Minnesota Lynx storm into playoff matchup with Phoenix Mercury: What you need to know
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Lynx are headed to the playoffs, coming off their best regular season since their last WNBA Finals win.
The Lynx finished 30-10, earning the No. 2 seed in Western Conference. Head coach Cheryl Reeve has the team red-hot heading into the postseason — since the Olympic break, Minnesota has gone 13-2, with one of those losses coming in the last game of the season when star Napheesa Collier was on the bench.
Here's everything you need to know about the Minnesota Lynx as the playoffs tip off.
Who are the Lynx playing in the playoffs?
The Lynx will take on the Phoenix Mercury. The Mercury earned the No. 7 seed with a regular season record of 19-21. Phoenix is heading into the playoffs with seven losses in their last 10 games.
The Lynx won three of the four meetings with the Mercury this season, with all victories coming by double digits.
Diana Taurasi hasn't said whether she's going to retire at the end of this season or not, but Phoenix honored the league's all-time leading scorer on Thursday as if it was the end of her career. The Mercury have the talent to make a run in the playoffs with Taurasi, Brittney Griner, Natasha Cloud and Kahleah Copper leading the way. They may just be hard-pressed to beat the talented Lynx, who have been playing extremely well.
What is Vegas saying?
Vegas gives the Lynx the third-best odds to win the championship at +270, according to BetMGM. Only the Las Vegas Aces (+225) and New York Liberty (+125) have better odds. The Mercury's odds to win the title are +10,000.
Who are the key players?
Napheesa Collier had another All-Star season for the Lynx and was particularly impactful on the defensive end. She finished with the best defensive rating in the league (91.4) and was second in defensive win shares (3.6). She also averaged 20.4 points a night, along with 9.7 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.4 blocks.
Kayla McBride was second on the team in scoring with 15 points a game, followed by Courtney Williams (11.3) and Alanna Smith (10.2). Bridget Carleton proved to be an assassin from beyond the arc, shooting 44.7% on 5.2 attempts per game.
The Mercury have plenty of scoring power between Copper, Taurasi, Griner and Cloud, who all averaged double digit points this season. Griner finished top 10 in offensive rating and offensive win shares, while Copper was third in the league in points per game.
When do the Lynx play?
The three-game first round starts Sunday afternoon. Here's the full schedule:
- Game one: Sunday at 4 p.m.
- Game two: Wednesday at 8:30 p.m.
- Game three (if needed): Thursday at 11 p.m.
The first two games will be played at Target Center. If the series makes it to three games, the final one will be played in Phoenix.
Tickets are now available on the Lynx website.