Game 2 preview: Minnesota Lynx vs. Phoenix Mercury

The Phoenix Mercury will try to stay alive in their first-round WNBA playoff series against the Minnesota Lynx this Wednesday, Sept. 25. The Lynx, who won Game 1 of the series last weekend, will once again host the Mercury; tip-off is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

While it certainly wasn’t for a lack of effort in Game 1, the No. 7-seed Mercury still find themselves in an 0-1 hole after falling to Minnesota 102-95 in the series opener. The game had all the makings of an instant classic: The widely-favored Lynx led by as many as 23 points early on, but the Mercury chipped away in the second half, eventually taking a brief lead thanks to a flurry of 3-pointers and a superb performance by Natasha Cloud (career-high 33 points and 10 assists).

In the end, though, Minnesota proved why it’s the No. 2-seeded team in the WNBA playoffs. Star forward Napheesa Collier was at her very best, scoring a game-high 38 points, and the Lynx as a team were highly efficient offensively, recording assists on 30 of their 34 made field goals and making 24 of their 25 free throw attempts (96 percent). After a Cloud layup put the Mercury ahead 92-91, Minnesota finished the game on an 11-3 run, highlighted by a Bridget Carleton 3-pointer that sealed the deal for the Lynx.

And so, despite their efforts, the Mercury find themselves entering Game 2 with their backs against the wall. Head coach Nate Tibbetts expressed confidence in his team’s ability to carry their second-half play into Wednesday, while also stressing the importance of sustaining that play for a full 40 minutes. “We really found ourselves in the second half [of Game 1], and we need to build off that,” Tibbetts said of his team’s mentality heading into Game 2. “We can’t take a step back.”

While the numbers for Phoenix were mostly impressive in Game 1, there are certainly a few areas the Mercury can improve upon in Game 2 to give themselves a better chance. Getting outscored 56-42 in the first half is an obvious one, as is center Brittney Griner only getting 10 shot attempts from the field.

Similarly, while the Lynx ended up winning Game 1, Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve knows they’ll need to lock in on defense in Game 2 to prevent the Mercury from hanging around again. Reeve said during Lynx practice that Minnesota’s defense in Game 1 “was not one of the top defenses in the league;” during the regular season, Minnesota ranked second in the WNBA in defensive rating, but Reeve mentioned that the Lynx allowed the Mercury to be too aggressive in the series opener.

Whichever adjustments are made, the winner of Game 2 will still likely be decided by that team’s star player. Collier is at the peak of her powers for Minnesota, while the Mercury have several candidates for breakout games, including Copper, Griner and the seemingly ageless Diana Taurasi, who scored 21 points and hit five 3-pointers in Game 1. The Mercury have hinted on social media that this could be Taurasi’s final season playing in the WNBA; Phoenix will need to heed Tibbetts’ message and come out strong on Wednesday if her career will extend past Game 2 of the series.

Game information

No. 7-seed Phoenix Mercury (0-1) at No. 2-seed Minnesota Lynx (1-0)

When: Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 9:30 p.m. ET

Where: Target Center in Minneapolis, MN

How to watch: ESPN

Mercury injury report: Charisma Osborne (questionable; leg), Rebecca Allen (out; back)

Lynx injury report: none