AP

WNBA playoff semifinals all even, shifts to Chicago, Phoenix

Sep 30, 2021, 10:54 PM | Updated: Oct 1, 2021, 7:39 pm

Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi (3) shoots against Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum (10) during the second half of Game 2 in the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

(3)

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — The WNBA semifinal playoff series are knotted at a game apiece and both could go the full five games based on the historic and gritty performances thus far.

Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury put on a shooting clinic as they scored the most points in a regulation playoff game in the league’s 25-year history in a win over Las Vegas on Thursday night. Eight months after having surgery to repair a torn Achilles’ tendon Alyssa Thomas provided a spark for the Connecticut Sun in a victory over the Chicago Sky.

Both series are now tied at 1-1 and play will shift to Chicago and Phoenix for the next set of games scheduled to tip off on Sunday.

“We brought a different mindset to the game, an aggression,” said Taurasi, who had a career playoff-high 37 points in the 117-91 victory. “That’s what these games come down to. In Game 1, they were the aggressors. They played more physical. Today we did that and sustained that for long periods.”

Taurasi barely missed despite dealing with an ankle injury that forced her to sit out the final four regular season games and the playoff opener against New York. She hit 10 of her 13 shots and made a career-high eight 3-pointers.

Her performance came shortly after Thomas had 15 points, 11 rebounds and six assists and provided a defensive lift for the Sun to even their series with Chicago. Thomas’ game was even more remarkable as she had returned two weeks earlier from a ruptured Achilles’ tendon injury she suffered in January. The 79-68 win over Chicago was only her fourth game back.

“You know, this is probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through,” Thomas said of the injury, which she suffered in January while playing overseas. “There’s a lot of hard days. I’m a perfectionist, and I’m just so used to bouncing back from things. Days that weren’t good and I couldn’t get after it or push myself were frustrating.

“You really start from ground zero just to learn how to walk again. It was a slow process, a hard process. But you’ve just got to celebrate the little things.”

For Connecticut to keep the momentum going, the Sun will have to try and once again contain the potent Sky offense. When Chicago has scored less than 80 points this season the team has won just twice. In the opener, a double-overtime thriller, the Sky won 101-95 as Courtney Vandersloot had the second triple-double in WNBA playoff history.

Some other tidbits about the semifinals:

TRAVEL ADVENTURES:

While the Mercury and Aces had no problems getting flights to Phoenix, the Sky and Sun had a more difficult time. Connecticut coach Curt Miller said during his postgame press conference that his team would be split among three flights out of two different airports to get to Chicago. The Sky had to get up at 3:30 a.m. and split up to three different airports to make it home Friday.

Miller said he had the wacky travel arrangements so that his tall players wouldn’t have to be in the middle seats and would be more comfortable on the flights.

“I want you guys to hear this,” he said. “That’s what this league goes through. That’s what these amazing women, the best in the world at what they do, go through.”

TIP-INS:

There won’t be at least one sweep in the semifinals for only the second time since the WNBA changed its playoff format in 2016. With the exception of 2018 when both semis went five games, one of the series has been a three-game sweep. … The Mercury’s 68 points in the first half of Game 2 was a WNBA playoff record. … WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Kelsey Plum has averaged 25 points in the first two games of the series.

A “ROAD” HOME GAME

Game 3 of the Mercury-Aces series will be played at Arizona State because Phoenix’s normal home is being used by Disney on Ice. Arenas book events way in advance and there was no way to know the Mercury would be hosting a playoff game Sunday.

The Mercury will play at home for Game 4 on Wednesday night as part of a separate-ticket doubleheader with the Phoenix Suns. The Suns face the Los Angeles Lakers in an exhibition game. The NBA game was originally scheduled to tip at 7 p.m. local time, but now will begin at 3 p.m. The WNBA game will tip at 7.

“There were a lot of moving parts and a number of groups, including the NBA and WNBA, the Lakers and their local broadcast partner, and ESPN that had to work together to make this happen,” said Jason Rowley, President and CEO for Suns Legacy Partners, LLC. “In the end, all parties should be proud to be a part of this historic doubleheader. Personally, I’m looking forward to a Phoenix sweep!”

___

More AP women’s basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

1 year ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

1 year ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

1 year ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

1 year ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

1 year ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

1 year ago

WNBA playoff semifinals all even, shifts to Chicago, Phoenix