On August 29 at 10 AM, the WNBA regular season continues with the Phoenix Mercury hosting the Minnesota Lynx.
The Mercury lost their last game at home to the Liberty and now have a record of 16 wins and 15 losses, placing them sixth in the league, with a good chance to return to the playoffs. The Mercury are a team that is strong offensively but weak defensively, averaging 82.9 points per game, ranking fifth in the league, but conceding an average of 86.7 points, which ranks fourth from the bottom. Their home record is 9 wins and 5 losses, significantly better than their away record of 7 wins and 10 losses.
The Mercury’s lineup is impressive, featuring three players from the U.S. women’s national basketball team. Cooper leads the team in scoring with an average of 22.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, Griner averages 18.5 points and 6.4 rebounds, earning her the nickname ‘Female Beast’, while the veteran Taurasi, at 42 years old, can still contribute 15.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Cloud averages 11.8 points and 6.8 assists. The Mercury’s offense mainly relies on these four players. In their last game against the Liberty, apart from these four players, the rest of the team only managed to score 6 points, once again exposing the lack of depth in their bench. Additionally, the aging of the roster is also a significant weakness for the Mercury, with several key players over 30 years old.
The Lynx, with a record of 22 wins and 8 losses, sit atop the Western Conference. Recently, they’ve been in great form, securing six consecutive wins, including multiple large-margin victories, and defeating the Aces twice. The Lynx have a balanced attack and defense, averaging 82.7 points per game, ranking sixth in the league, but conceding only 75.6 points per game, ranking second in the league. The Lynx have an average point differential of +7.1, second in the league, only behind the Liberty.
The core player for the Lynx is Collier, who averages 21.1 points, 10 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game, with points, rebounds, and steals all ranking in the top five in the league. Her performance has been particularly outstanding since the Olympics, averaging 28 points in her last four games, including a 31-point performance in her most recent game against the Fever. Apart from Collier, the Lynx’s offense is multi-faceted, with McBride averaging 15.8 points and rarely faltering in crucial moments. Alanna Smith and Courtney Williams also score in double digits, along with Carlton, Juhász, Sydeman, Zandalasini, and others, making the Lynx’s roster depth among the best in the league, which is a key reason for their strong performance.
This season, the two teams have met three times, with the Lynx leading 2-1, winning by 24 points and 13 points in their two home games, but losing by one point on the road to the Mercury. The Mercury have shown strong fighting spirit at home, with many strong teams stumbling there this season. It remains to be seen if they can stop the Lynx’s winning streak this time.
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