Diana Taurasi whips wild pass to Leilani Mitchell for clutch bucket
Sep 6, 2017, 9:44 PM | Updated: 9:57 pm
Diana Taurasi didn’t have a classic Diana Taurasi game Wednesday, but when the first-round playoff game came down to the final minutes of what would become a 79-69 win, there was the 13-year veteran making plays.
When the Seattle Storm cut the lead to within four points, 67-63, Taurasi buried a three-pointer with 1:12 left to put Phoenix ahead by seven. Then, she made an eye-popping play with 36 seconds left.
Seattle had cut it to a 70-65 Mercury lead with 36 seconds left when Taurasi came off a screen and drew the attention of three Storm defenders as she dribbled off a pick-and-roll near the right corner.
This Diana Taurasi pass is fantastic pic.twitter.com/7jcyXEPpn8
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) September 7, 2017
As Seattle weakside defenders watched, a backscreen on the far side of the court freed up Leilani Mitchell for a corner three. Despite defenders hounding her, Taurasi somehow whipped a perfect pass across the court. Mitchell did the rest, knocking down a backbreaking shot that put the game out of reach as Phoenix knocked down its free throws to close out the win.
Taurasi finished with 14 points, three rebounds and three assists but struggled from the field by going 2-for-8.
Mitchell added 17 while Brittney Griner led Phoenix with 23 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.
