There is a chance that the Phoenix Mercury’s 2024 season will come to a close tonight, but there is even more significance behind it than at face value.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!While she hasn’t publically addressed that she has plans to retire, Game 2 vs. the Minnesota Lynx may be the end of the road for Mercury legend Diana Taurasi and her illustrious 20-year career. Even though she has broken record after record since becoming the 2004 first-overall pick, the three-time WNBA champion is close to another milestone as she is 24 points away from 1,500 in the playoffs.
Napheesa Collier is coming off of a 38-point performance where she got to the basket with relative ease and was the benefactor of receiving 14 free throw opportunities, scoring on 13 attempts. The Associated Press WNBA Defensive Player of the Year also collected six rebounds, four assists and a block in Game 1 this past Sunday.
The Lynx were 3-1 in the regular season over the Mercury and have won in dominant fashion, carrying on that success into the playoffs. Besides Phoenix’s buzzer-beating 81-80 victory on June 7, Minnesota won every other game by 10-plus points before the Game 1 102-95 win.
Former Mercury Courtney Williams was a menace on defense with her persistent pressure on whoever she was guarding, coming up with nine points, eight assists, six rebounds and four steals. Williams was drafted by Phoenix with the No. 8 overall pick in 2016.
Natasha Cloud went rogue with 33 points and 10 assists in the first game of the Mercury’s playoff run. This was the second time in as many playoff games that she scored 33 points with nine-plus assists, doing so also on Sept. 19, 2023, for the Washington Mystics.
Lynx’s head coach Cheryl Reeve kept it short when talking about what the team did wrong that they will need to change going into tonight, citing that they know what to do and left it at that.
It will be interesting to see how both teams come out in the first quarter, especially for the Mercury in a do-or-die game. Phoenix has to win or this will be the final game of the season.
Here is everything you need to know before the massive Game 2:
Mercury vs. Lynx – Game 2
Game Time: 6:30 p.m. PT
Venue: Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn.
TV: ESPN
Radio: None
Injury Report
Phoenix Mercury:Â Charisma Osborne (Lower Left Leg) – QUESTIONABLE | Rebecca Allen (Back) – OUT
Minnesota Lynx: N/A
Prediction
Minnesota Lynx 84-79 Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix scored 95 points against one of the better teams in the WNBA defensively, but it came at the expense of conceding 102. The Mercury are in a must-win situation since they either win and force a Game 3 or their 2024 season will abruptly come to an end. As mentioned above, this could very well be Taurasi’s final game of her historic career if Phoenix suffers defeat and they will throw everything at Minnesota with this notion in mind.
The Lynx are looking to advance to the next round of the playoffs and while they had to deal with adversity later on in Game 1 by losing a comfortable lead, they clawed back defensively and capitalized on scoring plays in the paint. Collier scored 38 points on Sunday and unless the Mercury keeps her at bay, the Lynx have the necessary tools to win. It will be a closer game since both teams acknowledged certain areas they needed to fix, but Minnesota is going to ultimately move on to the second round.
Mercury rookie questionable for Game 2 vs. Lynx just after return from 3-month long injury
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers ASU Athletics, the Phoenix Mercury and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
