With three losses to end the season, the Mercury missed out on a first-round bye. The good news is they know a thing or two about coming out on top in winner-take-all games.
The No. 5 seed Mercury (19-13) will face the No. 8 seed New York Liberty (12-20) at 7 p.m. Thursday at a home game at Grand Canyon University’s basketball arena in Phoenix. Since the WNBA playoffs changed to have the first two rounds be single-elimination games, Phoenix is 7-2 in those games.
One of those losses, the only time the Mercury has been knocked out in the first round of this format, came without star guard Diana Taurasi in 2019. Though Taurasi missed the final four games of the regular season with an ankle injury, Mercury coach Sandy Brondello said DT is clear to play in the playoffs.
