The Phoenix Mercury will be without star Satou Sabally as they face elimination in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals.
Sabally exited the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the WNBA Finals and was later diagnosed with a concussion.
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The 6-foot-4 forward took a nasty spill midway through the quarter after Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young’s arm hooked into Sabally’s arm as she was jumping for a loose ball. Sabally’s face fell into Kierstan Bell’s knee and her neck was twisted. She was down for a while before being helped to the locker room by a team staff member and center Kalani Brown.
Coach Nate Tibbetts said in his postgame news conference that Sabally wasn’t there when he went to the locker room postgame.
Sabally has been a huge part of the Mercury’s postseason success and has continued to do so in the Finals. Sabally has averaged 21.7 points in her three Finals games.
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Her injury will stretch the eight-player rotation thinner than usual, and the starting lineup will likely see forward DeWanna Bonner taking her place. Bonner had a rough start in the Finals, but had a big game with a team-leading 25 points from the bench.
The WNBA follows the same concussion protocol as the NBA, which means that if Sabally has a concussion, she cannot return to participation for at least 48 hours, including the date of diagnosis and until after she completes the required return-to-participation process.
The Mercury play Game 4 on Oct. 10, at 5 p.m. MST at Mortgage Matchup Center. The Las Vegas Aces hold a 3-0 series lead.
Reach the reporter at jenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com, as well as @jennarortiz on X.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Mercury star Satou Sabally out for Game 4 of WNBA Finals
