Mohegan — Olivia Nelson-Ododa is taking this seriously.

There was a game recently, for instance, that Nelson-Ododa, the 6-foot-5 former UConn center, did not play for the Connecticut Sun. It was the only game all season in which Nelson-Ododa didn’t see the court.

Sun head coach Stephanie White later said it was just circumstance that kept her from playing the second-year player, in her first season with Connecticut. Nelson-Ododa was rusty in the pick-and-roll defense and there wasn’t enough practice time to correct it. Also, 6-10 center Betti Hatar took some of the minutes in that game.

“But to her credit, (Nelson-Ododa) got with Abi (Olajuwon, assistant coach),” White said. “She worked getting shots up. She worked watching film and then we had an opportunity to practice and really address some of those areas of slippage.

“She did address them and she got better and she’s been really good ever since and we’re going to continue to need her to be really good for us.”

Nelson-Ododa, a member of the Los Angeles Sparks in her rookie season a year ago, will make her WNBA playoff debut at 8 p.m. Wednesday when the third-seeded Sun (27-13) take on the No. 6 Minnesota Lynx (19-21) at Mohegan Sun Arena (ESPN2).

Game 2 in the best-of-three first-round series will take place at 1 p.m. Sunday, also at Mohegan Sun.

Nelson-Ododa had a career-high 20 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots in Sunday’s regular-season finale, a 102-91 loss Sunday to the Chicago Sky in which the Sun rested their starting lineup for the bulk of the second half.

“I think, actually, just more excitement,” Nelson-Ododa said of her mindset headed to the playoffs. “Last year, this is kind of where my season ended, but this year going into playoffs this week and gearing up for that and getting ready for it, I just feel more excitement.

“(Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner, both Sun veterans), they keep emphasizing that this is a different beast. I’m trying to listen to them and take that in and soak it in as much as possible. I know my teammates are, too, especially us who haven’t been in this playoff situation before.

“Along with the excitement definitely comes just the emphasis of preparation and really locking in on things.”

Nelson-Ododa was a second-round pick by the Sparks last season after earning All-Big East Conference first team honors as a UConn senior and being named Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year as a junior. She was traded to the Sun on Jan. 16 this year.

She’s averaging 4.5 points and 3.7 rebounds in 15 minutes per game, taking over a greater role in the frontcourt with the season-ending injury to Connecticut starter Brionna Jones after just 13 games.

Since sitting out against the New York Liberty on Aug. 24, Nelson-Ododa is averaging 10.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.

“I think it’s part of the ups and downs of being a young player like this,” Nelson-Ododa said of her approach to sitting out. “My mindset going in with it was not to pout, not to overthink it, not to have any negative thoughts with it but what can I really take from this and then continue to grow?”

The Sun are 3-1 against Minnesota this season, winning twice in Minneapolis and splitting a two-game series at home.

The Lynx, coached by veteran Cheryl Reeve, also the coach of the U.S. women’s basketball team, are led by All-Star Napheesa Collier, also a UConn grad, with 21.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Rookie Dorka Juhasz, who played at UConn last season, has started 27 games in Minnesota, averaging 6.0 points and 6.5 rebounds.

“I know Cheryl’s a great coach and that she’s gonna have something different than what we’ve seen already in the matchups that we’ve had against them before,” White said of facing Minnesota. “So we have to be prepared for that.

“We gotta try to think outside the box. The playoffs are the ultimate chess match. Any team that continues to just be the same is not going to be very successful ... so (we’re) trying to go back in the bank to all the years we’ve played Minnesota and I’ve been coaching and Bri (January, assistant coach) has been coaching and just think about things they might be able to do.”

The Sun are led by Bonner with 17.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game and by Thomas with 15.5 points, 9.9 rebounds and 7.9 assists.

v.fulkerson@theday.com