Takeaways: Minnesota Lynx roll resiliently past Phoenix Mercury in Game 1 of WNBA semifinals

Before Game 1 of the WNBA playoff semifinals Sunday against the Phoenix Mercury, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve was asked about the plan to defend Alyssa Thomas, a triple-double engine who finished third in MVP voting that morning.

“Eat your Wheaties,” she said in jest.

But then, serious: “She’s great at what she does. And we’ll try to be intelligent about … her physicality or her disrupting and all the things that she does.”

The Lynx must have dug around and found some of the famous breakfast cereal underneath the bench before the fourth quarter. No. 1 Minnesota shook off another slow start to beat Phoenix 82-69 and take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five semifinals.

The Lynx outscored Phoenix 23-10 in the fourth quarter, led by a team-high 23 points from guard Courtney Williams.

Thomas, meanwhile, finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists — but only two of those points came after halftime. Kahleah Copper scored a team-high 22.

Minnesota suffered from another lethargic first half after having to dig itself out of a shallow hole in Game 1 of their Round 1 sweep of Golden State, then a ditch in Game 2. Phoenix, up 47-40 at halftime, scored 42 of its first-half points in the paint, the most in a half in WNBA playoff history.

The Lynx had yet to face Phoenix with the complete set of its “Big Three” — Satou Sabally, Copper and Thomas — in their four regular-season matchups, all played before July 16.

Napheesa Collier scored eight consecutive points for the Lynx to end the third quarter, followed by a Kayla McBride free throw to tie the score 59-59.

Bridget Carleton scored her first two points of the night on a fadeaway jumper with just over 9:17 left in the game to give Minnesota its first lead of the half, 61-59, and the Lynx stayed on the front foot down the stretch. Carleton hit a three-pointer with 2:16 left to make it 76-67, at that point the Lynx’s biggest lead of the night.

“I think it’s just my IQ, my attention to detail, knowing that little things can make a difference in winning a possession,” Carleton said pregame when asked about her impact in a season that, statistically, has been quieter for the guard. “Even if I’m not scoring or I’m not assisting, I’m helping the team be successful. And I take pride in that.”

With just under four minutes left in the game, Carleton drove down the baseline and kicked a pass out to McBride beyond the arc. McBride sunk her fourth three-pointer of the night (finishing 4-for-9 on three-pointers) to put the Lynx up 73-67.

Collier finished with 18 points and nine rebounds and McBride with 21 points to go with Williams’ team high.

The Lynx were missing guard DiJonai Carrington, who was ruled out for the remainder of the season because of a left foot sprain. Carrington, a 2024 All-Defense honoree picked up in August via a trade with Dallas, was a key acquisition for a team with championship aspirations.

Having only played four minutes in the first-round series, Maria Kliundikova came in for eight minutes in Sunday’s fourth quarter, putting up four points, four rebounds and two steals to help Minnesota seal the win.