Lynx lose to Sparks 68-51 to end regular season

The best thing about what happened at Target Center on Thursday night and the most positive thing Lynx fans can take away is this:

It didn’t matter. None of that.

“Rinse it out and let’s go,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said after the Lynx ended the regular season with a 68-51 loss to the last-place Los Angeles Sparks.

The Lynx (30-10) entered the game with a secure No. 2 seed, knowing they will begin the playoffs at home against Phoenix at 4 p.m. Sunday. Reeve rested his stars Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride and let Diamond Miller and Myisha Hines-Allen start instead.

No Lynx player played 30 minutes.

Still, the 51 points were the lowest point total by a Reeve-coached Lynx team, the lowest since 2010. Minnesota scored season-low points in the first quarter, first half, third quarter and game. On a night when they made about 40 percent of their shots, the Lynx shot less than 30 percent overall (28.6) for the first time this season and had a season-low 11 assists.

“We never found our rhythm,” said Natisha Hiedeman. “We should have been more aggressive on offense. I saw that.”

The Lynx failed to score a player in double figures for only the second time in franchise history and the first since July 6, 1999 – Minnesota’s inaugural season – against the Houston Comets.