WNBA: Mercury at Lynx The Return of Brittney Griner

Mercury at Lynx
7:00 pm CDT
ESPN2

The Lynx are on national television again tonight, hosting the Phoenix Mercury at Target Center on ESPN2.  The big story tonight is the return of Brittney Griner who is back after serving her seven game suspension for a domestic violence incident during the off-season.

Without Griner, and of course Diana Taurasi, the Mercury have gotten off to a rather slow start and stand 3-4 on the season. One of their wins, however, was at home against the Lynx, who are 6-2 but have struggled a little bit getting there. The Lynx won in Seattle earlier this week thanks to a huge comeback led by Seimone Augustus, who is having a spectacular start to her season.

Unfortunately, Maya Moore, the reigning MVP, remains mired in a season long slump. She is shooting 28% from beyond the arc and 42% overall, and the Lynx need her to get going and play like the best player in the league if they hope to get back to their championship level.

On the positive side, the Lynx are getting terrific contributions from their three primary bigs. Rebekkah Brunson, Damiris Dantas, and Asjha Jones are all shooting over 56% from the field and have been playing solid defense. Once Moore gets things going, they should be in good shape.

The first meeting between these teams resulted in the Lynx first loss of the season. They played terribly, shooting a season low percentage and turning it over 18 times. Things aren't going to get any easier with Griner back on the floor.

The Lynx currently sit second in the Western Conference, one game behind the 7-1 Tulsa Shock.