Injury Watch

While the Sun are dealing with a slight injury problem of their own in Katie Douglas battling a strained right calf, the team they could very well see in the Eastern Conference finals is in a similar situation.
Detroit Shock leading scorer and rebounder Cheryl Ford left her team’s blowout win Thursday night against Chicago with 3:59 remaining in the first quarter due to a sprained left hand. Ford, 14.4 points and 11.7 rebounds, told the Detroit News she’ll play tonight against Washington, but it’s something to keep an eye on.
In other news around the league, how about Diana Taurasi? She set a single-game WNBA record with 47 points in Phoenix’s triple-overtime win at Houston. The Mercury can still make the playoffs by winning their final two games coupled with a Houston loss in its season finale.
It would be a great perk for the league to get Phoenix into the postseason because the team is probably the WNBA’s most exciting team. And if the Mercury manage to sneak in, don’t be surprised if they go on a little run behind Taurasi and her high-scoring teammate Cappie Pondexter.
Earlier this year, Sun coach Mike Thibault said Phoenix was capable of making it to the finals. After long stretches in which that looked impossible — despite all the talent on the roster — Western Conference teams may have to prove Thibault wrong depending on how the weekend shakes out, and knocking off the Mercury won’t be an easy task.