MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Lynx looked as ife they were cruising to a comfortable victory.
Enter the Phoenix Mercury.
The No. 6 seed Mercury overcame a 20-point deficit to upend the top-seeded Lynx 89-83 in overtime. Per ESPN Research, it was only the second 20-point rally on the road in WNBA playoff history.
The series shifts to Phoenix for Game 3 on Friday (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
How did the Mercury do it? Are the Lynx still the favorite in the series? ESPN breaks down everything we saw in Game 2 on Tuesday.
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Final: Phoenix 89, Minnesota 83 OT
What the win means for Phoenix
They say a series doesn’t start until the home team loses. If that’s the case, the semifinals between the Mercury and Lynx have officially begun — and in epic fashion. Phoenix became only the fifth team in WNBA playoff history to come back from a 20-point deficit. And now the series is tied 1-1.
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Before tipoff Tuesday, Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts said the opening game of the series always has a feeling-out period. And while that seemed to continue a bit into Game 2, with the Mercury trailing by 16 at halftime, the team’s grit to fight back shows just how scary it can be. Phoenix finally found its 3-point shot, knocking down 13 from beyond the arc, while also staying strong in the paint. Alyssa Thomas’ 13 assists (to go with 19 points) are the most by a Mercury player in a playoff game.
This was as close to a must-win game as it gets for a team that wasn’t facing elimination. And now, the Mercury get to return to the desert with a chance to win a pair of home games.
What the loss means for Minnesota
In many games this year, Minnesota elevated its game as it came out of the locker room after halftime. But there was no magic in the second half Tuesday.
Now the Lynx head to Phoenix and must try to regain their edge. At 14-8, the Lynx were tied for the best road record during the regular season. Being away from home doesn’t typically seem to flap their confidence. That has to be the case in Game 3.
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Satou Sabally’s and-1 ties the score for Phoenix
Satou Sabally muscles to the rack for a tough and-1 to tie the score for the Mercury.
Whose bench will step up?
Phoenix’s bench outscored Minnesota’s reserves 22-3 on Tuesday, a big part of its monstrous comeback. Only Jessica Shepard scored off the bench for Minnesota. In Game 1, the Lynx’s second unit had the edge.
So far, all of the stars in this series have done what is expected of them. Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride have been high-volume scorers. Thomas and Satou Sabally have dominated. So, contributions from others might define this series.
On Tuesday, Sami Whitcomb scored 13 points for Phoenix — including a 3-pointer that tied the score and sent the game to overtime. Kathryn Westbeld added eight points and DeWanna Bonner had four. In the first game of the series, Minnesota’s Maria Kliundikova and Natisha Hiedeman were elite closers. These contributions could be what shifts Game 3 and the series. — Kendra Andrews
Should the Lynx still be favored now that Phoenix has home court in the series?
I think so. As much credit as the Mercury deserve for their resiliency in one of the biggest comebacks in WNBA playoff history, this was really a “make or miss league” game, to use a phrase popularized by longtime NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy.
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Minnesota’s 7-of-28 3-point shooting (25%) was the team’s worst of the playoffs thus far, and the Lynx were only less accurate in four of their 44 games in the regular season. Meanwhile, Phoenix shot better than 40% from beyond the arc, including 9-of-21 (43%) after halftime. In a game that went to overtime, that shotmaking was the difference, and there’s no reason to expect it to carry over.
At the same time, the Mercury have to feel great about earning a split on the road given their tight turnaround from the first round. Game 2 also might have showed where the Lynx miss injured guard DiJonai Carrington. Four of the five Minnesota starters logged more than 36 minutes, including Bridget Carleton topping 40 minutes for only the second time in her career and Kayla McBride playing 42.
That fatigue might have caught up with the Lynx down the stretch and in overtime. It’s up to coach Cheryl Reeve to find a way to rest her perimeter players without Carrington, who is out for the season. — Kevin Pelton
