The Minnesota Lynx have one of the best offenses in the WNBA, but their success starts on defense.Minnesota (15-3) has the second-best scoring defense in the league and also holds opponents to the second-lowest shooting percentage. After limiting Chicago to 39.1 percent shooting in a victory Tuesday, the Lynx take aim Thursday night at the Eastern Conference cellar-dwelling Connecticut Sun (4-13).We just told our team that we are 78-1 when we hold our opponents below 40 percent, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said in Tuesdays postgame press conference. That is how we win. That will always be the case with this group. That is where it starts and ends.Minnesota, which got off to a WNBA-record 13-0 start, lost three in a row before winning its past two games.The Lynx allowed an average of 92 points during their losing streak and failed to hold any of those three foes under 40 percent shooting. For the season, they allow 75.2 points and 41.6 percent shooting.Minnesota and Connecticut are meeting for the first time this season.The Sun are coming off their most impressive win of the season, an 86-83 triumph at Dallas on Saturday. Their other victories have come against San Antonio (twice) and Seattle, teams out of the playoff picture if the season ended today.Connecticut is ninth in scoring at 80.3 points per game. Guard Alex Bentley averages a team-best 14.4 points per contest. Forward Alyssa Thomas averages 10.6 and guard Jasmine Thomas is at 10.2.The Lynx, who average 83.3 points, are led by forward Maya Moore at 19.3 points and 4.3 assists per game. She scored 33 in the 87-82 win over Chicago, and her second-half defense on Sky star Elena Delle Donne was key. Delle Donne, the reigning league MVP, scored 38, but had just 13 after halftime when Moore got the defensive assignment.When Maya had a chance to guard her, it really got Maya going, Reeve said.Minnesota has balance behind Moore. Center Sylvia Fowles averages 13.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, shooting 58.7 percent. Guard Seimone Augustus averages 10.2 points. Guard Lindsay Whalen averages 8.6 points, 3.5 assists and shoots 37.5 percent from 3-point range.Custom Seattle Mariners Jerseys . The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Lions have not announced the hiring, which was first reported by ESPN. Lombardi, the grandson of former Green Bay Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi, has been an offensive assistant on Sean Paytons New Orleans staff since 2007. Custom Milwaukee Bucks Jerseys . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. https://www.cheapcustomjerseysonline.com/custom-cleveland-cavaliers-jerseys/ . World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won the gold medal with 237.71 points, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch followed at 208.45 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia were third at 187. Custom Calgary Flames Jerseys . He was followed closely by David Clarkson, donning red, seconds later. Clarksons actions one night earlier, leaping off the bench in defence of Kessel during a pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres, will cost him the first 10 games of the regular season. Custom England Soccer Jerseys . Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night.McLaren decided not to take part in Pirellis 2017 tyre testing programme as it believed designing mule a car would have been too much of a distraction.Testing of 2017 prototype tyres got underway this week when Ferrari and Red Bull ran mule cars fitted with the new, wider rubber. In order to be ready for the challenge of 2017, Pirelli will complete 24 testing days with Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes before the end of the year, including a final validation test at Abu Dhabi with all three teams present.The three teams have all developed mule cars to accommodate the wider rubber and simulate the increased downforce loads in 2017, but McLaren opted to reject the invitation to do the same.In the end you have to balance the costs and the distraction for your resources, McLaren racing director Eric Boullier explained. Where we are now obviously, we believe it was better not to get distracted by doing a new car and [Pirelli] testing.There is some learning to do the testiing, but most of the data is shared to the non-testing teams and I think that, today, we are not where we want to be so wed be better focused on making our car faster.ddddddddddddWilliams technical director Pat Symonds believes the teams testing will be at an inherent advantage next year after his team considered taking part in the tests but ultimately withdrew for cost reasons. However, when Boullier was asked if he thought McLaren would be at a disadvantage by not testing, he simply replied: No.Boullier said McLaren has now shifted its focus to 2017 with all future developments for the 2016 car aimed at providing some carry over to next year.There will obviously be some car developments after the shutdown - every development that we are doing is obviously applicable to next years car so now we have focused on this and next years car. ' ' '