7 P.M. VS. PHOENIX • TARGET CENTER • ESPN2, 106.1-FM
Lynx update: The Lynx are fresh off their biggest comeback on the road in franchise history, winning in Seattle on Thursday despite being down as many as 18 points. Minnesota outscored Seattle 32-13 over the final 16 minutes. That game ended a stretch in which the Lynx played five of seven games on the road. Starting with this game, Minnesota will play seven of its next 10 at home. G Seimone Augustus had a season-high 24 points in Seattle, including 10 in the fourth quarter. Backup C Damiris Dantas had 10 points and six rebounds, including a three-point play with 18.4 seconds left to put the Lynx up for good. After going two games without an assist, PG Lindsay Whalen had 16 points and a game-high six assists. The Lynx lost to a shorthanded Mercury team in Phoenix on June 14.
Mercury update: Phoenix is coming off a five-point loss Thursday in San Antonio. But reinforcements are coming. This game marks the return of All-Star C Brittney Griner from a seven-game suspension for a domestic violence incident in April. Griner, the defending WNBA defensive player of the year, joins an already-strong Mercury frontcourt that includes DeWanna Bonner (averaging 19.7 ppg) and Candice Dupree (15.4). Together they helped Phoenix win three of the seven games Griner missed. Bonner had 22 points and Dupree 16 in the Mercury's June 14 victory over the Lynx.
