With their playoff lives on the line and possibly Diana Taurasi’s last playoff run of her career, the Phoenix Mercury started in front but were ultimately blown out in the second half as they were eliminated from the postseason in a 101-88 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Napheesa Collier went off for 42 points to power the Lynx (2-0)to the semifinals of the WNBA Playoffs. All five of the Lynx starters scored in double digits, with 15 from Kayla McBride, 12 from both Bridget Carleton and Alanna Smith each and former Mercury Courtney Williams capping off the win with 11.
Brittney Griner finished with 24 points and Natasha Cloud added 16 in the Mercury’s (0-2) defeat. Phoenix were swept by the Lynx 2-0 and their offseason now begins.
Mercury came out flying in a must-win game
Having no room for error given that a loss would mark the end of their season, the Mercury began playing with pace as they were a flawless 6-for-6 on its first six shots, spurring a 9-0 run. After a timeout, Phoenix was 3-for-10 but was still in front 25-21 in the first quarter.
Being the Mercury’s main contributor in Game 1 with a 33-point and 10-assist performance, Cloud’s strong mentality in the playoffs rolled into Wednesday with nine first-quarter points against the Lynx and getting her team fired up throughout the series.
https://t.co/X3VJgmoofa pic.twitter.com/4PdL5vubH6
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) September 26, 2024
“I feel like every night that I get to step on this court, I get to play in god’s honor and his glory,” Cloud said. “Everything that I do, I try to do with light and love. This game of basketball has given me so much, it has blessed my life abundantly… Every time I step on that court, I try to give it my all and that’s important for my team too. I am the best version of myself and for my teammates. That’s my job as the point guard is to be a leader.”
But to overshadow Cloud’s dynamic display, Collier one-upped her with 23 points in the first half alone. Cutting into the paint in transition, she was wide open for easy layups while also getting premium looks inside the arch. Collier and Carleton both played the entire first half.
Flipping the game on its head, Minnesota punched back with a 13-2 run of their own and took care of business off of multiple turnovers by Phoenix. The Mercury coughed up the ball eight times in the first half and 15 overall, leading to 24 points conceded.
Collier makes history, Lynx advance to semis with sweep
Pouring all of her blood, sweat and tears into the high-stakes matchup, Cunningham’s competitive chip on her shoulder was evident as the game wore on. She ferociously swiped the ball and received a flagrant foul before Courtney Williams furiously ran up on her, wanting to give Cunningham some choice words.
Sophie Cunningham was assessed a flagrant 1 for this hard foul on Bridget Carleton.
Courtney Williams was also assessed a technical foul. pic.twitter.com/Yi5dBAmbft
— ESPN (@espn) September 26, 2024
Both players had to be separated but the Lynx used that heated encounter as fuel going forward, outscoring the Mercury 23-11 for the rest of the third quarter, up 76-64.
“We had a chat at halftime of what we needed to do, and we knew they [Phoenix] were going to come out really, really hard this game,” Smith said. “Halftime was a chance to answer the desperation that they showed in the first half, and I thought we did a really good job of matching that intensity. I think we matched their physicality to a point where we were able to assert ourselves offensively.”
The two-time Olympic gold medalist Collier scored 38 points in the series opener and made history in the series clincher.
She is now the first WNBA player with 38-plus points in back-to-back games, tied Angel McCoughtry and Breanna Stewart for most points in a single playoff game (42 each) and the first player with 73-plus points (80) combined in back-to-back postseason games.Â
“Credit to them and their organization, she is an unbelievable player,” Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts said about Collier. “She puts you in a lot of difficult situations but it is the surrounding group that makes it tough. You have a decision to make when she goes down there in the post. Are you going to try to guard her 1-on-1 and hope for twos or double her and they’re making threes? She’s in the post and Carleton, Smith and McBride are spacing the floor. That makes it really tough, you don’t want to give up rotation-type threes in those situations but she [Collier] is playing at such a high level and there is a reason she was in the MVP discussion.”
Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson was the Associated Press MVP, with Collier being named to the All-WNBA First-Team and was the Defensive Player of the Year on Sunday.
In possibly her final WNBA game, Taurasi fouled out in the fourth quarter with the matchup beyond over. The 20-year veteran posted 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and one block.
“20 years is incredible, it is incredible to even think about playing 20 years at a high level. One of the all-time great competitors in any sport,” Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said about Taurasi. “The thing that when you are around Diana is for her to have the ability take care of her body and be one of the most well-conditioned athletes on the floor every single time. It is the only way she was able to perform like that all the way through her 20 seasons. The league will miss one of the all-time greatest competitors. Pretty incredible and congratulations to her, if this is it, on an incredible career.”
Phoenix will now head into the offseason with a foundation built of Cloud, Tibbetts and Kahleah Copper. Cloud, Copper, Cunningham and Rebecca Allen are all signed for next season, but the rest of the team are free agents this offseason, including Taurasi and Griner.
Time will tell how the roster will shape up and if Phoenix will be a big player in free agency. After only recording nine wins last season and dealing with a multitude of injuries, however, the Mercury eyes taking another step in 2025.
As for the Lynx, they have punched their ticket to the semifinals and will face the Connecticut Sun, who swept Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever in the first round.
Lynx star Napheesa Collier clarifies wild claim of wanting to end Diana Taurasi’s career
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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
