Phoenix, AZ (My Sportsbook) - Diana Taurasi complimented her 2009 WNBA MVP award with 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists, as the Phoenix Mercury recorded a thrilling 120-116 overtime victory over the Indiana Fever in the first game of the WNBA Finals.

The 236 total points are the most ever in a WNBA game -- regular season or playoffs. The two teams shattered the previous WNBA Finals scoring record by 28 points, accomplished by the Mercury and Shock two years ago, when Phoenix won its only championship.

Taurasi won her first MVP award since joining the league in 2004. Cappie Pondexter also helped the Mercury take the early lead in the best-of-five series with 23 points, while Penny Taylor added 23 points off the bench in the win. The team shot 50 percent from the field, 54.5 percent from beyond the arc and registered 24 second-chance points.

"It's an exciting game for people to watch on TV," Mercury head coach Corey Gaines said. "I think the first game is always the toughest game...This is a type of game I feel we can win: up-tempo, a lot of points. We practice that way, we train that way."

Katie Douglas scored a game-high 30 points for the Fever, who are in their first WNBA Finals in team history. Ebony Hoffman added 27 points and eight rebounds, while Tammy Sutton-Brown registered 19 points in defeat.

"The fans loved it, really intense," said Indiana head coach Lin Dunn. "At the end of the day, when you look at the stat sheet, second-chance points really hurt us. We missed crucial box-outs that they turned into points. We would have won in regulation if we converted those box-outs."

In overtime, Pondexter gave Phoenix the lead right away with a layup, and Douglas responded with a pair of free throws. Tamika Catchings, who finished with eight points, gave Indiana a 112-111 lead with 3:27 left with her only three-pointer of the game.

Taurasi, though, showed why she won the MVP, sinking two free throws after a foul and following with a jump shot for a 115-114 Phoenix lead with two minutes to go.

Douglas, who had eight of the team's 11 points in overtime, sank a jumper to put the road team back in front, but Pondexter made two consecutive shots, with the latter giving the Mercury a three-point lead with 20.2 seconds to go.

Douglas missed on a three-pointer at the other end, and Pondexter drained 1- of-2 free throws with three seconds left to seal the win.

The first quarter ended in a 31-31 tie, and Phoenix grabbed a 56-53 lead at halftime, but Indiana came roaring back in the third.

The Fever began the second half on a 15-7 burst, and Hoffman's three-point play midway through the period made it 68-63. A Douglas triple with 2:47 to go in the quarter extended the advantage to 77-69, and Indiana carried a six- point lead, 86-80, into the fourth.

The Mercury started to get back into the game, cutting their deficit to 93-89 on a Pondexter three-point play with 7:14 remaining.

After the Fever went back ahead by seven with six minutes to play, Phoenix embarked on a 9-2 run that tied the game on Taylor's bank shot with 3:48 left in regulation.

Phoenix continued the run, and a Johnson three-pointer put the home team ahead by four, 102-98, with 2 1/2 minutes to go. Indiana responded right away, as Catchings hit a couple free throws and Briann January hit a layup to tie the game with 47.8 seconds left.

Taylor was fouled on the next possession and hit one free throw for a one- point Phoenix lead, and Pondexter added two more free throws with 14.2 seconds left for a 105-102 advantage. Douglas, though, came down the court and drained a three-pointer -- her fourth of the game -- to send the contest into overtime.