Mercury continues road trip with rematch against Lynx

The Mercury looked to rebound quickly against the Los Angeles Sparks on June 1 after its first home defeat on Friday.

Alyssa Thomas was still out with a calf injury and left Phoenix without its playmaker for the second game in a row.

The first half did not go in Phoenix’s favor and at one point down 18 points against Los Angeles. The Mercury quickly changed its game around in the second half with explosive offense from Satou Sabally and Kathryn Westbeld.

Sabally scored 24 points with nine rebounds and four steals. Westbeld scored 15 points with three bounds and two assists.

Phoenix took an 85-80 victory in its first Commissioner’s Cup game against Los Angeles and now hopes to carry re-sparked momentum against the Lynx.

The Mercury are now 5-2 and continue to hold second place in the Western Conference.

Lynx Preview

The Lynx continued its dominance into the weekend, defeating the Golden State Valkyries on June 1, 86-75, in its first Commissioner’s Cup game.

After being out on Friday against the Mercury, Napheesa Collier returned to action and made an impact. She made 24 points with 11 rebounds. Courtney Williams made a decisive three-point shot in the third quarter that kept Minnesota on top for the rest of the game. Williams scored 20 points with five rebounds and five assists.

Kayla McBride continued to produce for Minnesota with 16 points.

Minnesota is one of two WNBA teams that continues undefeated this season and is first in the Western Conference.

Last Encounter

Phoenix and Minnesota last met on May 30 in the desert, with Minnesota taking a 74-71 win off a Natisha Hiedeman three-pointer in the final seconds.

The Mercury and Lynx meet again on June 3 at 5 p.m.