A hush fell over the Target Center crowd 24 seconds into the game.
Kayla McBride was down. It did not look good. Her teammates surrounded her on the court, where she writhed in pain, crying and covering her face. Two staffers helped McBride off the floor and into the locker room.
But later that same quarter, after sustaining a minor right knee injury, McBride was back on the court. The veteran guard managed to tough it out. So did the Lynx, who pulled out a narrow win over the Washington Mystics, 80-76, at Target Center Friday night in a game with 11 lead changes.
Alanna Smith led the Lynx (26-5) with 25 points — the most she’s scored since June — to go alongside five rebounds and four assists. Guards Courtney Williams, DiJonai Carrington and McBride all finished in double digits. Rookie Sonia Citron had a game-high 26 points on 9-for-12 shooting.
The Lynx entered Friday with a 1-1 record in Mystics matchups this season. Notably, though, both rosters looked quite different this week.
MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier was out Friday for the second straight game since sustaining a right ankle injury on August 2. The Mystics (13-16) were without point guard Brittney Sykes and forward Aaliyah Edwards — both traded away this week.
Did Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve expect a different approach from the Mystics as a result?
“Honestly, not at all,” Reeve said before the game. “I think this is a team that’s committed to their style.”