The 2020 WNBA Playoffs presented by AT&T continue Thursday with a doubleheader of single-elimination Second Round games on ESPN2. The action begins with the Phoenix Mercury vs. Minnesota Lynx at 7:00 ET, followed by the Connecticut Sun vs. the Los Angeles Sparks at 9:00 ET. Here are eight key stats to know about each matchup.

(5) Phoenix Mercury vs. (4) Minnesota Lynx – 7PM ET (ESPN2)

The Minnesota Lynx open their 10th consecutive appearance in the WNBA Playoffs with a second-round matchup against the Phoenix Mercury, who advanced to the second round thanks to Shey Peddy’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer to knock out the defending champs. Minnesota’s 10-year streak of playoff appearances is tied with Seattle (2004-13) as the second-longest in league history, trailing only Indiana (2005-16). The Lynx have the longest active streak, followed by the Sparks (9) and the Mercury (8).

In two games against the Mercury this season, rookie Crystal Dangerfield led the Lynx in scoring (19.5 PPG), while sophomore Napheesa Collier was second in scoring (16.5) and led the Lynx in rebounds (7.5), assists (5.0), steals (3.5) and blocks (2.0).

In two games against the Lynx this season, Skylar Diggins-Smith averaged 23.0 points and 3.0 assists but also averaged 5.5 turnovers, matching her highest mark against any opponent this season. Diana Taurasi averaged 18.5 points and 7.0 rebounds, but shot just 33.3% from the field and 25% from three, with the latter percentage matching her lowest mark against any opponent this season. Brianna Turner led the Mercury in rebounds (12.0 RPG), steals (3.0) and blocks (4.0) against Minnesota.

During the regular season, Phoenix ranked third in first-quarter scoring (22.7 PPG). The Mercury went 11-1 this season when winning the first quarter and just 2-8 when either tied or losing the first quarter. Phoenix held double-digit leads six times after the opening quarter, the highest mark in the league. As important as the first quarter was to their regular-season success, the Mercury did win their first-round game against Washington after losing the first quarter by nine points. In their season series with the Lynx, the team that won the first quarter went on to win the game.

With their win on Tuesday, the Mercury improved to 7-1 all-time in single-elimination playoff games and Diana Taurasi kept her undefeated streak alive as she is now 7-0 in single-elimination playoff games and 14-1 in all winner-take-all games during her WNBA career.

In their injury report released on Wednesday, the Lynx announced that Lexie Brown is out (concussion protocol) and Sylvia Fowles is questionable (calf). Fowles has not played since Aug. 13, when she exited the game vs. Las Vegas after less than two minutes on the court and missed both regular-season matchups with Phoenix. Removing the Aug. 13 game since she was out for nearly the entire game, the Lynx went 5-1 with Fowles in the lineup  (excluding a game Fowles played only 1:23 in a loss to Aces on Aug. 13) and 9-7 with her out during the regular season.

Getting Fowles back would make Minnesota’s already strong post-up game even better. During the regular season, the Lynx led the WNBA in post-up efficiency, scoring 1.04 points per post-up possession, per Synergy play type data. Napheesa Collier ranked sixth in post-up efficiency, scoring 1,075 points per possession with post-ups accounting for 15.8% of her offense. Fowles ranked seventh in her limited action, scoring 1.074 points per possessions with post-ups accounting for 39.1% of her offense.

The Mercury led the WNBA in pick-and-roll ball handler offense, scoring 0.973 points per possession with an effective field goal percentage of 49.4%, according to Synergy play type data. Diana Taurasi (39.1% of her possessions, 1.047 points per possession) and Skylar Diggins-Smith (41.7%, 1.044) ranked 7th and 10th, respectively, in scoring efficiency on those plays. Diggins-Smith had the third-most pick-and-roll ball handler possessions in the league (158), trailing only Atlanta’s Chennedy Carter (168 possessions in only 16 games played) and Dallas’ Arike Ogunbowale (162).

(7) Connecticut Sun vs. (3) Los Angeles Sparks – 9PM ET (ESPN2)

The Los Angeles Sparks tip off their ninth consecutive appearance in the WNBA Playoffs with a second-round matchup against the Connecticut Sun, the team that swept the Sparks out of the playoffs in last year’s semifinals. The Sparks swept the season series with the Sun, 2-0, but those wins came by a combined total of just nine points. Connecticut’s DeWanna Bonner scored a season-high 34 points in their first meeting on July 30, while Los Angeles’ Chelsea Gray scored a season-high 27 points in their second meeting on Aug. 28.

This game features two of the WNBA’s most versatile players in Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas and Los Angeles’ Candace Parker. During the regular season, they were the only two players to average at least 10 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists per game. In addition, Thomas led the league in steals (2.0) while Parker ranked 8th in blocks (1.2) and tied for the league lead in double-doubles (10). Parker (9.7) and Thomas (9.0) finished 1-2 in rebounds per game. It was Parker’s third career rebounding title, coming 12 years after her first as a rookie in 2008.

Both Thomas and Parker have both raised their games during the postseason. In 11 career playoff games, Thomas has averaged 17.5 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 5.9 APG and 2.0 SPG while shooting 54.3 FG%. In 47 career playoff games, Parker has averaged 18.5 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.6 SPG and 1.8 BPG. They are the only two players in WNBA Playoff history to average at least 10 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists while playing in more than 1 playoff game.

The Sparks offense was 8.9 points per 100 possession better with Chelsea Gray on the court (105.2 offensive rating) than when she was off the court (96.3). The Sparks go from an offense that would have ranked fourth in the league with Gray on the court to one that would have ranked 11th with her off the court.

The Sparks were the top 3-point shooting team in the league in 2020, connection on 39.8% of their 3-point attempts. That is the highest percentage that a team posted for a season since 2012 when the Fever and Lynx both shot 40% from beyond the arc – and would eventually meet in the WNBA Finals. The Sun had the third-best 3-point defense in the league, as their opponents shot just 33.0% from beyond the arc this season. In their two regular season meetings, the Sun held the Sparks to 34.4% shooting from three; it was L.A.’s third-lowest 3P% against any opponent this season.

In their opening round win, the Sun dominated the offensive glass (17-5) and had a huge advantage in second-chance points (22-5). Alyssa Thomas grabbed a WNBA Playoff record 10 of those 17 offensive rebounds. During the regular season, the Sun ranked second in offensive rebound percentage (32.9%) and led the league in second-chance points (13.5). The Sparks finished last in offensive rebound percentage (24.8%) and second-to-last in second-chance points (8.4 per game). The Sparks finished fifth in defensive rebound percentage (72.1%) and will have to have a strong performance to limit the Sun on the boards.

The Sparks offense ranked in the top three in the league across five different play types tracked by Synergy: spot-ups (2nd), isolations (3rd), cuts (2nd), pick-and-roll roll player (2nd) and hand-offs (3rd). Spot-up accounted for the highest percentage of their offense (19.7%) and they averaged 1.052 points per possession and shot 54.3 eFG% on those plays – second in both rankings to Seattle.

This matchup features five of the top eight most efficient players in isolations. L.A.’s Chelsea Gray leads the way at 1.1 points per possession and 55.9 eFG%, both of which rank second in the league. Seimone Augustus (1.091) third in efficiency behind Gray and Brittney Sykes (1.059) ranks sixth for the Sparks. The Sun are led by their top two scorers: Alyssa Thomas (1.077) ranks fifth and DeWanna Bonner (1.033) ranks eighth.