WNBA: Aces, Mercury respond to even their series at 1-1

After Game 1 semifinal wins by the No. 6-seed Indiana Fever and No. 1-seed Minnesota Lynx, the No. 2-seed Las Vegas Aces and No. 4-seed Phoenix Mercury responded by winning Game 2.

Tuesday night’s action began with the Mercury rallying back from a 20-point deficit to pull off the overtime win on the road against the Lynx, 89-83. Satou Sabally had 24 points and nine rebounds, and Alyssa Thomas was equally as effective with 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds. The Lynx got good performances from their core players. Napheesa Collier had 24 points in the loss, while Kayla McBride scored 21 and Courtney Williams added 20. This was the first loss Minnesota suffered during this playoff run.

Las Vegas got their groove back by beating Indiana 90-68 at home. They dominated for the majority of the game and withstood the couple of runs from the Fever during the third and fourth quarters. The Aces won thanks to their MVP A’ja Wilson leading the way with 25 points. However, domination is a team effort. NaLyssa Smith was huge in this game defensively; she also scored 18 points and missed just two shots. In the loss, the Fever had Odyssey Sims as their leading scorer with 18 points. Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston and Lexie Hull were all neutralized, struggling from the field overall and unable to find a consistent offensive rhythm.

Now both series will head to the home of the lower seeds for Friday’s Game 3s. Before that happens, let’s take a closer look at how the tides turned in Game 2:

Phoenix was dead in the water in this game.

The Mercury trailed by 15 at the half ; as a franchise, they were 1-105 entering this game when down by that many points at the break. In the second half, things didn’t get any better. Phoenix was down by as many as 20 points in the third, and at the start of the fourth, they still found themselves behind by eight points.

So, how did they overcome such difficult odds? One basket at a time.

Like water eroding a rock, the Mercury were slowly but consistently chipping away at the Lynx’s lead.

Sabally hit one of her five 3-pointers at the 7:38 mark in the fourth, and after Sami Whitcomb and DeWanna Bonner converted on their field goal attempts, Sabally put a cherry on top of their run with another bomb from deep. Now, the Mercury were within four points of the Lynx midway through the period. Kahleah Copper returned after looking a bit hobbled earlier in the game, and Phoenix kept on going. Whitcomb made another basket, and Sabally earned three points the hard way to even the game at 70.

Despite getting back in the game, the Mercury could never gain the lead down the stretch. McBride made a 3-pointer for Minnesota, and Collier and Williams made their shots to put the Lynx back up by five with 1:55 to go.

The Mercury could’ve folded, but they responded once again. Sabally tipped the ball back in with 44 seconds left, and after the Lynx failed to inbound the ball, Phoenix capitalized with Thomas scoring to make it a one-point game. Williams knocked down a pair of free throws to extend the Lynx lead to three, but the Mercury still had 20.7 seconds to even the game.

With the season essentially on the line, Whitcomb got a great look with 11.1 left. She missed, but Thomas did what she’s done all year and got the offensive rebound. She passed it back out to Copper, and after a couple of passes, the ball found Whitcomb—and she didn’t disappoint, burying the shot with 4.3 seconds left.

Collier had a chance to even things up, but missed, and the game went into overtime.

The extra period started with Thomas making a basket to give Phoenix their first lead since the opening quarter. She made a free throw later in the period, and after a Copper 3-pointer, the Mercury were ahead 85-79.

That was essentially the game. The Lynx scored a pair of field goals to make it a one possession game. By then, there was under a minute left, and Minnesota had to play the foul game. The Mercury made enough of their free throws to seal the historic win.

While the Mercury-Lynx game was intense, the Aces-Fever game was much more subdued. Las Vegas jumped in front midway through the opening quarter and never conceded their advantage.

The game had a level of physicality that was a bit much—even for a playoff game. This was likely due to the intensity of the moment, as well as the playing styles of both teams. The Aces wanted to dominate inside and did so, winning the points in the paint battle 48-34. Yet, the Fever were able to even up the rebounding number, grabbing 30 boards just like Las Vegas did.

It felt as though every screen had a little extra movement in it, and both teams kept pushing the envelope. This game resembled a rumble in the phone booth, rather than two teams playing beautiful, free-flowing basketball. Which is fine if both sides understand how the game is being officiated, but afterwards, both coaches acknowledged it might have been a step too far.

The Aces were the heavy favorite to begin this series, and in Game 2, we saw why.

Wilson was incredible, and with Smith stepping up to also protect the paint and score in the frontcourt, Las Vegas looked great. They were also able to contain Boston, utilizing more switches and challenging her to even get into position to receive the ball, much less score once she had it.

Both teams delivered elements of their best and their worst across two games, and that’s why things are even heading into Game 3.

After two games, everything is tied, so what will decide which teams reach the WNBA Finals?

It’s still too early to say, but all four teams now have rough sketches for their road to success.

The Aces need Wilson to dominate, the guards to be good enough defensively and limit the impact of Mitchell and Boston. The Fever, in contrast, need Mitchell and Boston to play at the All-WNBA levels they’re known for if they want to earn two more wins. Everyone else also has to play up to par because so many other potential options are unavailable.

The Lynx have to stay sharp, avoid turnovers and remember Collier is their everything. Too many times this postseason they’ve fallen asleep and Game 2 was the first time it actually cost them. They can’t lose big leads or fall behind early if they want to advance. For the Mercury, keeping Thomas engaged offensively is necessary. She does so much already, but scoring has to be part of her game. She’s a player who can raise her production in ways few players are able. If Copper’s injury scare does not linger, Sabally continues to perform well and Whitcomb keeps knocking down 3s, they’ll have a chance at upsetting the No.1 seed.

Game 3 will be big in each series, but as Game 2 demonstrated, these series are far from over.