Fellow All-Stars Courtney Williams and Napheesa Collier combined for 22 points and 12 rebounds. Williams also added five assists, and Jessica Shepard had a team-high eight rebounds.
The Lynx ripped off a 14-3 run to close the first quarter. The bench was responsible for the last five baskets of that run, with Diamond Miller, Shepard and Maria Kliundikova attacking the rim through dribble drives and interior feeds.
Phoenix, facing an 11-point deficit, responded by outscoring the Lynx 10-4 to start the second quarter. The Mercury continued to claw back in bits and pieces, led by All-Star Alyssa Thomas and her fiancée DeWanna Bonner. The couple scored or assisted on all but one field goal in the second quarter, helping cut the Mercury’s deficit to two points with under a minute left in the half.
McBride drew a foul soon after and sank both free throws, giving the Lynx a 37-33 halftime edge.
The Lynx found a bit more separation midway through the third quarter when two straight dishes from Williams to Collier extended the lead to 48-41. From there, Alanna Smith and Bridget Carleton knocked down back-to-back threes to put the Lynx ahead by 13.
Chants of “Whose house? Our house!” began to erupt from the home crowd as the Lynx closed out the third quarter with a Collier three-pointer and Shepard putback tip-in at the buzzer.