Brittney Griner played just fine in her first WNBA game in more than a year and a half.
But her Phoenix Mercury team fared poorly in a 94-71 season-opening loss to the Sparks on Friday night in Los Angeles.
The Mercury will try to do better in their home opener when they face the Chicago Sky on Sunday afternoon. The Sky opened with a 77-66 victory against the Lynx on Friday in Minneapolis.
Griner, returning from a full-season absence while she was detained in a Russian prison on drug-related charges, scored a game-high 18 points and added six rebounds and four blocks in 25 minutes and helped Phoenix build an 11-point lead during the first quarter. But that quickly fizzled.
The Sky, who beat the Mercury in the 2021 WNBA Finals in Griner’s last action before Friday, took control by outscoring Minnesota 22-3 in the second quarter as the Lynx made just 1 of 15 shots from the floor and turned the ball over 11 times.
Kahleah Copper scored 20 points and Alanna Smith added 15 points for the Sky, who trailed 24-22 entering the pivotal second quarter.
