Cheryl Reeve Blasts Star Player for Decisions During Lynx Loss
The Minnesota Lynx are sitting pretty right now.
As of August 22, they currently have a 28-7 record, which puts them atop the WNBA standings by 5.5 games over the No. 2-seeded Atlanta Dream. They've got the best defense in the league (opponents are averaging 76 points per game against them), are 0.2 points away from having the best offense in the league (they're averaging 86.2 points per game while the New York Liberty and Los Angeles Sparks are both averaging 86.4), and they've only lost one regular season game at home this season.
However, that's not to say things are perfect in Lynx land. The team has lost two straight games (the first time this season they've done so), their star player, Napheesa Collier, remains sidelined with an ankle injury, and they're in the midst of a back-to-back where they lost to the Dream on Thursday and now must play the Indiana Fever on Friday.
What's more, it seems that Cheryl Reeve isn't happy with how star guard Courtney Williams is playing. At least, she certainly wasn't happy with what Williams did in the final moments of Thursday's loss.
Cheryl Reeve Calls Courtney Williams Out for Actions at End of Lynx Loss to Dream
Williams had the ball in her hands with the Lynx down two points during the game's final possession. She took a shot with 1.9 seconds remaining, which was blocked. From there, there was a pause in the action because the ball went out of bounds, off Atlanta, thus giving the Lynx one more chance to tie the game.
They inbounded the ball to Williams (who finished with 6 points and 5 turnovers on 3 of 14 shooting) from the baseline with 1.7 seconds left, she was swarmed with defenders, and ultimately passed the ball to nobody, thus cementing Minnesota's loss.
Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve was critical of Williams' decisions during this stretch when speaking with media after the game, where she said of the final possession, “[We] played two-man with Courtney. She had [Alanna Smith] wide open and missed her. [Smith] had a layup. And then Courtney tried to take off with a layup, and her shot fell well short," per an X post from Andrew Dukowitz of Zone Coverage.
"And then obviously, the last [possession], I’m not sure what went into our decisions of who was where in our late-clock play. Courtney had the ball again and wasn’t able to make the play for us,” Reeve concluded.
Cheryl Reeve on the last possession of the game in the loss to the Dream
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) August 22, 2025
“Played two man with Courtney, she had Lan wide open and missed her, Lan had a layup. Then Courtney tried to take one with a layup and her shot fell well short. And then obviously the last one I’m not sure… pic.twitter.com/wdUCoZ6J7p
Reeve and Williams will both look to bounce back against the Fever on Friday.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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