Mercury could face Lynx with Fowles in 2nd round
The Phoenix Mercury rarely beat the Minnesota Lynx with 6-9 Brittney Griner. To do so without Griner when the Lynx could have 6-6 Sylvia Fowles back for the first time since Aug. 13 is a big ask going into a WNBA playoff second round elimination game Thursday.
Neither All-WNBA center played in the regular season meetings, Griner out for personal reasons that ended her season after12 games and Fowles with a calf injury. The teams split those games, Minnesota winning 90-80 Aug. 21 then the Mercury ending an 11-game losing streak in the series (playoffs included) with an 83-79 win Aug. 30.
But Fowles has a chance to play in a game that will advance the winner to a best-of-five semifinal series against Las Vegas or Seattle starting Sunday. That adds considerably to the defensive burden on Mercury starting posts, 6-4 Kia
Vaughn and 6-3 Brianna Turner.
Fowles was listed as questionable and guard Lexie Brown (concussion) out on the Lynx injury report Wednesday.
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve could pair Fowles with 6-3 Damiris Dantas and 6-1
Napheesa Collier for a front court that might overpower the undersized Mercury, who expect 6-4 Alanna Smith to be available off the bench.
Smith played nine minutes in the first half of a win over Washington on Tuesday before reinjuring an ankle that kept her out the previous three games.
Conversely, the Lynx would be readapting to having Fowles in the lineup after playing without her for 16 of 22 regular season games (although she played only one minute Aug.13), something that can take time even for a 13-year veteran.
"We run a lot of stuff through her," Lynx guard Odyssey Sims said. "She gets a lot of people open. She's unguardable 1-on-1. I wouldn't say it's hard to integrate her back into the offense. It's just getting used to playing with her again and having that inside presence we haven't had."
Mercury coach Sandy Brondello believes her team can match up against the Lynx even though they had a 42-30 edge in paint points without Fowles in the Aug. 30 game.
"She (Fowles) might be a little rusty so we have to use that to our advantage," Brondello said. "Kia is a little underrated. She's hard to post up against. She's that physical body and makes it hard to catch the ball. We're going to need that."
Vaughn had her sixth double-digit scoring game Tuesday since replacing Griner, including three critical baskets early in the fourth quarter. Turner has evolved in her second pro season into one of the WNBA's leading rebounders and shot blockers.
If Fowles plays, Turner would start out against Dantas and Diana Taurasi on Collier in a multi-generational pairing of former Connecticut collegiate stars.
Lynx starting guards Sims and Crystal Dangerfield, another UConn product favored to win WNBA Rookie of the Year, will have their hands full against Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith.
The Mercury guards combined for 47 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in the 85-84 comeback win over the Mystics. It was Diggins-Smith's first career playoff win and Taurasi's 36th, the latter now 14-1 in winner-take-all games.
"There's something about this team that doesn't want to go home," Taurasi said. "We've found joy in being together and it shows on the court. We're up and down, but this team finds a way to stay together and grind it out. Is it always going to end up in a win? Maybe not, but you can be happy with the way we try to play. I have so much respect for everyone here because it's not easy. It's a big sacrifice."
The entire WNBA season has been played at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, because of the coronavirus pandemic, which in Taurasi's case has taken
her away from her wife Penny Taylor and 2-year-old son Leo for 21⁄ months.
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But the Mercury now are one win away from reaching the WNBA semifinals for the seventh time in the last eight years, something that seemed unattainable when they fell to 6-7 after losing to the Lynx on Aug. 21. They're 8-2 since and perhaps with enough confidence to beat Minnesota in the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
"It's been a grind (against Minnesota) the last few years," Brondello said. "Cheryl has done a great job with them. They're a young team. Dangerfield and Collier don't play like rookies or second years. They're big time, and they've got complimentary players around them. That's what makes them dangerous. Cheryl's going to have them ready to go. We've got to come out with better energy than we did yesterday because we may be in a way bigger hole."
Washington led by as many as 13 on Tuesday. The No. 5 seed Mercury didn't lead at all until less than five minutes remained and needed a buzzer-beating 3pointer by Shey Peddy to take down the No. 8 Mystics.