Minnesota Lynx Olympian's Odd Stat Line vs. Caitlin Clark, Fever

Jason Burke | Aug 25, 2024

Jun 25, 2024; Belmont Park, New York, USA; Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith (8) drives to the basket against the New York Liberty in the first quarter of the Commissioner’s Cup Championship game at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Former Stanford Cardinal, current Minnesota Lynx star, and a bronze medalist in the Paris Olympics, Alanna Smith has a pretty solid resumé. Yet, in the Lynx 90-80 win over Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on Saturday night, her stat line was a bit perplexing.

She started, and recorded 27 minutes played with four rebounds, five assists and two blocks, but she didn't score a single point in those 27 minutes. On the season she's averaging 11 points per game, so that's not unheard of. She has gone scoreless in the past. Everyone has a cold night.

But that wasn't the case here. Smith didn't even attempt a shot in this game. No field goals, no three pointers, no free throws. Zero points.

This felt odd, so we looked into it a bit further. The last time that Alanna Smith didn't shoot the ball at least once, it was back in 2021 when she was with the Phoenix Mercury, a team that also touted (and still touts) Diana Taurasi and Britney Griner. This was on August 31, and Smith played all of two minutes.

At that point in her WNBA career, Smith had not yet started a game, but this season she has started 30 of her team's 30 games. One caveat here is that the Lynx were on the back-end of a back-to-back, and Smith had tallied 33 minutes in the previous game, along with 15 points.

Even without attempting a shot on Saturday, Smith was still able to post a +14 in her time on the floor after putting up a +18 the night before, so her impact was certainly felt on the court, it just came in a different way.

With the win, the Minnesota Lynx have clinched a spot in the WNBA playoffs and currently hold the third seed, a half-game back of the Connecticut Sun for the two seed, and three back of the New York Liberty for the top spot. The Lynx have ten games remaining on their schedule, with their next contest scheduled for Wednesday August 28 against Taurasi, Griner, and the Phoenix Mercury.