An uncharacteristically poor stretch has prevented the Minnesota Lynx from pulling away in the Western Conference.
They'll have another chance to do so when the Phoenix Mercury visit Target Center on Sunday for the final regular-season meeting between the slumping powerhouses.
Minnesota (19-10) has given the second-place Mercury an opportunity to seize control of the conference by losing four of its last five games, but Phoenix (17-12) hasn't taken advantage. Though the Mercury dealt the Lynx a 79-67 defeat Aug. 21, they've dropped four of six following Friday's 71-63 loss at Washington.
Offensive struggles, particularly from their core players, have triggered the Lynx's slide. They've been held under 70 points in all four recent losses and shot 37.3 percent in those games.
Maya Moore has shot 34.7 percent during the 1-4 stretch and fellow All-Star Lindsay Whalen has just 30 points over the last four games. Seimone Augustus, the other member of Minnesota's Big Three, has missed the last three with a sprained ankle.
The Lynx were ineffective on both ends in Friday's showdown with East-leading New York, which shot 50.7 percent en route to an 81-68 win at Madison Square Garden.
"For whatever reason, the combination of things that we've been really good at, right now, are escaping us," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said.
Minnesota has lost three of four 2015 meetings with the defending champion Mercury, though each defeat was in Phoenix. The Lynx cruised to a 71-56 win in Minneapolis on June 27 behind Whalen's 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting, continuing the series' recent trend of home dominance.
Including last year's West finals, the home team has prevailed in 10 consecutive matchups. The Mercury are 11-23 all-time at Target Center counting the postseason.
Phoenix held Moore to 5-of-17 shooting while being paced by DeWanna Bonner's 21 points in the most recent meeting.
"I thought that was one of our better games for the season," coach Sandy Brondello told the Mercury's official site. "We talk about staying together as a unit and I thought we really did that."
Bonner is averaging 19.0 points in the season series, but managed just 10 against Washington after netting 26 in Thursday's 81-80 victory at Connecticut.
Brittney Griner, who recorded her sixth career dunk Friday, has notched a double-double in three season appearances against the Lynx. The 2014 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year missed the first matchup while serving a league-issued suspension.
