“AT is a monster,” Carleton said. “They put pressure on the ball. They make it difficult on offense just by trying to hold onto the ball. That’s what bothers them. They’re a physical defensive team. They’ll get through it.”

The Sun needed all three games to defeat the Lynx in last year’s playoff series. They split the first two games at home, then went on the road to Minnesota and won 90-75 to advance to the semifinals for the fifth straight year.

“We didn’t play very well in that Game 3, but now to have playoff experience against them is great,” Carleton said. “They’ve had long playoff runs for a few years now, so they’re already here and they have experience. Hopefully we can win the home games. That’s the most important thing, especially now with a five-game series and three of them at home.”

Connecticut defeated Indiana and WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark in two games on Wednesday. The Lynx will host games on Sunday and Tuesday, then the series moves to Connecticut for games on Friday and, if necessary, Sunday. Game 5 is Oct. 8 at Target Center.

Taurasi is now 42 and expected to retire after this, her 20th season. She is a three-time WNBA champion and two-time Finals MVP who left the court for a foul with less than three minutes left. She did not speak to the media, but spent the postgame time hugging people in the hallway and posing for photos.

“She’s done everything right,” Carleton said. “I’m really impressed with how good she still is. She still gets her team going. That’s what’s special about her. Hopefully she’ll come back another year because I love playing against her.”