Phoenix Mercury Injury Report: Kahleah Copper Cleared for Lynx Clash but Two Stars Set to Remain on Sidelines

As the Phoenix Mercury prepare to face off against the Minnesota Lynx, memories of their second round defeat in 2020 are likely fueling their desire for revenge in this year’s playoffs. Although they’ve lost three out of four matchups with the Lynx this season, there’s a silver lining: the Mercury will head into tonight’s game with a roster, free from major injuries and one of their key player also available for selection.

With just hours to go before the Phoenix Mercury’s playoff opener against the Minnesota Lynx, Desert Wave Media, the go-to source for Mercury updates, has revealed the list of players who will be unavailable for the game. The Desert Wave Media tweeted on their X, “Phoenix Mercury injury report for Sunday’s Game 1 against the Minnesota Lynx: Charisma Osborne – QUESTIONABLE (Left Lower Leg), Rebecca Allen – OUT – NWT (Back) #WNBA #WNBATwitter #ValleyTogether #LynxRecognize.”

The absence of Rebecca Allen and Charisma Osborne narrows the Mercury’s selection to just ten players for tonight’s game. While injuries can always be a setback, the current players on the Mercury’s injury list have been sidelined for a while, meaning their absence won’t drastically change the team’s approach or game plan.

Charisma Osborne, a third-round pick in the 2024 draft, has only seen action in two games this season, both back in June, due to a lingering leg injury. Meanwhile, Rebecca Allen, who joined the Mercury this year, has participated in 18 games and averaged 7.2 points. Unfortunately, she suffered an injury while training to represent Australia in the Olympics and has yet to make her return to the court.

Although the Mercury will miss Osborne and Allen, the brighter part is that Kahleah Copper is fully fit for selection, thanks to Mercury head coach’s tough calls earlier.

Coach Tibbetts’ Bold Move Sets the Stage for Copper’s Playoff Return

When concerns arose about Kahleah Copper’s consecutive absences leading up to the playoffs, Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts emphasized “We just – obviously there’s bigger games ahead – we want to be smart player first approach, and yeah we just we just think this is the best move for her in our organization” The Mercury had a golden opportunity to leapfrog the Fever and secure the sixth spot in the standings. Winning all four of their final games would have done the trick as Mercury fell, especially with their star player in the lineup.

However, Tibbetts took a strategic risk by resting Kahleah Copper in three of those matches to ensure she was ready for the playoff showdown, even though it resulted in one loss. Although they missed the sixth spot, it seems the coach’s safeguarding players strategy paid off, as Copper is now fully fit, ready to make a significant impact in the crucial playoff games ahead. She has been Mercury’s top scorer averaging 21.1 points and playing 37 games.

However, Copper already made her much-anticipated return to the lineup in the regular season’s final game, logging 25 minutes against the Seattle Storm. But, fans had been anxious about her participation, especially after she sat out the previous three games against the Connecticut Sun, Chicago Sky, and Los Angeles Sparks.

Now that she’s set to take the court, all eyes will be on her performance. Will she showcase the kind of skill that reinforces Coach Tibbetts’ decision to rest her? It’s a storyline that adds an intriguing layer to tonight’s playoff action.