Canada’s Nurse out for Mercury’s Game 5 of WNBA semifinals with knee injury

PHOENIX – Canadian women’s basketball star Kia Nurse will miss Game 5 of the WNBA semifinals with a right knee injury.

The Phoenix guard suffered the injury just 39 seconds into the Mercury’s 93-67 loss to Las Vegas in Game 4 of their best-of-five WNBA semifinal series on Wednesday night.

The team had Nurse on its injury list for Friday’s series finale, but hasn’t released details on the severity of the injury.

Nurse planted awkwardly when her layup attempt was blocked by A’ja Wilson. The 25-year-old from Hamilton clutched her right knee and screamed with pain before she was helped off the court.

Nurse started in every regular-season game for Phoenix this year, averaging 9.5 points a game and 36 per cent shooting from three-point range. The two-time Olympian played her first three WNBA seasons for the New York Liberty.

Friday’s Game 5 winner advances to the WNBA Finals to face the Chicago Sky.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 7, 2021.