Final
Lynx-Mercury Preview
Aug 6, 2015 - 5:19 PM Rallying from sizable deficits has made the Phoenix Mercury's winning streak much more stressful than they would like.The Minnesota Lynx had their own run come to an end after digging too deep of a hole.
Phoenix and Minnesota each have scored big victories over the other this season, and the Mercury look to continue the trend of the home team holding the advantage between the clubs Friday night.
The Mercury (13-7) have won four straight to pull within two games of the Lynx (15-5) for the top spot in the Western Conference, but those victories haven't come easily.
Phoenix overcame a 19-point deficit in an 89-87 overtime win over Chicago on July 28 to tie the biggest comeback in franchise history, then came back from 12 down to beat Tulsa 78-66 two nights later.
Following a tough 71-68 win at Atlanta on Sunday, the Mercury rallied from a 13-point third-quarter deficit and beat the Shock 87-84 in overtime Tuesday on DeWanna Bonner's 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Coach Sandy Brondello said she'd like to see her team come out with more energy at the start, but she also noted that the amount of minutes the Mercury get from Bonner, Candice Dupree and Brittney Griner might be taking their toll.
Bonner finished with 25 points in 41 minutes, Dupree had 24 in 35 minutes and Griner finished with 18 and 13 rebounds in 39 minutes Tuesday.
"The good thing is we have been able to come back," Brondello said. "We keep grinding out wins, and sometimes that's what it's about."
Phoenix didn't need to rally in the first meeting with the Lynx, winning 81-66 on June 14 at home without Griner, who still was serving her seven-game suspension.
Minnesota returned the favor on its home floor June 27 with a 71-56 victory. The home team has won the last eight meetings, a streak the Lynx look to end after falling 83-61 at Los Angeles on Tuesday.
The Lynx had won three in a row, and Maya Moore's 11-game run of 20-point games came to an end after she finished with 13, 11 of which came in the first quarter.
Minnesota committed 15 turnovers while allowing exactly 12 more points than its season average.
"We didn't have a lot of good flow that we usually play with," Moore said. "We turned the ball over and sparked their transition and settled early for some quick shots. It was just a struggle to get into our offense. We weren't able to get some of our passes. The little things cost us."
Phoenix leads the league with 7.1 blocks per game and ranks second in defensive field-goal percentage at 39.4. Griner needs four blocks to break Diana Taurasi's franchise record of 271, which took Taurasi 334 games to accomplish.
This will be Griner's 76th. She's recorded at least five blocks in each game during the Mercury's winning streak and is averaging 4.46 per game, nearly two more than any other player in the league.
- MINNESOTA: 66
PHOENIX: 73
Final
Jul 1 3:41 PM - End of 4th Quarter.
Aug 7 11:57 PM - MINNESOTA: 66
PHOENIX: 73
Final
Aug 7 11:56 PM - End of 3rd Quarter.
Aug 7 11:29 PM - MINNESOTA: 56
PHOENIX: 58
End of 3rd
Aug 7 11:28 PM - End of 1st Half.
Aug 7 10:55 PM - MINNESOTA: 35
PHOENIX: 33
Halftime
Aug 7 10:54 PM - End of 1st Quarter.
Aug 7 10:31 PM - MINNESOTA: 19
PHOENIX: 26
End of 1st
Aug 7 10:30 PM - Sylvia Fowles vs. Brittney Griner (DeWanna Bonner gains possession)
Aug 7 10:12 PM - MINNESOTA: 0
PHOENIX: 0
1st Quarter - 10:00
Aug 7 10:11 PM
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