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PHOENIX — Ahead of Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals, a rainstorm rolled through Arizona, cooling off Thursday’s 100-degree temperatures. PHX Arena didn’t get the memo. The Lynx lost a heated matchup 84-76 to Phoenix as the Mercury took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series and put Minnesota a game away from elimination. Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve was ejected with 21.8 seconds remaining after getting her second technical foul as she protested what she thought was a foul against star Napheesa Collier. After Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas stole the ball from Collier, knocking her to the floor, the Lynx forward left the court grabbing her left ankle, which rolled badly as she went to the court. “When you let the physicality happen, people get hurt. There’s fights, and this is the look our league wants, for some reason. We were trying to play through it,” Reeve said postgame as she made a statement, then left before answering questions. “One of the best players in the league shot zero free throws, and she had five fouls, zero free throws. Had her shoulder pulled out and finished the game with her leg being taken out and probably has a fracture.” Reeve also called out the officiating at the league level, pointing to complaints from other WNBA coaches this season as well. “I want to call for a change of leadership at the league level when it comes to officiating. The officiating crew that we had tonight, for the leadership to deem those three people semifinals playoff-worthy is” and Reeve used an expletive before saying “malpractice.”
