Game 1 on Friday did not disappoint, as the Phantom came out on top against the Mist in an absolute thriller.
It was announced pregame that both teams would be without key pieces of their lineups. For the Phantom, Sabrina Ionescu would miss the action for what was listed as "personal reasons." The Mist were just as short-handed, as both Jewell Loyd and DiJonnai Carrington were both in street clothes due to leg injuries.
Indiana Fever forward NaLyssa Smith was signed on a reserve contract for the Mist, making her the fourth Fever member to participate in the league.
With both teams searching for their first wins of the season, it was expected that changes in lineups would be made. The Mist went with an addition of Courtney Vandersloot to the starting lineup, and the Phantom ran with Fever forward Katie Lou Samuelson and Natasha Cloud instead of Brittney Griner.
The Mist, moving the ball exceptionally well out of the gate, jumped out to an early 10-point lead in the first quarter. Phantom head coach Adam Harrington called an early timeout and was heard on the broadcast saying that he would be subbing Griner in. He told Griner to "get a bucket."
Griner did more than that-- she finally woke up.
Using a mix of mismatches down low and deceiving shoulder fakes, Griner hit four shots in a row from the post to lead the Phantom to a four-point deficit to end the quarter. Her early dominance opened up the perimeter for Satou Sabally to shine.
Sabally ended the first quarter with 10 points on 3-for-7 shooting and kept going into the second. With Ionescu out, Sabally was the first option. She finished the half with 18 points, but also picked up four crucial fouls that would affect her the rest of the way.
On the other side, Rickea Jackson made the most out of the backcourt opportunities she was given. She and Vandersloot played the majority of the minutes at guard, and Jackson was the main scorer. She shot an efficient 7-of-12 from the field for 18 of the Mist's 41 first-half points.
At the half, the Mist led 41-36 but all eyes were on the Phantom
With Sabally in foul trouble and Griner heading to the locker room with an apparent injury or cramp, it became a question of whether or not the Phantom would be able to continue. Unrivaled requires three players available for a team to continue. If Griner went down and Sabally fouled out, the Phantom would be left with just Samuelson, Cloud, and Natisha Heideman the rest of the way.
Griner seemed to dispell this disastrous situation by starting the second half on the court, but made her way back down the tunnel with just over five minutes to go in the third. This forced Sabally to get the green light, playing the rest of the way in foul trouble. She came in and immediately scored seven points to tie the game at 49.
Sabally then dished it to Samuelson on the give-and-go to give Phantom its first lead of the night. Samuelson would finish with six points and four assists.
NaLyssa Smith checked in after the timeout and scored her first points in her debut, a post hook down the lane. That would be her only bucket.
The momentum was quickly taken back by Phantom, as Griner checked back in and continued her dominance down low. The Phantom built its lead to nine (60-51), the largest of the game since the first quarter. The Mist would chip away, though, ending the third quarter trailing 62-57 and setting the winning score at 73.
The Phantom started the final frame red-hot, mainly behind the play of Brittney Griner. She hit two fall-away shots to put the Phantom up nine, then Samuelson cut to the basket for a reverse layup.
Mist kept chipping away, though. First, a contested three from Breanna Stewart with the shot clock running down, then a mid-range jumper from Aaliyah Edwards. Stewart then hit a jumper through the contact to give Sabally her fifth foul and pull the Mist within five (70-65). She continued her Superman act, hitting a transition two and then drawing a foul. Phantom used its final timeout with a score of 72-69, the Mist had outscored the Phantom at that point 12-7 in the fourth quarter.
After an unsuccessful coach's challenge to try and reverse a foul call, the Phantom went back to "Old Reliable," hitting Griner in the high post for a Dirk Nowitzki-like fadeaway to win the game. Griner finished with 29 points on an outstanding 14-of-18 shooting performance, just a rebound shy of a double-double.
Sabally fouled out in the fourth quarter, but not before scoring 29 points of her own with 5 three-pointers. She and Griner flipped the script for a Phantom squad that ranked last in Unrivaled in scoring heading into the tilt.
Stewart did all that she could, dropping a 27-point double-double, but in the end the Phantom were too much for the short-handed Mist.
Phantom will have a quick turnaround, taking on the red-hot Lunar Owls on Saturday night. It has not been announced whether or not Ionescu will be available.
Mist's turnaround will be even quicker, taking on the Rose in Saturday's Game 1 at 6 p.m. ET. Stewie and the Mist are still seeking their first win.