Phoenix Mercury trail Seattle Storm in potentially Diana Taurasi’s final home game

In what could be the final game in Phoenix for Mercury star Diana Taurasi, the home team fell flat early and trails 43-31 at halftime from Footprint Center on Thursday.

Taurasi and Brittney Griner lead the team with nine points. Nneka Ogwumike leads all scorers with 14 points.

From signs showing support for Taurasi to the starters wearing Taurasi’s jersey in warmups, many paid tribute to Taurasi’s two decades with the organization.

The Seattle Storm played spoiler early in the first quarter, making it difficult for the Mercury’s defense to keep up. The Mercury called a timeout at 4:23 after the Storm held a 25-9 lead and went 5-for-7 on 3-pointers. The lead ballooned to a 21-point lead after the first quarter.

The Mercury worked to undo the early damage in the second quarter, scoring eight unanswered points and stopping all five shot attempts. The Mercury outscored the Storm, 17-8, in the quarter.

Leading scorer Kahleah Copper returned to the lineup after missing three straight games with a back injury.

Who will the Mercury be facing in the playoffs?

The No. 7 Mercury will be facing the No. 2 Minnesota Lynx on Sunday at 2 p.m. on ESPN.

The Mercury are 1-3 against the Lynx this season. The Lynx average 84.3 points, while the Mercury average 72.0 points.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mercury trail Storm in Diana Taurasi’s potential final home game