Takeaways: Lynx completely fall apart in Game 2 loss

Minnesota was supposed to be the second-half team, making adjustments at halftime, heating up in the clutch and closing out games when they counted most — if the past week were anything to go by.

The Lynx did it in their first-round sweep of Golden State, and again Sunday in Game 1 against Phoenix.

Not Tuesday night.

In Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals, Phoenix rallied back from a 20-point third-quarter deficit to beat the Lynx 89-83 in overtime and tie the best-of-five series at 1-1.

“Phoenix did a good job at coming out aggressive [in the second half], but I think we beat ourselves,” Lynx forward Napheesa Collier said. “Unforced turnovers, not taking care of the ball when they were pressuring us.”

BOXSCORE: Phoenix 89, Lynx 83 (OT)

With less than 30 seconds remaining, the Lynx had just caught their breath with a pair of free throws by Courtney Williams, up 79-76. But after getting a shot at redemption thanks to a retrieved airball from Phoenix point-forward Alyssa Thomas, Sami Whitcomb hit her second try at a step-back three-pointer to tie the score with 3.4 seconds to go.

“That’s what great players, great shooters do,” Tibbetts said.

Collier, who had been held to five points in the second half, missed a jump shot as time expired that would have won it. In the five-minute overtime period, Phoenix scored the first six points until Williams and Collier hit back-to-back baskets to cut the Lynx’s deficit to 85-83 with 30 seconds remaining.

But a foul on Thomas by Alanna Smith gave the Mercury a chance to seal it from the line, and they did. Thomas sank four final free throws to finish with 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds.

The Mercury steal a game on the road before heading back to Phoenix, where Games 3 and 4 will take place Friday and Sunday. At stake? A spot in the WNBA Finals. The Lynx need to win both to avoid a winner-take-all Game 5 in Minneapolis next Tuesday.

The Lynx had led 59-39 with 5:45 left in the third quarter. That was before their shooting cooled and the turnovers began to pile up with more on-ball pressure from Phoenix.

“I can show you four turnovers right now in a minute and a half that had nothing to do with Phoenix, and that made us out of sorts,” Reeve said.

With 3 minutes, 32 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Phoenix power forward Satou Sabally earned an and-one on a layup, fouled by Williams, to tie the score 70-70. Sabally had a team-high 24 points.

The Lynx were never able to pull away from that point onward, struggling to keep pace with Phoenix’s perimeter shooting (13-for-32 on three-pointers), compared with their own poor night (7-for-28).

“The [offensive] boards help them,” Lynx guard Kayla McBride said. “I feel like in the first half, we were doing a good job at keeping them one-and-done.”

A five-second violation on the Lynx while inbounding the ball with 46.8 seconds left also gave the Mercury an extra possession in clutch time, which Thomas used to cut the lead to one.

For a team that has often leaned on its bench, it was four of Minnesota’s starters doing the heavy lifting in Game 2, with Williams, McBride, Smith and Collier all in double figures, scoring 78 of the Lynx’s 83 points.

Minnesota got only two points from Bridget Carleton and three points from its bench, from Jessica Shepard, who also recorded seven rebounds. Meanwhile, Phoenix picked up 25 points from its bench, including the game-tying three from Whitcomb.

As Phoenix clamped down on Collier (24 points, six rebounds) and upped the pressure to force Williams into seven turnovers, McBride — who played a game-high 42 minutes — tried to keep the Mercury at bay in the second half, finishing with 21 points and shooting 4-for-8 from three.

Phoenix now holds home-court advantage, with a Game 3 (Friday) and Game 4 (Sunday) now guaranteed. If the teams split the pair of games in Arizona, a winner-take-all Game 5 will return to Minneapolis. The winner of this series gets the winner of the semifinal across the playoff bracket: No. 2 Las Vegas against No. 6 Indiana.