3 Mercury starters land on injury report, team at risk of being severely depleted vs. Sparks

For the third time this season, the Phoenix Mercury will face-off against the Los Angeles Sparks but maybe without up to three starters, including both stars Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner.

Griner (Personal) and Bec Allen (Lower Back) are both labeled as questionable while Taurasi and Charisma Osborne (Lower Left Leg) both have similar injuries and are both ruled out.

Even though she was questionable due to personal reasons last game vs. the Dallas Wings on Wednesday, Griner played. At the beginning of the season, she missed the first 10 games of the season with a toe fracture to her left foot. Since her return on June 7, the 6-foot-9 center has played in 10 games and averaged 20.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists.

After suffering lower back issues and missing the matchup against the Connecticut Sun last Monday, Taurasi is inactive for her second game of the season. Taurasi is averaging 16.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in her 20th WNBA season and is 42 years old.

Like Griner, Allen was a game-time decision against the Wings before suiting up and starting. Dealt with multiple injuries in her first season as a Mercury, she will miss her seventh game of the year as she is still dealing with a lingering back problem. The nine-year veteran has been in concussion protocol, and had suffered a hip injury during the preseason and a back injury at the start of the regular season.

Osborne, the Mercury’s third-round pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, has played just two games in her first season in the league, averaging one point, 0.5 assists and rebounds. After being waived after training camp, she became a free agent before she signed with the team on June 13.

Once the news about the statuses of both Allen and Griner is available, Burn City Sports will keep you up-to-date.

The West Coast clash between the Mercury and Sparks begins at 4 p.m. PT.