DuPree, Griner, Taurasi Lead Mercury Rout Of Sky

PHOENIX (AP) — Brittney Griner set the tone for a dominating Phoenix performance with a playoff record eight blocked shots, five in the first quarter, and the Mercury routed the Chicago Sky 83-62 on Sunday in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.

Griner also had 12 points and seven rebounds. Candice Dupree made her first 10 shots and scored 26 for the Mercury in their 19th consecutive home victory. Diana Taurasi added 19 points and 11 assists.

Phoenix shot a finals record 58.5 percent from the field, Chicago 31.9 percent.

Sylvia Fowles scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Chicago but was just 8 of 20, usually against Griner in a matchup of the last two WNBA defensive players of the year. Elena Delle Donne only played 11 minutes because of a bad back. She finished with two points and didn't play in the second half with the game already out of reach.

Game 2 of the best-of-5 series is Tuesday night in Phoenix.

Alley Quigley, who was the league's sixth woman of the year, scored 13 points for the Sky. She missed 11 of her 15 shots.

Phoenix led from the opening basket, was up by 22 at the half and by as many as 30 in the third.

Griner's five first-quarter blocks broke the playoff record for a half. She finished with six at halftime.

Meanwhile, Dupree couldn't miss, going 9 for 9 in the first half, capped by a layup on a halfcourt pass from Taurasi just before the buzzer to put Phoenix up 42-20, the largest halftime lead in WNBA Finals history.

Griner dominated Fowles, blocking three of the Chicago center's first four shots and holding her to 2 of 9 shooting in the first half.

Phoenix shot 64.5 percent in the first half (20 for 31) to the Sky's 8 of 36 (22 percent).

Chicago, the No. 4 seed in the East, trailed just 17-12 after Fowles' inside basket with 8:53 to go in the second quarter, then Phoenix outscored the Sky 25-8 the rest of the half.

DuPree scored six in a 10-0 run that made it 27-12 with 6:45 to go in the half, and Chicago never got closer than 12 again.

Chicago rallied from a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit in the deciding first-round game against the East's top seed Atlanta.

But there was no such comeback against the Mercury.

Phoenix scored the first eight of the second half to lead 50-20.

Notes: The Mercury won the title in 2007 and 2009, Chicago is in the finals for the first time. ... Phoenix's only home loss was May 23 against San Antonio, the Mercury's third game of the season. ... The previous record for largest halftime lead was 20 points by Los Angeles against Detroit in 2003. ... Phoenix is 3-0 against Chicago this season. ... The previous record for blocks in a game was seven by Lisa Leslie on three occasions, twice in 2001, once in 2002.

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