MINNEAPOLIS — The Phoenix Mercury are down 0-1 in the best-of-five WNBA semifinal series against the Minnesota Lynx.
Coming off short rest from the first-round series, the Mercury didn’t show any fatigue in the first half, attacking the paint and posting an astounding 42 points from inside. But the Lynx made the right adjustments in the second half to outscore the Mercury by 20 points and allow just 12 paint points.
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Now with both teams getting the same amount of rest for Game 2, the Mercury have a clean slate on Tuesday, Sept. 23.
Here’s what they need to do.
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Alyssa Thomas is an MVP finalist for a reason.
The Mercury have been masterful at inverting the ball screen and putting their opponent’s smallest player on Thomas.
A lot of that play was seen in the first half of Game 1 when Thomas dominated with 16 points on eight of her 14 shots.
Her role as the Mercury’s point forward has put them in this position in the semifinals.
However, the Mercury’s reliance on pushing the offense through Thomas didn’t seem to work in the second half when the Lynx double-teamed her on seven touches. While being double-teamed, Thomas missed her only shot attempt and had one turnover. Phoenix didn’t score on those touches either.
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Kahleah Copper ended up shouldering the load in the second half, taking 16 shots and posting 11 points. The rest of the Big 3 of Thomas and Satou Sabally had eight combined shots, with Sabally missing all five attempts.
What worked in the first half didn’t work in the second half, and the Mercury needed more people involved.
Going back to their roots
The Mercury began the season with some of the best 3-point shooting performances in team history.
Napheesa Collier #24 of the Minnesota Lynx defends against Monique Akoa Makani #8 of the Phoenix Mercury in the first quarter during Game One of the second round of the WNBA Playoffs at Target Center on September 21, 2025, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The long-range shooting continued in the playoffs as the Mercury averaged 7.3 3-pointers in the three games. But against the Lynx, the shots didn’t fall, and the Mercury shot a postseason low of 3 of 23.
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Each team’s defense is different, but when the Lynx clogged up the lane in the second half, the Mercury had opportunities to let it fly. Copper and Sami Whitcomb were the only two players to make a 3-pointer on 15 attempts in the second half.
The Mercury missed out with rookie guard Monique Akoa Makani having a quieter game. Akoa Makani went down with a non-contact injury early in the third quarter and looked to be limping before she was taken off the floor. When she returned to action, she took three shots but didn’t make any of them.
Akoa Makani was one of the best rookie 3-point shooters in the WNBA, but has only made one attempt so far.
Be ready for the pace
The Lynx made the second half look like a track meet, and the Mercury struggled to keep up.
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Courtney Williams will continue to be a problem for the Mercury as she’s one of the fastest and most active guards in the league. Williams did a number on Phoenix with five steals, including three in the second half.
Coach Nate Tibbetts said that fatigue didn’t play a factor in the second-half performance, but the Lynx were able to find a pace that the Mercury couldn’t match.
Even though the offense has improved in the playoffs, the Mercury still had trouble turning the ball over and went from two turnovers in the first half to eight in the second.
Game 2 will be on Tuesday, Sept. 23, at 4:30 p.m. MT on ESPN.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: WNBA semifinals: 3 things the Phoenix Mercury need to do for Game 2
