FINAL · GAME DETAIL
Minnesota Lynx
vs Phoenix Mercury
One game ID connects the final, quarter flow, leading player lines and season position.
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIN | 19 | 22 | 27 | 20 | 88 |
| PHX | 20 | 25 | 22 | 17 | 84 |
GAME FLOW · NUMBERS
Reconstructing the game from the quarter line
Minnesota Lynx finished ahead of Phoenix Mercury, 88-84, a 4-point margin. The first-half totals were 41 for Minnesota Lynx and 45 for Phoenix Mercury; the third- and fourth-quarter totals were 47 and 39. The combined final of 172 matches the sum of the two quarter lines across 4 periods, including any overtime.
1Q: MIN 19-PHX 20, 19-20 cumulative; 2Q: MIN 22-PHX 25, 41-45 cumulative; 3Q: MIN 27-PHX 22, 68-67 cumulative; 4Q: MIN 20-PHX 17, 88-84 cumulative. Reading the period score beside the running score identifies exactly when the gap expanded or contracted. Minnesota Lynx's highest-scoring period was 27 points, while Phoenix Mercury's high was 25; the final separation was 4 points.
The first-half margin was 4 points, compared with 8 across the third and fourth quarters. Splitting the final this way preserves two distinct parts of the game instead of reducing it to one score. The quarter table above provides the same sequence as team scores and cumulative totals for direct comparison.
BOX SCORE READ
Team indicators and leading player lines
Minnesota Lynx recorded 50% from the field, 37% from three and 71% at the line; Phoenix Mercury posted 37%, 31% and 70%. Rebounds finished 43-31, assists 20-20 and turnovers 15-11. The same team box reports a 42-32 split in paint points and 9-9 in offensive rebounds.
Natasha Howard led Minnesota Lynx with 14 points. Natasha Howard supplied a team-high 11 rebounds, while Olivia Miles led with 7 assists. For Phoenix Mercury, the corresponding leaders were Kahleah Copper with 30 points, Natasha Mack with 10 rebounds and Alyssa Thomas with 8 assists.
The player tables contain minutes, points, rebounds, assists, shooting and on-court differential for 10 recorded participants from MIN and 9 from PHX. Reading those rows beside the team totals connects the final score, shooting efficiency and possession outcomes to specific player production without substituting an unsupported judgment for the box score.
SEASON CONTEXT · 2026
Locating both teams through standings and head-to-head results
In the current table, Minnesota Lynx are 24-6, No. 1 overall and No. 1 in the West, 0 games behind the conference leader. Phoenix Mercury are 11-19, No. 12 overall and No. 7 in the West, 13 games back. Their cumulative point differentials are +282 and -100.
Counting only completed standard-season results through this game, Minnesota Lynx stood at 1-1 across 2 games and Phoenix Mercury at 1-2 across 3. Their most recent sets of up to five finals were 1-1 and 1-2. Scoring in those short windows was 178-175 for the away team and 262-249 for the home team, keeping recent form separate from the full-season record.
Across 1 completed meetings in the same season, Minnesota Lynx recorded 1 wins and Phoenix Mercury 0; aggregate scoring was 88-84. The teams are separated by 11 places in the overall order and by 13 cumulative wins. Standings, the recent five-game window and the season series cover different sample sizes, so they are presented as three numerical views of the same matchup rather than collapsed into one rating.
Team box score
| Stat | MIN | PHX |
|---|---|---|
| FG% | 50 | 37 |
| 3P% | 37 | 31 |
| FT% | 71 | 70 |
| Rebounds | 43 | 31 |
| Assists | 20 | 20 |
| Turnovers | 15 | 11 |
| Paint points | 42 | 32 |
Minnesota Lynx
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | FG | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kayla McBride * | 33 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 4-10 | 4 |
| Courtney Williams * | 30 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 4-13 | 7 |
| Natasha Howard * | 29 | 14 | 11 | 2 | 6-9 | 8 |
| Olivia Miles * | 26 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 5-10 | 6 |
| Nia Coffey * | 21 | 13 | 10 | 0 | 5-7 | 3 |
| Emma Cechova | 22 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 4-8 | -3 |
| Antonia Delaere | 19 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 3-4 | -1 |
| Anastasiia Olairi Kosu | 9 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1-2 | 0 |
| Maya Caldwell | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Eliska Hamzova | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0-1 | -4 |
| Napheesa Collier | LEFT ANKLE | – | – | – | –-– | – |
| Dorka Juhasz | RIGHT FOOT | – | – | – | –-– | – |
Phoenix Mercury
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | FG | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kahleah Copper * | 35 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 9-21 | -1 |
| Alyssa Thomas * | 34 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 2-10 | -9 |
| DeWanna Bonner * | 30 | 16 | 7 | 2 | 6-16 | -8 |
| Natasha Mack * | 28 | 9 | 10 | 0 | 4-5 | -5 |
| Valeriane Ayayi * | 17 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2-4 | 1 |
| Jovana Nogic | 17 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0-6 | 5 |
| Kiana Williams | 14 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1-6 | -4 |
| Noemie Brochant | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Kyara Linskens | 12 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2-3 | 1 |
| Anneli Maley | COACH'S DECISION | – | – | – | –-– | – |
| Sami Whitcomb | LEFT KNEE | – | – | – | –-– | – |
| Quionche Carter | COACH'S DECISION | – | – | – | –-– | – |