Sky scouting report
Phoenix Mercury (17-13) at Chicago Sky (22-9)
When: 7 p.m., today
Where: Allstate Arena
TV: ESPN2
Last time: On Sunday, the Mercury beat the host Atlanta Dream, 79-71; the Sky beat the host Washington Mystics, 93-79.
Skinny: Just as these teams did in their season opener against each other, they will face off on national television. The big attraction was and still is rookies Elena Delle Donne of the Sky and Brittney Griner of the Mercury, part of the WNBA’s “Three to See,” that also includes Tulsa rookie Skylar Diggins. Both the 6-foot-5 Delle Donne and the 6-foot-8 Griner have made huge impacts in the WNBA, Delle Donne as the Sky’s leading scorer (18.3 ppg) and the best three-point shooter in the league and Griner as the WNBA’s top shot-blocker (2.91 bpg). Delle Donne, however, will be the league’s rookie of the year, having helped Chicago go from never making the playoffs to winning the Eastern Conference regular-season title. She and Sky center Sylvia Fowles are legitimate league MVP candidates. The Mercury has some other prime-time names in guard Diana Taurasi, also an MVP candidate, and former Sky star Candice Dupree.
Next: Atlanta Dream at Sky, 7:30 p.m. Friday
— Patricia Babcock McGraw