Napheesa Collier scored a playoff career-high 38 points, and the Minnesota Lynx blew a 23-point lead before coming back to defeat the Phoenix Mercury 102-95 on Sunday in Game 1 of a best-of-three series.
Minnesota, the Western Conference champions and No. 2 seed, built a 32-19 lead in the first quarter and extended it to 50-27 with 5:35 left before halftime. Phoenix managed to cut the lead down to nine points, trailing 56-42 at halftime, and then closed in to 77-69 as they headed into the fourth quarter.
Kahleah Copper scored five points during a 10-2 run, and her 3-pointer followed by two free throws from Brittney Griner gave seventh-seeded Phoenix its first lead since the beginning of the game.
Natasha Cloud’s layup put the Mercury ahead 92-91 with 2:06 remaining, but Myisha Hines-Allen responded with a layup, and Bridget Carleton hit a 3-pointer in a 9-0 run that secured the win.
Collier made 11 of 19 shots from the field, including three 3-pointers, and hit 13 of 14 free throws for Minnesota. She also recorded six rebounds and four assists.
Kayla McBride scored 20 points, hitting three 3-pointers and making all seven of her foul shots. Carleton contributed 12 points, six rebounds, and four assists, while Hines-Allen added 10 points, five rebounds, and three assists off the bench.
Cloud led Phoenix with 33 points, matching her postseason high, and had 10 assists. Diana Taurasi made five of her 10 3-point attempts and scored 21 points. Copper added 16 points, while Griner finished with 10 points and six rebounds.
Collier’s performance was just four points short of Breanna Stewart’s playoff record of 42 points, which Stewart scored while playing for the Seattle Storm in a 97-92 loss to the Las Vegas Aces in Game 4 of a Western Conference semifinal in 2022.
