The 2024 WNBA playoffs begin Sunday.
Following the Phoenix Mercury’s 89-70 regular season-ending home loss to Seattle on Thursday, Phoenix (19-21) will enter the first round as the No. 7 seed at the No. 2 Minnesota Lynx (30-10).
Here’s the playoff schedule and everything else to know about the Mercury-Lynx matchup.
First-round playoff format
The first round is a best-of-three series in which the format is 2-1 format. The Lynx hold home-court advantage, so Games 1 and 2 are in Minnesota, and a possible Game 3 will end the series in Phoenix.
How to watch Mercury-Lynx playoff games on TV
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Game 1: Sept. 22 at 2 p.m., ESPN
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Game 2: Sept. 25 at 6:30 p.m., ESPN
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Game 3: Sept. 27, tip-off TBD, ESPN2
If the Mercury doesn’t win a game in Minnesota, the Thursday home loss might be Diana Taurasi’s final home game of her 20-year Hall Of Fame career, which was spent entirely in Phoenix.
Previous Mercury-Lynx 2024 season matchup results
The Mercury lost two of three of their three previous matchups to the Lynx by a nearly 19-point average. Phoenix’s only victory against Minnesota was an 81-80 victory on a go-ahead 3 by Kahleah Copper in the closing seconds on June 7 during the Commissioner’s Cup.
What to expect from Lynx
Minnesota is led by MVP candidate Napheesa Collier and sharpshooter Kayla McBride. The Lynx are the league’s second-best defense behind top-seed New York Liberty, and the Mercury rank No. 7 in team defense. Also, Minnesota finished the regular season as the league’s No. 4 in offensive rating, and Phoenix is eighth.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: WNBA releases Mercury-Lynx first-round playoff schedule
