Lynx Open Western Conference Finals Thursday Night

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- After beating the L.A. Sparks Tuesday night to advance to the WNBA's Western Conference Finals, the Minnesota Lynx will face the Phoenix Mercury for a chance to reach the WNBA Finals.

The Lynx will host the Mercury in Game 1 of the series at 7 p.m. Thursday at Target Center. Game 2 will be Sunday afternoon in Phoenix, and if necessary, Game 3 will be Tuesday, Sept. 29, at Target Center.

The Lynx are in the Western Conference Finals for the fifth straight year. It's a rematch of the 2013 and 2014 Western Conference Finals. The Lynx swept the Mercury in 2013 and lost the series 2-1 last year. This year, the Lynx have gone 2-3 in five games against Phoenix.

The Minnesota Vikings announced Wednesday they've purchased 500 tickets for fans to attend Thursday night's game. Fans will have to go to the Lynx website to claim the tickets, and the first 250 fans can do so with a maximum of two per customer.