Lynx gameday: Lynx vs. Phoenix

Last update: September 11, 2008 - 9:31 PM

Lynx at a glance: Minnesota (15-17) can still finish at .500 by winning its last two games. But to do so, the Lynx will have to do it without Seimone Augustus (mild concussion) and Candice Wiggins (right knee). Both were injured in Tuesday's 86-76 victory over Indiana. ... An 0-4 road trip which ended Sunday eliminated the Lynx from the playoffs for the fourth year in a row. Even so, coach Don Zierden said these final games are important. "There are people playing for contracts," he said. "We're evaluating what our core is going to look like next year." ... Rookie Charde Houston, a 5-11 forward, has scored 19 and 18 points in the past two games. Her spin moves in the lane look cool, and she is finishing on them, too.

Mercury at a glance: Phoenix (15-17) has to be at least as disappointed about missing the playoffs as the Lynx. The Mercury won the WNBA title a year ago, but now is tied with the Lynx and Houston for fifth place in the Western Conference. ... Phoenix is the league's highest-scoring team, averaging 88.3 points behind its dynamic backcourt. Diana Taurasi is averaging an WNBA-high 24.1 points, Cappie Pondexter is next at 21.1. Both played on the gold-medal U.S. Olympic team. ... Phoenix lost to the Lynx 94-83 on May 31 at the Target Center, but beat Minnesota 103-96 on Sept. 3 at home. Guard Kelly Miller, a former Rochester Mayo star, had a season-high 20 points in that second game. She averages 8.5 points per game and makes a team-high 38.8 percent of her three-point shot attempts.

ROMAN AUGUSTOVIZ

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