The Mercury were defeated 86-77 by the Lynx thanks in large part to the 18 point performance by the player named Kayla McBride. There is a break between 1:45 and 1:45.
With two games remaining in the regular season, the Phoenix Mercury still have a chance to make the playoffs, but the status of All-Star guard Skylar Diggins-Smith remains uncertain.
Diggins-Smith didn't play in the victories over New York and Minnesota. For the first game, she was out with a non-COVID illness, and for the second game, she was out with a personal reason.
The Mercury are in a four-way tie with Atlanta, Minnesota and New York, while Los Angeles is in a three-way tie. Indiana has been eliminated from the playoffs.
| Team | W | L |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Lynx | 14 | 20 |
| Atlanta Dream | 14 | 20 |
| New York Liberty | 14 | 20 |
| Phoenix Mercury | 14 | 20 |
| Los Angeles Sparks | 13 | 21 |
| Two teams will advance to playoffs |
Dallas and Chicago are the teams that beat the Mercury in the NBA playoffs last year.
Diana Taurasi will miss the rest of the season due to a quad strain. If the Mercury make the playoffs, her status will be changed.
The coach didn't say if she expected Diggins- Smith to play again. Diggins-Smith will be an unrestricted free agent in four years, according to Her Hoops Stats.
Before the game, we found out that Diggins-Smith was missing. We went through this earlier in the day. One day at a time. Whatever gets thrown at us, we're ready to lace them up and go.
It's an honor and a privilege to play this game and we are so blessed every day that we get to play in front of our fans. Whoever we have available is going to fight for us. We are going to be ready to go. Our fans need that.
The Mercury and their first year head coach have had a difficult season. Sandy Brondello was let go by the Phoenix Mercury after eight seasons, during which he led the team to a pair of titles.
When she came back to Russia to finish her overseas season, she was arrested on drug charges. The US is trying to get her home in a prisoner exchange after she was sentenced to nine years in Russia.
Diggins-Smith played in a loss at Connecticut on August 4th.
"This is a human being and our real-life friend and real-life sister," a distraught Diggins-Smith said after that game. I don't expect everyone to give their best. We definitely do.
We're supposed to play this game even though we're out here. Today, nobody wanted to play. The group is crying before the game, how are you supposed to approach it with a clear mind. You try to honor her by coming out and playing hard for her.
In Phoenix's fourth game of the season, on May 17 at Las Vegas, Diggins- Smith and Taurasi got into an altercation on the bench and had to be separated by their teammates.
Diggins- Smith made the July's All-Star Game. The All-Star Game can't really be an All-Star Game without Diana Taurasi, according to comments made to the media by the player.
On July 1, Diggins-Smith posted a picture of a clown with a caption that appeared to be directed towards the coach.
Tina Charles, who came to the team this year as a free agent, had a contract divorce from theMercury in June. Charles signed with another city.
The Mercury had three players score in the loss Wednesday. They were career highs for both of them. With so many of the Mercury's expected starters not playing this season, Phoenix has had to rely on other players to fill larger roles.
"Wherever adversity is thrown at me as a person, as a coach in my development, it's all for me." This will help me and make me a better person. I think that for our team as well. We are forced to try new things because of challenges and things.
I'm very proud to have been a part of this group. The group of people in the locker room are a tough group. I don't think anyone can imagine the challenges they've faced, but they've never stopped. They have never stopped fighting.
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