The Minnesota Lynx can advance to the next round of the WNBA playoffs on Wednesday when they go for a first-round series sweep of the Phoenix Mercury in Minneapolis.
Minnesota, the No. 2 seed in the playoffs, won 102-95 in Game 1 of this best-of-three set behind a season-high 38 points, six rebounds and four assists from forward Napheesa Collier. Kayla McBride added 20 points and hit four crucial free throws late to put the game on ice.
The Lynx had gone ahead by as many as 23 points before the Mercury took a one-point lead with 2:06 to play on a layup from Natasha Cloud, who led Phoenix with 33 points. Minnesota scored on 10 of its final 12 possessions to take the lead back and seal the victory.
“We just play so well together,” Collier said. “We have so many assists on all of our baskets, and I got a lot of easy shots (Sunday) because of our unselfishness on our team.”
But Minnesota also knows that, while its offensive performance in Game 1 was impressive, it has to play better defense to shut the door on Phoenix. The Mercury shot 50 percent from the floor and 51.9 percent from 3-point land in the series opener.
“We’re OK with the win,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. “We also know we take a lot of pride in our defense, and that was not one of the top defenses in the league in the last game we played. And we’ve got to be that for the next game.”
Collier has been one of the WNBA’s best defenders this year, ranking second in steals per game (1.9) and first in defensive win shares (0.233) during the regular season. She was also tied for sixth in blocks per game (1.4).
For Phoenix, a loss in Game 2 might mark the end of 42-year-old guard Diana Taurasi’s WNBA career. She had 21 points against the Lynx on Sunday.
“It’s not really anything we’ve talked about as a group,” Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said. “Obviously, we know there is a chance this may be it. I think everyone wants to go on a run, not only for ourselves, but mostly for (Taurasi). I mean, it’s going to be her decision after the season. I think she’s made that pretty clear. But we love having her around. And you can see it (Sunday), she can still play.”
–Field Level Media
