WNBA: Playoffs begin with no room for error in first-round matches

Four teams begin their WNBA playoff quest on Tuesday night, but only two will advance as the format begins with straight knockout contests.

Connecticut Sun (7th) vs Chicago Sky (6th), Sky Sports Mix, Midnight

Winner to play either Los Angeles Sparks or Minnesota Lynx in second round

After becoming the first WNBA player in history to average 10 assists - albeit in the bubble-shortened 2020 season -- Chicago Sky point guard Courtney Vandersloot is the ultimate helper offensively.

But how she and her team help each other defensively will likely determine their postseason fate as the Sky begin their WNBA title quest Tuesday night versus the Connecticut Sun.

"We put the ball in her hands, tell her to go make plays, and she does it. She makes everybody else's job easier," Sky coach James Wade told The Athletic recently.

"We're seeing other players making basketball plays, making their team-mates better, because they see their leader is so selfless. When I draw the play, it's going to get run and everybody is going to be willing to do their part because they know she's going to do her part."

How the Sky make up for the absence of injured starter Diamond DeShields will also be a key part of their postseason ambition.

Connecticut (10-12) dealt with most of its adversity in the beginning of the season, overcoming a franchise-worst 0-5 start to claim the No. 7 seed. The Sun's sprint to get back into contention may have taken a toll down the stretch as they closed the season with back-to-back losses to Phoenix and Atlanta.

Some of their 82-75 defeat to the Dream on Friday could be chalked up to the absence of guard Bria Holmes, who is out for the season with a sprained right knee. Her absence means the scoring burden falls heavier on veteran forward DeWanna Bonner, who had 17 points and finished third in the WNBA in scoring at 19.7 per game and 21.1 over her final eight contests.

"We feel the energy, yesterday, today, the energy has been great," forward Briann January said on Monday.

"Everybody has been focused, everybody has locked in … it doesn't really feel like playoffs because you're not traveling, but everyone has been in the playoffs and experienced that so they know the focus, the energy and the intensity to be ready and prepare yourself."

The teams split two meetings by a combined 10 points as Vandersloot had 11 assists in a 100-93 Sky win in early August before Alyssa Thomas had 15 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists in a 77-74 Sun victory six days later.

Washington Mystics (8th) vs Phoenix Mercury (5th), Sky Sports Mix, 2am

Winner to play either Los Angeles Sparks or Minnesota Lynx in second round

The defending champion Mystics qualified for the 2020 playoffs in the final game of the regular season with their fourth straight win.

Their reward is a single-elimination game against the five seed Mercury, a team with a 6-1 record in the first two rounds since the new playoff format was introduced in 2016.

Phoenix swept the season series 2-0; the first game was decided by a single point and the first half of the second meeting was close until a furious second-half rally by Phoenix led to a 22-point win.

Diana Taurasi averaged 24-5-5 in the team's two meetings this season, while the Mystics had more balance as Tianna Hawkins led five of her team-mates in double figures with 16 points per game against the Mercury.

Keep an eye on Washington's Leilani Mitchell as the two-time Most Improved Player faces her former team after spending the past three seasons in Phoenix.

Watch the WNBA live on Sky Sports Mix in the early hours of Wednesday morning

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