Brittney Griner, Mercury dominate Sky in Game 1 of WNBA Finals

Brittney Griner set the tone for a dominating Phoenix performance with a playoff record eight blocked shots, five in the first quarter, and the Mercury routed the Chicago Sky 83-62 on Sunday in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.

Griner also had 12 points and seven rebounds. Candice Dupree made her first 10 shots and scored 26 for the Mercury in their 19th consecutive home victory. Diana Taurasi added 19 points and 11 assists.

Phoenix shot a finals record 58.5 percent from the field, Chicago 31.9 percent.

Sylvia Fowles scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Chicago but was just 8 of 20, usually against Griner in a matchup of the last two WNBA defensive players of the year. Elena Delle Donne only played 11 minutes because of a bad back. She finished with two points and didn’t play in the second half with the game already out of reach.

Game 2 of the best-of-5 series is Tuesday night in Phoenix.

Alley Quigley, who was the league’s sixth woman of the year, scored 13 points for the Sky. She missed 11 of her 15 shots.

Phoenix led from the opening basket, was up by 22 at the half and by as many as 30 in the third.

Griner’s five first-quarter blocks broke the playoff record for a half. She finished with six at halftime.

Meanwhile, Dupree couldn’t miss, going 9 for 9 in the first half, capped by a layup on a halfcourt pass from Taurasi just before the buzzer to put Phoenix up 42-20, the largest halftime lead in WNBA Finals history.

Griner dominated Fowles, blocking three of the Chicago center’s first four shots and holding her to 2 of 9 shooting in the first half.

Phoenix shot 64.5 percent in the first half (20 for 31) to the Sky’s 8 of 36 (22 percent).