Minnesota has been the class of the league so far this season with a 26-5 record after losing to New York in the WNBA Championship last October.
They proved it again Sunday in Brooklyn running the Liberty out of their own building in an 83-71 victory, playing without star forward Napheesa Collier, out with an ankle injury.
Guard Kayla McBride led Minnesota with 18 points, 4-7 from three. Tough, physical team defense set the pace.
The Lynx went on a 19-3 run to end the third quarter and a 14-6 run to start the fourth as the Liberty looked woefully out of synch, committing 18 turnovers as the visitors opened up a 75-62 lead. Sabrina Ionescu started 2-9 from the floor, but hit a couple of shots to close with 11, then another turnover led to another easy bucket by Natisha Hiedeman.
Ionescu threaded a nifty pass to Jonquel Jones cutting through the lane but the visitors led 77-64 with three minutes to play. The Lynx knocked Ionescu to the floor on a drive to the hoop, but won a challenge to deny her a trip to the line.
Jones hit a rainbow three tightly covered, Ionescu missed a three to 0-6 from distance. She made a brilliant bounce pass to feed Natasha Cloud at the hoop but Cloud missed the layup with contact under the basket. Frustrated, Cloud drew a technical at the other end.
The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the defending champions, who travel to Los Angeles for a Tuesday night game on NBA TV. Star forward Breanna Stewart should return soon from a bone bruise on her knee, which should help them reclaim their mojo before the playoffs begin in September.