Mercury mount 23-point comeback, Lynx pull away late for Game 1 win in WNBA playoffs

The Phoenix Mercury climbed back from a 23-point deficit to take the lead in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s playoff opener against the Lynx, but Minnesota pulled away in the closing minutes to take Game 1, 102-95.

Bridget Carleton gave the No. 2-seed Lynx a 98-92 lead on a fall-away 3-pointer with 39 seconds left, a backbreaker for the underdog No. 7-seed Mercury.

BRIDGET “BIG SHOT” CARLETON DOES IT AGAIN 👑

Clutch bucket may have sealed the deal for the @minnesotalynx in Game 1

MIN-PHX | #WNBAPlayoffs presented by Google pic.twitter.com/Mu4U91Y9Xz

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 22, 2024

Phoenix point guard Natasha Cloud was spectacular with 33 points on 14-of-23 shooting, 10 assists and six rebounds. She also had an incredible behind-the-head assist.

https://t.co/f5LLEmFHNQ pic.twitter.com/MvftHzkTj7

— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) September 22, 2024

Diana Taurasi added 21 points on 8-for-16 shooting, while Kahleah Copper scored 16.

Napheesa Collier was dominant for the Lynx with 38 points — 13 from the free-throw line — on 11-for-19 shooting.

The Lynx jumped ahead 23-8 out of the gates and extended the lead to 50-27 in the second quarter.

Phoenix chipped away for a more manageable 56-42 deficit at the half, helped by a Cloud triple with 15 seconds remaining. Cloud hit another 3-pointer with one second left in the third period, this time to cut Minnesota’ lead to 77-69 with 10 minutes play.

In a less-than-two-minute stretch from 8:13 to 6:39 left on the clock, Copper scored at the cup and hit a triple, followed by a Taurasi 3-pointer and a Cloud midrange jumper. The Lynx called timeout after the 10-2 run, as the Mercury were down only one.

The Mercury took the lead with a pair of free throws from Brittney Griner with 4:44 left, their first lead since 4-2 in the opening moments.

The two sides went back-and-forth until the final two minutes, when Minnesota ended the game on an 11-3 run.

The Mercury now face elimination on the road, which could spell the end of Taurasi’s 20-year career — she has not said whether or not she will return next season.

Game 2 is Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN.

If the Mercury win, Game 3 would be back in Phoenix on Friday.

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