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Storm star Breanna Stewart out for playoff game against Mercury

ryan young
Staff writer
·2 min read
6

Breanna Stewart won’t be available to kick off the postseason with the Seattle Storm.

The team announced that Stewart will miss their second-round playoff game against the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday with a foot injury.

Stewart suffered her left foot injury during their game earlier this month against the Washington Mystics, where she had to hobble off the court midway through the third quarter. She was averaging 20.7 points per game, the second-best in the league, and 9.9 rebounds per game headed into that game.

The 2019 league MVP and last season’s Finals MVP was then ruled out for the rest of the regular season, and hasn’t played since.

Diana Taurasi questionable

The Mercury may be without their star player for the single-elimination game, too.

Phoenix guard Diana Taurasi was listed as questionable on Saturday with an ankle injury, something she suffered earlier this year.

Taurasi has played just 16 games this season due to multiple injuries, and actually missed all three of Phoenix’s games against Seattle — which the Storm won 2-1.

“She’ll determine whether she thinks she’ll be able to go or not,” Mercury coach Sandy Brondello said Saturday, via ESPN. “She deserves that, to give her as much time as possible. She knows whether she can help us or not. So that’s why I leave it in her hands, along with the medical staff.”

Either way that goes, Seattle coach Noelle Quinn said they’ll be ready to go on Sunday — where they’re listed as a +3.5 underdog on BetMGM.

“We’ve practiced without [Stewart] and had a game without her the last time we played Phoenix,” Quinn said, via ESPN. “We’ve been preparing as if Diana is going to play, but knowing how the team plays without her is beneficial to us. I think the approach remains the same with our energy and our effort.”