The Lynx’s pregame routine rarely varies.



All players make their way to the court at least 90 minutes before game time. For home games, Damiris Dantas uses an electric foam roller to loosen her muscles on the baseline. Sylvia Fowles and Seimone Augustus force laughter out of their teammates with their dance moves. Odyssey Sims greets an opponent with a friendliness that vanishes once the game begins. Lexie Brown practices her ball-handling with assistant coach Plenette Pierson along the half-court line. Danielle Robinson converses with head coach Cheryl Reeve near the scorer’s table.



But after Fowles and the opposing team’s center face off for each game’s introductory jump ball, all patterns are broken and anything can happen.



The Lynx began the 2019 season 3-0 and were the final team to boast an undefeated record but have since gone 1-5 and passed the quarter mark of their 34-game season on a four-game losing streak.



The...