The Minnesota Lynx took care of home court.
The No. 1 seed and defending WNBA runner-up trailed the No. 4-seeded Phoenix Mercury by seven points at halftime. But, Minnesota outscored Phoenix by 20 in the second half to win 82-69 in Game 1 of the best-of-five semifinal series in Minneapolis.
‘We never feel like we are down. We are a resilient group, so we never look up at the scoreboard. We just try to go get kills, which are stops,’ joked Lynx guard Courtney Williams, who finished with a game-high 23 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and five steals.
Lynx guard Kayla McBride added 21 points (6-of-17, 4-of-9 3PT), six rebounds and two assists. Forward Napheesa Collier, who became the second player in WNBA history to shoot at least 50% from the field, 40% from 3-point range and 90% from the free throw line in a single season, scored 18 points, nine rebounds and two assists.
The Mercury, who are coming off a Game 3 win over the defending champion New York Liberty in the first round on Friday evening, appeared to be affected by fatigue down the stretch. The Lynx closed the game on a 14-2 run.
Mercury guard Kahleah Copper had a team-high 22 points in the loss. Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Forward Satou Sabally finished with 10 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
End of 3Q: Mercury 59, Lynx 59
Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas elbowed Minnesota’s Natisha Hiedeman in the chin while gathering the ball as she charged toward the basket, resulting in a technical foul on Thomas with 36.2 seconds remaining. Lynx guard Kayla McBride hit the technical free throw to tie things up at 59 all.
The Lynx outscored the Mercury 19-12 in the second quarter.
Thomas has a team-high 18 points, six assists and five rebounds, while guard Kahleah Copper has 17 points and two rebounds. Satou Sabally didn’t score in the third quarter and remains at eight points.Napheesa Collier has 18 points and eight rebounds for the Lynx. Courtney Williams has 17 points and five steals, while Kayla McBride added 15 points and two assists.
Fever guard Monique Akoa Makani goes down
Fever guard Monique Akoa Makani exited the game with 8:38 remaining in the third quarter after appearing to injure her left knee. The rookie made knee-to-knee contact with Alanna Smith and called for a timeout as she limped before taking a seat on the ground in visible pain. She was seen with a hot pad on her knee on the bench.
Halftime: Mercury 47, Lynx 40
The Mercury went on a 8-0 run to take a nine-point lead with 1:25 left in the half, their largest of the game, before Lynx guard Courtney Williamshit a layup to end the run with 32 seconds remaining.
Phoenix leads Minnesota, 47-40.
The Mercury are 15-0 this season when their Big 3 — forward Alyssa Thomas, forward Satou Sabally and guard Kahleah Copper — score 10 or more points each. Thomas has 16 points, three rebounds and three assists. Copper has 11 points, one assist and one rebound, while Sabally added eight points, three assists and two steals.
Phoenix is 1-of-8 from the 3-point line, but the Mercury have been able to get whatever they want in the paint. Forty-two of the Mercury’s 47 points were scored in the lane, a WNBA playoff record for any half.
Lynx guard Kayla McBride started to heat up in the second quarter. McBride knocked down two 3-pointers in the second quarter, including a deep 26-footer. She’s up to a team-high 12 points. Williams scored 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steal, while Napheesa Collier has 10 points, three rebounds and two assists.
End of Q1: Mercury 24, Lynx 22
The Mercury have a two-point lead over the Lynx following a back-and-forth first quarter that featured eight lead changes and seven ties.
All five of the Mercury’s starters have scored, led by eight points and three rebounds from Alyssa Thomas. Satou Sabally added six points and one assist. Twenty-two of the Fever’s 24 first-quarter points were scored in the paint, but the Mercury are still looking to get going from beyond the arc after starting 0-of-3 from the 3-point line. (The Lynx have fared slight better and shot 2-of-9 from 3.)
Lynx forward Napheesa Collier leads all scorers with 10 points, three rebounds and one assist. Kayla McBride added six points and one assist.
What time is Phoenix Mercury at Minnesota Lynx?
The Minnesota Lynx host the Phoenix Mercury in the opening game of their WNBA playoff semifinal series at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 21, at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
How to watch Phoenix Mercury at Minnesota Lynx: TV, stream
Time: 5 p.m. ET
Location: Target Center (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
TV channel: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN+, Disney+, Fubo (free trial to new subscriber
Phoenix Mercury starting lineup
Head coach: Nate Tibbetts
25 Alyssa Thomas | F 6′ 2′ – Maryland
0 Satou Sabally | F 6′ 4′ – Oregon
2 Kahleah Copper | G 6′ 1′ – Rutgers
4 Natasha Mack | C 6′ 4′ – Oklahoma State
8 Monique Akoa Makani | G 5′ 11′ – Cameroon
Minnesota Lynx starting lineup
Head coach: Cheryl Reeve
24 Napheesa Collier | F 6′ 1′ – UConn
6 Bridget Carleton | F 6′ 2′ – Iowa State
8 Alanna Smith | F 6′ 4′ – Stanford
10 Courtney Williams | G 5′ 8′ – South Florida
21 Kayla McBride | G 5′ 11′ – Notre Dame
Mercury arrivals
Alyssa Thomas in stripes.
Lynx arrivals
Napheesa Collier serving in Jordan
StudBudz salute
Minnesota Lynx vs. Phoenix Mercury: WNBA playoffs schedule
All times Eastern
Game 1: Mercury at Lynx — Sunday, Sept. 21, 5 p.m. | ESPN, Fubo
Game 2: Mercury at Lynx — Tuesday, Sept. 23, 7:30 p.m. | ESPN, Fubo
Game 3: Lynx at Mercury — Friday, Sept. 26, 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2, Fubo
Game 4: Lynx at Mercury — Sunday, Sept. 28, Time TBD | Broadcast details TBD (if necessary)
Game 5: Mercury at Lynx — Tuesday, Sept. 30, Time TBD | Broadcast details TBD (if necessary)