Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi left the court after appearing to injure her side in the fourth quarter of Saturday's 74-68 loss to Seattle in Bradenton, Florida.
An MRI on her lower back and oblique area revealed no structural damage. The Mercury said Taurasi will be reevaluated Sunday, at which point the team would determine a timetable for her return.
In its release, the Mercury said it "reassuring that this injury is not related to Taurasi's 2019 back surgery."
Taurasi was driving to the basket and pulled up grimacing. With 5 minutes, 18 seconds left in the game, she walked gingerly over to the Phoenix bench, appearing to be in pain before eventually leaving the court.
Taurasi, who turned 38 in June, is playing in her 16th WNBA season. She was limited to six games last year while dealing with back and hamstring issues. She was also limited in playing time with the U.S. national team over the winter, but said coming into this WNBA season that she felt good.
The Mercury had won four in a row coming into Saturday's matchup with the Storm, who were the preseason favorites to win the championship. Taurasi had played very well in those four games, averaging 20.5 points and 7.8 assists in them. She had 14 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists Saturday before exiting with the injury.
