Minnesota Lynx Win Game One Of Western Conference Against Mercury Phoenix 85-62

Game one may have started a little slow in the beginning, but it didn’t end up that way. Once the pace picked up, The Minnesota Lynx won Game One of the Western Conference finals 85-62. Lindsay Whalen and Maya Moore scored 20 points apiece while Seimone Augustus added 18.

Minnesota recovered from the slow start quickly and ended the first half into a mismatch. After hitting just one of their first six field goal attempts, the Lynx made 16 of their next 23 shots, while Phoenix only made 9 for 37 (24.3 percent) in the half.

Whalen, a first-team all-WNBA pick, scored 13 points in Minnesota’s two-game sweep of Seattle in the conference semifinals. That changed Thursday night when she hit her first five shots and finished the first half 7 for 10 for 14 points, one of three Lynx in double figures before halftime. She finished the game with six rebounds and five assists – which is a team high in both categories.

The Lynx has won all six meetings with the Mercury this season, but they hadn’t played since July 24. The Mercury went 9-4 down the stretch after naming Russ Pennell their interim head coach.

Diana Taurasi scored 15 and Brittney Griner had 13 points and six rebounds for the Mercury, who now face a must-win situation in Game 2 in Phoenix on Sunday.

The Mercury advanced to the conference finals by upsetting second-seeded Los Angeles, winning both road games in their best-of-three semifinal series. But they quickly discovered that the Lynx were going to be a tougher than they thought.

The Lynx 12-2 playoff record at Target Center is the best postseason home-court advantage in WNBA history, and the Lynx swept Phoenix in the conference finals en route to winning the 2011 league title.