Storm Down Mercury In Playoff Tune-up

Game recap:

Mercury Lose To Storm But Accomplish Their Goals - SB Nation Arizona
The Mercury lost 78 to 73 but in a game where Diana Taurasi didn't play at all and Penny Taylor only played 7 minutes that's not too bad. The Storm didn't push too hard either but got a total of about 101 minute out of their normal starting five compared to only about 44 minutes for the Mercury top five. The Mercury bench players accounted for 50 of the team's 73 points and 62.5% of the minutes played compared to Seattle's 33 points and 47.5% of the minutes.

Box score - Seattle 78, Phoenix 73

Game preview:

It's official, Taurasi not in the starting line-up. This is pretty much going to played like a preseason game. I except Seattle to play their starters longer so get ready for a lot of Brooke Smith and Taylor Lilley.

Preview: Mercury Come Home To Take On The Storm, Will Try To Avoid Injuries - SB Nation Arizona
Now, with Bonner's main issue just having to get back up to game speed after missing a few games, the team is going into protection mode. The team locked up the second seed in the Western Conference with its win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday. With home court advantage locked up through the Conference Semifinals, all the Mercury want to do now is stay healthy.