It looks like the Las Vegas Aces aren’t giving the Phoenix Mercury any breathing room on the court. After a first half that featured five lead changes, the Aces pulled ahead by nine and outscored the Mercury 30–24 to take control. The Mercury squad is now 0-2 in the best-of-seven Finals series. And amid this, a new concern has emerged for the upcoming games. Ever since Satou Sabally went down with an ankle injury in Game 2, fans have been holding their breath. Now, there’s finally an update.

It all came at the 3:37 mark in the fourth quarter after she had a collision with the Aces’ forward A’ja Wilson, which was ruled just a common foul. She reportedly had her ankle stepped on, but showing her grit, she stayed in the game long enough to knock down her free throws before being taken out.

After that, she did not return to play and was limping as she walked to the bench. When asked, the head coach shared he was “being smart with going forward.” so he pulled her out. And it seems he was right too, as when Sabally was personally asked how she was doing after her injury, she simply responded with “fine.”

Still, with further evaluations pending, the Mercury faithful can’t exhale just yet. With the action shifting to Phoenix for Game 3, all eyes are now on Sabally’s status. Her absence, or even limited mobility, could drastically shift the team’s momentum.

Well, that’s because Sabally is undoubtedly among the non-negotiable players on the Mercury’s roster. She’s been averaging 15.4 points with 5.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 18 playoff games in her career. Even this season, she has put up 18.4 points, with 7.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists across nine playoff games. But what makes her even more important is that she’s averaged 18.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists across four games versus the Aces this season. And yes, this isn’t the first time this season she has endured an ankle injury.

On July 3, earlier this season, she took hard falls during the Mercury’s loss to the Wings. Later, it was confirmed that she had a right ankle injury that left her day-to-day. The same injury kept her out for two weeks as she was spotted wearing a boot on her right leg during that period.

But when she did make her return, she was as dominant as ever. She wrapped up her season with 16.3 points and 5.9 rebounds in 39 games so far. So, if it’s a similar injury, we can expect her to be out for about two weeks. But let’s hope that’s not the case, as the Mercury needs her the most at this moment.

But what’s next for Phoenix?

The major reason behind Mercury’s defeat has been its bench. The Mercury HC emptied the bench with 3:58 remaining in the fourth quarter, which was an early sign of loss. It’s because the team entered the postseason with the league’s highest-scoring bench.

But the advantage has been nonexistent in the W’s Finals so far. At first, the team was outscored 41-16 in Game 1 and then 16-8 in Game 2. Since the bench has been limited, as a starter, the responsibility has shifted more to Sabally. So, you know her presence on the court is crucial for the Mercury to win.

Though the upcoming game could serve as an advantage as the series shifts to Phoenix for the next two games. The team’s been 15-7 at the PHX Arena in the regular season. They’ve even won pivotal games there in the playoffs. “We’ve been down before. We’ve been overlooked,” Nate Tibbetts shared in the postgame press conference. “You know, obviously people are going to start talking about how good Las Vegas has been, and they should. We’ve kind of always bounced back, right? And so, we’re excited to go home to play in our home arena.”

And we know, obviously, the X-Factor — how the fan base prides itself on the effect it has on opposing teams. That passion, paired with the team’s dominance, is a deadly combo that has driven the underdogs this far. As Kahleah Copper admitted, “I think the X-Factor is a huge part of the success we had this season… It’s always good to be home.” But the team needs to make adjustments for Game 3 to win. So what do you think? Will the Mercury be able to pull it off?