Kahleah Copper summed up her Game 1 experience perfectly: “It was fun—I think the environment was amazing. Two great teams really competing and getting after it, that was fun for me.” But fun only goes so far when the scoreboard tells a different story. After a nail-biting opener, Mercury fans were hoping for a bounce-back in Game 2. Instead, the team fell flat, losing by 13 points. One reporter suggested that a lot of the blame for the Game 2 loss could be placed on Satou Sabally.

Noa Dalzell of WNBA Today on CLNS highlighted Satou Sabally’s early struggles as a key reason for the Mercury’s Game 2 loss. “You know, I mentioned Satou Sabally had a really tough beginning to this game. She was one of nine to start this game. She finishes with 22 points on seven of 19 shooting. So, the final box score is not going to look terrible for her, but her process was terrible at the beginning of this game. I would say the first three quarters she was really not playing a good one… She was taking bad shots and that’s been the knock on her—that she sometimes has poor shot selection in the playoffs. You just can’t afford to take bad shots.”

It wasn’t just Young and Wilson carrying the Aces tonight–Chelsea Gray had a phenomenal outing herself, shutting down the likes of Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas. Sabally struggled all night against Gray, and while the Mercury held a slim 3-point lead after the first quarter, that advantage could have been much bigger if Sabally had made her shots. She finished with 22 points, but going 7-of-19 from the field and just 2-of-9 from beyond the arc tells the real story of her frustrating night.

As Dalzell highlighted, Sabally’s shot selection has been a concern this postseason, especially in Game 1 against the Liberty and Lynx, where she shot just 11.8% and 27.3% respectively. And unfortunately, her struggles weren’t over yet….more pain was on the horizon.

Things got even worse for Sabally late in the fourth quarter. With 3:37 left, she collided with A’ja Wilson in a play that was ruled a common foul. Her ankle reportedly got stepped on during the chaos. She managed to stay on long enough to take her free throws, but that was it–she limped straight to the bench and never returned, leaving fans worried.

Both Coach Tibbetts and Sabally shared updates on her condition, giving fans a clearer picture of what happened and what to expect next.

Satou Sabally injury update

It goes without saying that having Sabally sidelined is the last thing the Mercury wants. In her last five games, she’s scored 109 points, averaging 21.8 points per game, while also grabbing 32 rebounds. Her efficiency over that stretch has been 45.54%, which is solid. In fact, this was the first time since Game 1 against the Lynx that Sabally shot under 40% from the field, so maybe Dalzell’s criticism needs a bit of perspective. That said, right now, her availability is what truly matters.

Mercury fans might have reason to breathe a little easier. In the postgame press conference, Tibbetts explained he pulled Sabally because the team was “being smart with going forward.” When asked how she was feeling after the injury, Sabally said she was “fine” postgame, after receiving a medical evaluation.

Chances are Sabally will be ready for Game 3 at the Phoenix Arena. Can she return to her best and help the Mercury pull off a win? Only time will tell. Do you think the Mercury can mount another comeback like they did in their last two series? Share your predictions in the comments below.