Diana Taurasi scored 18 points for the Phoenix Mercury, but didn't receive enough help as Phoenix lost 90-66 to the Seattle Storm on Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena.
We'll take a look at the playoff-bound Mercury's final stretch of the regular season and their playoff positioning below.
Kahleah Copper helped Taurasi with 11 points, but the Olympic duo were the only Phoenix players in double figures. Sophie Cunningham had nine points but was limited by foul trouble. Brittney Griner led Phoenix with eight rebounds. Jewell Loyd led Seattle with 20 points, while Jordan Horston posted 16 points off the bench.
The Mercury (17-19) had one of their better starts and were tied at 17 after the first quarter, but fell apart against the Storm in the second quarter and were outscored 28-13. Seattle guard Sami Whitcomb’s two 3-pointers helped spark a 10-1 run that dismantled the Mercury and gave the Storm a 45-30 lead at halftime.
The Mercury came out firing in the third quarter with five consecutive 3-pointers, but their efforts weren't enough to close the big lead in Seattle.
Playoff outlook
The Mercury clinched a playoff berth after Tuesday’s win over the Atlanta Dream and are currently the seventh seed, 1.5 games behind the Indiana Fever (18-17).
With the Mercury and Storm being the only two teams to play on Saturday, there isn’t any movement in playoff seedings and the Mercury would face the second-seeded Minnesota Lynx (25-9) if the playoffs began today. The Connecticut Sun (24-10) are right behind the Lynx for the second spot and hold the tiebreaker after going 2-0 against them.
For the sixth spot, there’s little distance between the Mercury and the Fever. The Mercury have four remaining games, while the Fever have five. The Fever will play two games against a playoff-bound team and one against a bubble team.
The Mercury will return to Footprint Center to face the Sun on Friday at 7 p.m.
Things will be interesting when the Mercury go on the road to face the Chicago Sky on Sunday, Sept. 15, as rookie Angel Reese announced Saturday that she suffered a season-ending wrist injury. Reese had 26 double-doubles, second most in a season, and earlier this summer set a WNBA record with 15 consecutive double-doubles. The Sky (12-22) are tied with the Dream for the eighth playoff spot.
The Mercury will continue their road stretch with the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday, Sept. 17. The Mercury then will finish the regular season on Thursday, Sept. 19 at home.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Playoff-bound Phoenix Mercury lose to Seattle Storm: What to know about WNBA postseason
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