Collier erupts with 42, Lynx sink Mercury to book semis vs. Sun

Napheesa Collier tied the WNBA's single-game playoff record with 42 points as the Minnesota Lynx defeated the Phoenix Mercury 101-88 on Wednesday to win their first-round series.

Minnesota will move on to face the Connecticut Sun, which completed their own sweep of the Indiana Fever earlier Wednesday.

Collier's 14-of-20 performance overtakes her 38-point showing in Game 1 as her career high in any playoff or regular-season game. She joins Breanna Stewart in 2022 and Angel McCoughtry in 2010 as the only players in WNBA history to score 42 points in a playoff contest.

Mercury center Brittney Griner led Phoenix with 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting and added five rebounds with two blocks. Franchise icon Diana Taurasi, amid rumors of a possible retirement after the season, shot just 3-of-10 from the floor and scored 10 points with four rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes. The 42-year-old received a standing ovation from the Minnesota crowd as she left for good with 2:34 to play and the Lynx up 14.

All five Lynx starters registered double digits in the win, with guard Natisha Hiedeman adding eight points and seven assists off the bench while finishing a game-high plus-23.

Game 1 between the Lynx and Sun tips off Sunday in Minnesota at 8:30 p.m. ET. Connecticut won the season series 2-1, though all three contests were decided by no more than five points.