Brittney Griner makes season debut for Mercury against Minnesota Lynx

Brittney Griner made her long-awaited season debut for the Phoenix Mercury against the Western Conference leader Minnesota Lynx on Friday at the Footprint Center.

Griner was in the starting lineup and the team posted on its X account (formerly Twitter) her return Friday night for the 7 p.m. game.

Griner has missed the last 10 games due to a toe injury sustained after their first preseason game against the Seattle Storm on May 7. The six-time All-Star center had five points, four rebounds, three assists and two blocks in that preseason loss to the Seattle Storm on May 7.

On Thursday, Griner had full body contact for the first time since her injury layoff, including a practice game.

The Mercury had a much smaller lineup without the 6'10″ Griner at center and played the 6'4″ Natasha Mack at that position. Mack handled the task well, averaging 2.1 blocks per game and 7.3 rebounds per game.

Griner impresses in the first minutes

Griner won the opening tip against Napheesa Collier, which was then caught by Natasha Cloud. Griner in the post created opportunities for Becca Allen and Diana Taurasi, including a 3-pointer by Allen to start the game.

Griner's first layup came at 6:05 on a pass from Kahleah Copper as the Mercury kept up with the Lynx. Griner was subbed out after four minutes on the court and went 1-for-2 with a rebound and a turnover.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Brittney Griner makes highly anticipated debut for Mercury vs. Lynx