Lynx vs. Mercury: Can Phoenix Avoid Elimination in Game 2 of WNBA Playoffs?

Excitement is building across the state as the Minnesota Lynx could eliminate the Phoenix Mercury Wednesday in Game Two of a best of three playoff series in the WNBA. The team finished as the Number 2 seed in the Western Conference, and if they win Wednesday night, they’ll advance to the semi-finals. That’s where they would face either the Connecticut Sun or Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark and the rest of the Indiana Fever.

Anyone traveling through downtown Minneapolis on Wednesday will see new street signs featuring the Lynx logo. In addition, Mayor Jacob Frey was out with the city’s public works department early in the morning to help paint the sidewalk in front of Target Center to celebrate the team.

Tip-off for Wednesday’s game begins at 8:30 p.m. at Target Center. Tickets are still available and start at about $30. Courtside tickets start at $300. Each fan in attendance will receive a Lynx rally towel to cheer the home team on.

“We have such a great fan base. Our business staff does such a great job in dressing the house, getting it like it looks, and fans do a great job to get it to sound like it sounds,” said Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve. “I think it’s really fun for our players.”

The Mercury scored 95 points in Sunday’s opener, and the Lynx hope to lock them down in Game 2 on Wednesday night at Target Center.

On Sunday, the Phoenix Mercury became the first Lynx opponent to shoot 50% this season. They scored 95 points and made 14 three-pointers, both highs allowed by Minnesota.

And the second-seeded Lynx still won the first game of the best-of-three WNBA playoff series at Target Center 102-95.

“We’re OK with the win,’’ Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said after practice Tuesday. “We also know we take a lot of pride in our defense, and that was not one of the top defenses in the league in the last game we played. And we’ve got to be that for the next game.”

The Mercury turned 10 Lynx turnovers into 17 points. And Phoenix guard Natasha Cloud was electric, scoring 33 points and adding 10 assists. She was 14-for-23, going 5-for-7 at the rim, 5-for-8 from midrange and 4-for-8 on threes. One of those misses at the rim came in the closing seconds, when she was blocked from behind by Lynx center Alanna Smith, which led to Bridget Carleton’s game-clinching three-pointer at the other end.

Cloud became the second player in league playoff history to have a points-assists double-double while scoring at least 30 points.

The Lynx vowed to play better defense Wednesday night in Game 2 … or there will be a Game 3 Friday in Phoenix.

“We have another level to get to,” said Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, who had a 38-point, six-rebound, four-assist, one-block game herself. “We can do a lot better in what our unity is as a team. So that’s something we’re going to try to come out and do.”

The Lynx can’t expect to have a 24-7 edge on points from the free-throw line. That was the stat of Game 1, and it made up for the fact the Mercury shot the ball better and hit more threes.

But then, the Mercury shouldn’t expect the same Lynx defense, either.

The Lynx were first in the league in field-goal defense (41%) and three-point defense (30.1%) in the regular season. They were second in defensive rating (94.8) and points allowed (75.6).

In four regular-season games vs. the Lynx — Minnesota won three of them — the Mercury averaged 72 points, shot 37.2% overall and 28.8% on threes.

That’s now how Game 1 played out.

“As coaches, as messengers of the [defensive] game plan, something didn’t land right,’’ Reeve said. “From a coaching perspective, I feel like the miscues were as a result of … we didn’t express ourselves in a way they understood. That happens sometimes.”

But rarely, with this team, in consecutive games. Reeve said she saw multiple players making similar mistakes. “We had a really good conversation about getting that cleaned up,” she said.

The Mercury will be desperate, and Reeve knows it. The Lynx were the road team in the first round last season. They were routed by 30 in the first game at Connecticut but came back four days later with a seven-point win that forced a Game 3 in Minneapolis.

“You’d better bring it in Game 2,” she said.

The good news is that, down one with slightly more than two minutes left Sunday, the Lynx did lock down, holding Phoenix to 1-for-6 shooting down the stretch, including Smith’s blocks on consecutive possessions.

Myisha Hines-Allen, a crucial trade-deadline acquisition, talked Tuesday about what she thinks makes this team special. Turns out it’s situations like Sunday, when things are going poorly.

“We don’t get rattled,” she said. “We were up by 20. They made a comeback but no one’s rattled. I think that’s what is going to get us over this hump and hopefully win a championship.”

That starts with better defense.

“We feel confident we have the best defense,” Collier said. “We know when we’re locked in, it’s really hard to play against us. We need to tighten some things up and come back ready, because it’s going to be a fight.”

How to Watch the Game

The Lynx and the Mercury will face off on Wednesday night at 9:30 p.m. ET. The game will air on ESPN. Fans can also watch the game via a trial of DirecTV Stream or fuboTV, which is offering $30 off this month. You can also watch via a subscription to Sling TV, which is half off for the first month.

Key Players to Watch

Napheesa Collier: Collier led the Lynx with 38 points in Game 1, and she’ll be looking to continue her strong play in Game 2. She is a dominant force on both ends of the court and will be a key factor in the Lynx’s success.

Natasha Cloud: Cloud was the sparkplug for the Mercury in Game 1, scoring 33 points and dishing out 10 assists. If the Mercury want to stay in the series, they’ll need Cloud to play at a high level again.

Game 2 Preview

The Lynx are looking to sweep the series, but the Mercury are hoping to extend the series to a decisive Game 3. It should be a close game, and it will be interesting to see if the Lynx can improve their defense from Game 1. With the Lynx’s home-court advantage, they will be looking to close out the series on Wednesday night.

Looking Ahead

If the Mercury can win Game 2, they’ll be able to force a Game 3 back in Phoenix. But with the Lynx looking to close out the series on Wednesday night, the Mercury have a tough task ahead of them. The Lynx have a strong home-court advantage, and they will be looking to finish off the series at home.