[ad_1]
LAS VEGAS – Practical? It’s not necessary. Shootaround? Meh.
Because while Phoenix Mercury goalkeeper Diana Taurasi’s injured left ankle limited her mobility and availability outside of game days, her shot didn’t suffer at all. Taurasi scored a career-high 37 playoff points to lead Phoenix to a 117-91 victory over Aces to tie their WNBA semi-final series at one game apiece.
And at 39, the 17th-year WNBA veteran became the oldest player to record a 30-point game, either regular season or playoff, in league history.
“As you get older you want to be in training and you want to be in rhythm, but that’s when you really have to anchor yourself and build on your experiences that you’ve had in this league for a long time,” said said Taurasi, who was 10 of 13 on the pitch, including 8 of 11 at 3 points.
“When you have games like this you just enjoy them and they feel a lot better when you come out with the win.”
It was also his eighth game in the playoffs with a record 30 points.
“When you are struggling, like me, you have to take advantage of these situations,” she said. “And I don’t mean go out there and try to be 40 or 35, but be really locked in and be in the moment, and that’s what I try to do every time we get together. right now. Because those times don’t come very often. “
Taurasi missed Mercury’s playoff win over New York Liberty with an ankle injury and scored 14 points in Phoenix’s overtime win over Seattle Storm.
She added 20 points in Mercury’s loss in Game 1 to Las Vegas, although she was clearly hampered. But Aces coach Bill Laimbeer insisted after that game that she wasn’t injured – sort of.
“This is the playoffs – no one is injured,” he said at the time. “I went there and I did this. All of my friends have been there and done this. There is no sympathy factor in the playoffs.
“And she won’t quarter, either. Make that one, okay? She’ll cut your heart out in a second. So, she’s not hurt. We’re going to play her like she’s out of it. full speed and ready to go and everything like that. That’s how we do business. If we think otherwise, we are at a disadvantage. “
It didn’t matter in Game 2, not with center Brittney Griner dominating early – 16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks in the first quarter – and Taurasi was setting up his shooting camp late.
While Taurasi’s eight 3-pointers were the second most scored in a playoff game in playoff history, she was also 7 of 8 (5 of 6 of 3 points) on contested field goal attempts.
Taurasi was 6 of 6 and scored 20 points under the care of sixth WNBA Player of the Year Kelsey Plum and 3 of 5 for 10 points under the care of Chelsea Gray.
Game 3 is Sunday in Arizona.
“It’s not 100%, but it hasn’t gotten any worse, and that’s the most important thing for us right now,” said Mercury coach Sandy Brondello. “Just prepare her for the next game. And what makes Diana special, we know she’s mentally strong, and I don’t think there’s another built player like her in this department.
“She’s still in pain.… She’s just playing. That says a lot about her as a player, doesn’t it? I’ve seen a lot of Diana’s great plays, but none as big as this- here in situations where she hasn’t been able to train and is not at 100%. So thank you to her, and it’s fun to watch. “
[ad_2]
Source link