The semifinals of the 2024 WNBA playoffs were officially set on Wednesday night. After the Connecticut Sun took care of business in their series against the Indiana Fever earlier in the evening, the Minnesota Lynx played host to the Phoenix Mercury in Game 2 of their opening round matchup, and behind Napheesa Collier’s monster night, Minnesota was able to defend its home court and wrap up the series with a 101-88 win.
Things were tight in the opening minutes, but thanks to a 9-0 run, Phoenix was able to open up an early lead that it did not relinquish for the remainder of the first quarter — they took a 25-21 lead into the second. The 1-2 punch of Natasha Cloud and Diana Taurasi combined to score 16 of the team’s 25 points in the opening frame.
It looked like Minnesota was going to blow the game wide open in the second. The Lynx started the frame on a 19-6 run and led by as many as nine points, completely imposing themselves on the Mercury behind an absolutely ridiculous half from Napheesa Collier, who scored 23 points in the first half for the second consecutive game in the series.
But thanks to a quick, 7-0 spurt towards the end of the half, Phoenix was able to keep things in arm’s reach as the two teams went to the locker room, as Minnesota held onto a 49-47 lead.
While things were tight early on in the third, a flagrant foul got called on Sophie Cunningham for a hard foul after a review by the officials.
The Lynx responded by putting their collective foot on the gas. In the aftermath of the foul, Minnesota’s offense especially came to life, as the Lynx outscored the Mercury, 23-12, after the review, with Collier and Courtney Williams — the latter of whom got a technical foul following Cunningham’s flagrant — leading the way.
The crowd at the Target Center was already charged up, but with a spot in the semis only one quarter away and the Lynx taking a 76-64 lead into the fourth, the environment became all the trickier for Phoenix to navigate. And it did not help that Minnesota seemed like it was totally incapable of missing in the fourth, as the Lynx offense kept generating and making good look after good look against the Mercury defense.
Minnesota just never let Phoenix get close in the fourth, as the Mercury couldn’t cut the lead to single digits at any point. And with just under a minute remaining, Cheryl Reeve let her starters get a curtain call, as the emptied her bench and let them see out the remainder of the game.
The star on the night was Collier, who went for 42 points on 14-for-20 shooting from the field and 12-for-14 shooting from three. Her effort tied the WNBA record for points in a single playoff game. All five starters for the Lynx scored in double figures, with Kayla McBride being Collier’s top deputy with 15. The Mercury were paced by a 24-point effort from Griner, while Cloud had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Taurasi, who has hinted that her legendary career could come to an end once the Mercury were eliminated, had 10 points in 30 minutes of work before fouling out.
Minnesota will take on Connecticut in the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs. The two teams faced off in the first round of the postseason last year, with the Sun coming out on top in three games. On the other side of the bracket, the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces will square off in a rematch of the 2023 Finals.
