WNBA playoffs: Semifinal previews

August 25, 2018 at 9:03PM
Seattle Storm's Breanna Stewart smiles as she dribbles down the court after blocking a Dallas Wings shot on Sunday, Aug. 19, 2018 at Key Arena in Seattle, Wash. The Storm beat the Wings 84-68. (Rebekah Welch/Seattle Times/TNS) ORG XMIT: 1238529
Breanna Stewart averaged 21.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game for Seattle during the regular season. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

No. 1 Seattle (26-8) vs. No. 5 Phoenix (22-14)

Game 1: 4 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2

Season series: Seattle won 2-1

Seattle update: The Storm's 26 victories were the second-most in franchise history. … Associated Press WNBA Player of the Year Breanna Stewart averaged 21.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game during the regular season. … The Storm set a franchise record for road victories (13) and a WNBA record for three-pointers made in a single season (307). … Seattle is the No. 1 seed for the second time in team history.

Phoenix update: The All-Star trio of Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner and DeWanna Bonner combined for 77 points in a second-round victory at Connecticut. Bonner also had 18 rebounds. The Mercury defeated Dallas in the first round. … Since the league's new playoff format went into effect in 2016, the Mercury is 6-0 in single-elimination games, including 4-0 on the road. … Phoenix is 5-3 all-time against Seattle in the postseason.

No. 2 Atlanta (23-11) vs. No. 3 Washington (23-12)

Game 1: 2 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2

Season series: Atlanta won 2-1

Atlanta update: The Dream has won 15 of its past 17 games, the last five without star player Angel McCoughtry. McCoughtry suffered a season-ending knee injury in early August. … Tiffany Hayes' 17.2 points per game paced the Dream, while five others who will play against Washington, including former Lynx guard Renee Montgomery (10.3), averaged at least eight points.

Washington update: The Mystics are the only team in the final four that has never won a league championship. They lost to the Lynx in the semifinals last season. … Six Washington players scored in double figures in a second-round victory over Los Angeles. Elena Delle Donne had 19 points and 12 rebounds. The Mystics also had a franchise-high 28 assists, led by guard Kristi Toliver's game-high nine.

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