 88–83
 * Kayla McBride (26)
 * Dorka Juhász (10)
 * Allen McBride Shepard (4)
 * Barclays Center 6,129
 * 12–13
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 27
 * July 30
 * @ Connecticut
 * W 87–83
 * Kayla McBride (19)
 * Jessica Shepard (14)
 * Lindsay Allen (6)
 * Mohegan Sun Arena 8,275
 * 13–13


 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 28
 * August 1
 * @ Connecticut
 * L 69–79
 * Lindsay Allen (16)
 * Dorka Juhász (11)
 * Diamond Miller (6)
 * Mohegan Sun Arena 4,894
 * 13–14
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 29
 * August 4
 * New York
 * L 66–76
 * Napheesa Collier (18)
 * Jessica Shepard (11)
 * Lindsay Allen (10)
 * Target Center 7,631
 * 13–15
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 30
 * August 8
 * @ Chicago
 * W 88–79
 * Napheesa Collier (29)
 * Diamond Miller (11)
 * Kayla McBride (7)
 * Wintrust Arena 5,099
 * 14–15
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 31
 * August 10
 * @ Indiana
 * L 73–91
 * Rachel Banham (18)
 * Jessica Shepard (7)
 * Lindsay Allen (5)
 * Gainbridge Fieldhouse 2,551
 * 14–16
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 32
 * August 18
 * @ Seattle
 * W 78–70
 * Napheesa Collier (24)
 * Dorka Juhász (12)
 * Collier Juhász McBride (4)
 * Climate Pledge Arena 8,865
 * 15–16
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 33
 * August 20
 * Seattle
 * L 74–88
 * Kayla McBride (18)
 * Napheesa Collier (9)
 * Diamond Miller (6)
 * Target Center 6,525
 * 15–17
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 34
 * August 22
 * Dallas
 * W 91–86
 * Napheesa Collier (29)
 * Napheesa Collier (7)
 * Dorka Juhász (7)
 * Target Center 6,291
 * 16–17
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 35
 * August 24
 * @ Dallas
 * W 90–81
 * Napheesa Collier (25)
 * Collier McBride (7)
 * Tiffany Mitchell (7)
 * College Park Center 3,931
 * 17–17
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 36
 * August 26
 * New York
 * L 76–111
 * Diamond Miller (18)
 * Diamond Miller (9)
 * Rachel Banham (4)
 * Target Center 7,101
 * 17–18
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 37
 * August 29
 * @ Washington
 * L 72–83
 * Diamond Miller (25)
 * Napheesa Collier (10)
 * Collier Juhász (4)
 * Entertainment and Sports Arena 3,708
 * 17–19


 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 38
 * September 1
 * Atlanta
 * W 91–85 (OT)
 * Napheesa Collier (27)
 * Napheesa Collier (17)
 * Juhász Mitchell (6)
 * Target Center 7,114
 * 18–19
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 39
 * September 3
 * Phoenix
 * W 86–73
 * Kayla McBride (23)
 * Napheesa Collier (16)
 * Dorka Juhász (8)
 * Target Center 7,314
 * 19–19
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 40
 * September 8
 * @ Chicago
 * L 87–92
 * Napheesa Collier (28)
 * Dorka Juhász (10)
 * Collier Juhász Mitchell (5)
 * Wintrust Arena 7,994
 * 19–20
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 41
 * September 10
 * @ Indiana
 * L 72–87
 * Kayla McBride (24)
 * Collier Juhász (10)
 * Tiffany Mitchell (3)
 * Gainbridge Fieldhouse 4,009
 * 19–21

Playoffs

 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 1
 * September 13
 * @ Connecticut
 * L 60–90
 * Kayla McBride (16)
 * Collier Juhász (6)
 * Kayla McBride (3)
 * Mohegan Sun Arena 5,056
 * 0–1
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 2
 * September 17
 * @ Connecticut
 * W 82–75
 * Kayla McBride (28)
 * Napheesa Collier (13)
 * Dorka Juhász (6)
 * Mohegan Sun Arena 6,673
 * 1–1
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 3
 * September 20
 * Connecticut
 * L 75–90
 * Napheesa Collier (31)
 * Kayla McBride (7)
 * Tiffany Mitchell (5)
 * Target Center 8,724
 * 1–2

Regular Season
‡Waived/Released during the season

†Traded during the season

≠Acquired during the season