Hartley out vs. Lynx with injured knee
Phoenix Mercury guard Bria Hartley will miss Sunday’s game but her injury status beyond that remains unknown.
Hartley suffered a right knee injury Friday and was walking on crutches after the game. The Mercury only announced Saturday that she would be out Sunday vs. Minnesota.
Hartley, 27, is in the first year of a maximum salary three-year contract, signing as a free agent in February. She also is a starting guard for the French national team that is qualified for the Tokyo Olympics.
The 5-8 guard is having the best year of her seven-year WNBA career, averaging 14.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists. She missed two games in early August with an Achilles strain.
Hartley moved into the starting lineup Aug. 21 after the Mercury lost star center Brittney Griner, who left the WNBA bubble in Bradenton, Florida, for personal reasons.
“You’re looking at Sixth Man of the Year (before becoming a starter), Most Improved Player (candidate),” Mercury guard Skylar Diggins-Smith said. “She’s playing great basketball, she looks great, she looks comfortable out there. She’s fun to play with, she plays on both ends of the floor.
“We’ve been able to get closer, talking to each other, playing off each other. It’s unfortunate. From somebody who’s been through knee injuries, it brings back memories. I hate to see it to any of us.”
Diggins-Smith suffered an ACL tear in 2015 that forced her to miss all but nine games that season and seven at the start of the 2016 season.
Sophie Cunningham and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough are candidates to replace Hartley in the starting lineup.
WIthout Griner and Hartley at least for now, the Mercury (8-7) are without two of their top six players and have just nine players on their roster. Forward Nia Coffey has not played in the past two games due to a hand injury and is questionable for Sunday. Guard Shey Peddy is new to the Mercury, playing in only one game so far.
Hartley suffered her injury late in the first quarter Friday. The Mercury struggled in the aftermath before regrouping for a huge second half in a 94-72 win over Washington.