CHICAGO — Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve didn’t want to talk Xs and Os after Saturday’s loss to the Sky.

“It’s hard to know what schemes are the right ones when you’re not doing what’s necessary to evaluate,” she said then.

The difference, in her mind, came down to effort. The Sky came ready to compete. Her team? Not so much. That was reflected, she said, in “effort areas” like points in the paint and rebounding.

Two days later, Minnesota returned to Wintrust Arena with a chance to respond — and a will to — in a bounce back 91-78 win over the Sky. All-Star captain Napheesa Collier led the way with 29 points, also adding five assists, three rebounds and three steals. She had plenty of support from her fellow starters, with Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride and Bridget Carleton combining for 46 points.

After falling behind by 10 points late in the second quarter, the Lynx (19-4) responded by scoring eight points in less than 45 seconds. That came off three straight buckets from the trio of Williams, Carleton and McBride — a stretch in which the Lynx also forced two Angel Reese turnovers.

The Lynx trailed Chicago 46-44 at halftime, but opened the second quarter on a 12-4 run, cueing a Sky timeout midway through the third quarter.

It did little to slow Minnesota down

The Lynx went on to outscore the Sky, 24-17, in the quarter, carrying a five-point lead into the final quarter.