Mercury star Diana Taurasi to miss rest of season with quad injury

Diana Taurasi’s season is over. The Phoenix Mercury announced on Monday that Taurasi will miss the rest of the season with a quad strain, something that has kept her out of their last two games.

The Mercury have instead signed Yvonne “Vonnie” Turner to a hardship contract to replace Taurasi the rest of the way.

Taurasi last played in Phoenix’s loss to the Connecticut Sun last week, though she played just 11 minutes before going down with her quad injury. She hasn’t played since.

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Taurasi, 40, has averaged 16.7 points, 3.9 assists and 3.4 rebounds so far this season, her 18th in the league.

Turner has bounced around between the Minnesota Lynx and Atlanta Dream this season. The former Mercury guard has averaged 4.3 points and two rebounds in six games.

The Mercury hold a 14-19 record headed into Wednesday night’s game against the Minnesota Lynx, though they’ve lost three of their last four. They are in eighth place in the league with three games remaining in the regular season, which would give them the final playoff spot.

It's unclear if Taurasi will return next season after her latest injury. The veteran has said she hasn't made a decision one way or another, but that she would figure it out this offseason. Either way, she said in July that she's "starting to feel closure."