Taurasi's presence and points lead to rout

Phoenix guard Diana Taurasi tormented the Lynx defense time and time again in the first half Saturday. She either drove to the basket or shot over helpless outstretched hands.

Taurasi was 7-for-8 from the field and had 17 points by halftime as Phoenix opened a commanding, 23-point lead at Target Center before an announced crowd of 6,631.

By basketball rules, the Lynx had to come out for the second half. But all signs this night pointed to a Mercury victory. Sure enough, Phoenix won 87-74 after leading by as many as 33 points in the third quarter.

The Lynx have lost three in a row since the All-Star Game break and five of their past six, freefalling to 10-10. They are 4 1/2 games behind the first-place Mercury (15-6) in the Western Conference race.

Oddly enough, their one victory in that stretch was at Phoenix, 99-86 on July 22. They had 24 points in the first quarter that game. But maybe that win should have an asterisk. Taurasi did not play; she was sitting out the second game of a two-game suspension after being cited for driving under the influence.

She makes a difference.

"When Diana is on the court, she spreads [the defense] out," Mercury coach Corey Gaines said. "Because if you give her a shot, she'll hit it."

Taurasi, who finished with 20 points, ended the first half by swishing a 60-foot shot at the horn.

"When I caught the ball, I was thinking, 'Should I shoot it?' " Taurasi said. "I guess it just summed up how we were rolling in the first half."

Phoenix shot 64.5 percent the first 20 minutes, making 20 of 31 shots.

The Lynx outscored the Mercury 24-13 in the fourth quarter to close the final gap to 13 points.

"This has to be one of the weirder games I have been in," Taurasi said. "If I had not known the score, it felt like we were losing. When you shoot 100 free throws in a game, it helps you a little bit."

Rookie 6-5 center Quanitra Hollingsworth led the Lynx with a season-high 17 points, Roneeka Hodges added 14. Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter, who had 17, were among five Mercury players in double figures.

First-year Lynx coach Jen Gillom was pleased her team rallied late. "Most teams would have given up," Gillom said. "They didn't. They fought."

Now the Lynx, who have added two new players since mid-July, have five days to prepare for Connecticut's visit on Friday.

"We have time to figure this thing out," Gillom said. "Not just me, this team has time to figure it out. ... We have not had that time to practice and get everyone on the same page. We're fine."