Augustus, Brunson lead Lynx to 83-65 win over Dream

Jul 21, 2016, 12:09 am

MINNEAPOLIS -- Seimone Augustus scored 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting, Rebekkah Brunson had 13 points and 12 rebounds, and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Atlanta Dream 83-65 on Wednesday to secure a spot in the WNBA playoffs.

Minnesota (20-4) won its fifth straight and reached at least 20 victories for the sixth straight season, tying the Los Angeles Sparks (1999-2004) for the longest streak in WNBA history.

The Lynx are the second team to clinch a 2016 playoff berth after Los Angeles (20-3) qualified on Tuesday in a loss.

Sylvia Fowles had 14 points, on 6-of-8 shooting, and five blocked shots. Renee Montgomery added 12 points for the Lynx.

Fowles converted a three-point play to spark a 12-2 run that gave Minnesota a 24-14 lead with 9 minutes left in the first half and the Lynx led by at least eight points the rest of the way.

Layshia Clarendon led Atlanta (12-12) with 11 points. The Dream, ranked fourth in the AP WNBA power poll, shot 38.3 percent from the field, including 16.7 percent (2 of 12) from 3-point range.

The second-ranked Lynx had 22 assists on 29 field goals.