play0:28Satou Sabally’s and-1 ties the score for PhoenixSatou Sabally muscles to the rack for a tough and-1 to tie the score for the Mercury.
Sami Whitcomb ties it late with a 3 for Phoenix (0:32)Sami Whitcomb knocks down a huge 3-pointer to tie the score for the Mercury late. (0:32)
Satou Sabally’s and-1 ties the score for PhoenixSatou Sabally muscles to the rack for a tough and-1 to tie the score for the Mercury.
The No. 6 seed Mercury overcame a 20-point deficit to upend the top-seeded Lynx 89-83 in overtime. Per ESPN Research, it was just the second 20-point rally on the road in WNBA playoff history.
How did the Mercury do it? Are the Lynx still the favorite in the series? ESPN breaks down everything we saw in Game 2 on Tuesday.
Before tip-off Tuesday, coach Nate Tibbetts said the opening game of the series always has a feeling-out period. And while that seemed to continue a bit into Game 2, with the Mercury trailing by 16 at halftime, their grit to fight back shows just how scary this team is. Phoenix finally found its 3-point shot, knocking down 13 from beyond the arc, while also staying strong in the paint. Alyssa Thomas’ 13 assists (to go with 19 points) are the most by a Mercury player in a playoff game.
In many games this year, Minnesota only elevated its game as it came out of the locker room at halftime. But there was no magic in the second half on Tuesday.
Phoenix’s bench outscored Minnesota’s reserves 22-3 on Tuesday, a big part of its monstrous comeback. Only Jessica Shepard scored off the bench for Minnesota. In Game 1, the Lynx’s second unit had the edge.
So far, all of the stars in this series have done what is expected of them. Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride have been high-volume scorers. Thomas and Satou Sabally have dominated. So, contributions from others might define this series.
Tuesday, Sami Whitcomb scored 13 points for Phoenix — including the 3-pointer that tied the score and sent it to overtime. Kathryn Westbeld added eight points and DeWanna Bonner had four. In the first game of the series, Minnesota’s Maria Kliundikova and Natisha Hiedeman were elite closers. These contributions could be what shifts Game 3 and the series. — Kendra Andrews
Satou Sabally muscles to the rack for a tough and-1 to tie the score for the Mercury.
I think so. As much credit as the Mercury deserve for their resiliency in one of the biggest comebacks in WNBA playoff history, this was really a “make or miss league” game, to use a phrase popularized by longtime NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy.
Minnesota’s 7-of-28 3-point shooting (25%) was the team’s worst of the playoffs thus far, and the Lynx were only less accurate in four of their 44 games in the regular season. Meanwhile, Phoenix shot better than 40% beyond the arc, including 9-of-21 (43%) after halftime. In a game that went to overtime, that shot making was a difference-maker, and there’s no reason to expect it to carry over.
That fatigue might have caught up with the Lynx down the stretch and in overtime. It’s up to Cheryl Reeve to find a way to rest her perimeter players without Carrington, who is out for the season. — Kevin Pelton
Sami Whitcomb ties it late with a 3 for Phoenix (0:32)Sami Whitcomb knocks down a huge 3-pointer to tie the score for the Mercury late. (0:32)
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Lynx looked like they were cruising to a comfortable victory.
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Sami Whitcomb knocks down a huge 3-pointer to tie the score for the Mercury late. (0:32)
The series shifts to Phoenix for Game 3 on Friday (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2).