Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (No. 25) and associate head coach Kristi Toliver on the sidelines during a home game against the Seattle Storm at Mortgage Matchup Center on July 2. (Photo: Adrianna Peralta | The Podium Finish)
LOS ANGELES — The Phoenix Mercury continued to build its momentum, taking its second consecutive win over the Los Angeles Sparks, 86-82, in crunch time at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday.
The shining moment in Mercury’s win was forward Alyssa Thomas recording her first triple-double of the season with 19 points, 11 rebounds, 15 assists and three steals.
Additionally, she was the only player who went to the free-throw line for Phoenix, making nine of her 13 attempts at the charity stripe. Los Angeles had six different players who went to the free-throw line.
When guard Kahleah Copper, who recorded 21 points, two rebounds and three assists, learned that Thomas, who sat next to her on the podium, dished out 15 assists, she was mind-blown, saying, “AT gets flowers too. She had 15 assists. Wow. Oh my god.”
“I mean, that’s what she does, right?” head coach Nate Tibbetts said of Thomas postgame. “Not every night, but it’s always a threat. It helps when we were making shots. We got 15 assists from her; that’s big time. She did a great job getting to the free throw line (13 times).
“I thought she played with really good force, getting downhill, and when she does that, typically, it’s going to be a layup or foul. And she got to the free throw line at a high clip, rebounded it well, and just overall great performance by a hell of a player.”
Phoenix Mercury center Natasha Mack (No. 4) celebrates after the team defeats the Connecticut Sun at Mortgage Matchup Center on July 19. (Photo: Adrianna Peralta | The Podium Finish)
Mercury Continues to Build on Defensive Identity
Center Natasha Mack was one of the key contributors towards the Mercury’s success on Wednesday, recording 10 points, three rebounds and two blocks coming off the bench while only playing for 15 minutes. She was poised to have a breakout season with Phoenix before she missed eight games due to a foot injury, during which the team went 3-5 in that stretch.
Throughout the game, the Mercury recorded 10 steals and five blocks, continuing to build on their defensive identity they were known for a season ago. Thomas and Copper spoke on the emphasis of defending and following Tibbetts’ game plan.
“The coaches did a great job preparing us, letting us know that transition was a big opportunity for us,” Thomas said. “It started for us on the defensive end, and when we were able to get stops, we really had our way in transition. (I give) credit to my teammates.”
“We were locked in,” Copper added. “I mean, these are hard games to play. One early kids day, a little bit of pressure, you fighting for something, and then a break coming, where you like, ‘I’m getting ready for the break.’ We did an incredible job of just following the game plan, and then like AT [Alyssa Thomas] said, just being locked in defensively.”
In the fourth quarter, the Mercury had big-time contributions by Mack and guard Sami Whitcomb, who recorded a three-pointer that set the tone for Phoenix to take the victory.
Whitcomb tallied eight points, made two three-pointers and grabbed three rebounds in nearly 18 minutes of action after missing Sunday’s game due to illness. Her positive impact was especially appreciated by the team, given her return from a left knee injury.
“Sami [Whitcomb] helps with that,” Thomas said when being asked about Phoenix’s offensive production. “People trying to chase her around is very difficult, and then a post player trying to guard DB.
“Just putting people in tougher positions and having to decide who they’re going to go after. In the fourth quarter, we ran the same play, probably 10 pounds straight. Just credit to everybody, reading the mismatches and making it hard for everyone.
Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper (No. 2) with the possession against the Connecticut Sun at Mortgage Matchup Center on July 19. (Photo: Adrianna Peralta | The Podium Finish)
Phoenix Mercury Has Players Fully Healthy for First Time This Season
For the first time this season, the Mercury had a fully healthy roster, except developmental guards Sha Carter and Shay Ciezki. Tibbetts was also pleased with Phoenix’s bench production, as they outscored Los Angeles in bench points, 21-11.
“This was maybe the first game that we’ve had everybody available, so that’s exciting in itself,” Tibbetts said. “Obviously, [Natasha] Mack and Sami [Whitcomb] coming off the bench really gives us a spark. They know what we’re about, and our players, there’s a familiarity there that really helps the group. But I thought Lexi [Held] did a good job. I thought [Valeriane Ayayi] gave us some good minutes. Overall, it was a very productive game, top to bottom.”
At halftime, the Mercury led the Sparks 43-41. Phoenix made key adjustments, but Los Angeles continued to challenge them until the final buzzer. In the fourth quarter, the Mercury dominated the paint and the boards, ultimately gaining the upper hand.
“It came down to the little things, not over-rotating to non-shooters or having great help at halftime,” Thomas said. “We talked about what we could do better. I think we really cleaned it up, and the biggest thing was securing rebounds in the end.”
Over the last two games, the Mercury ranked No. 2 in the league in the following categories: defensive rating per game with 90.1 and steals per game with 10.5. They also took better care of the ball, with only 12 turnovers against the Sparks.
Phoenix continues to improve on defense as its defensive performances are starting to show, like the 2025 team that finished in the top five in defensive rating.
“The last two games we’ve definitely seen an uptick in our defense creating turnovers, playing in transition,” Tibbetts said. “That was a big part of what we did a year ago. It’s playing in transition because of the steals and stops that we got, and so I don’t know if it’s the zone that has maybe helped us a little bit to give teams a different look, and then when we go back, man, we can be a little bit more aggressive.
“But as we add more players, some of the minutes are going to go down a little bit, and to me, that’s when we can even compete and play harder at the defensive end. The hope is to build off of what we’ve done the last two games defensively and carry it over into the second half.”
When asked how the Mercury plan to finish the season strong—similar to the 2025 Las Vegas Aces, who went from a 14-14 record to winning it all—Copper said Phoenix is focusing on improving by one percent each game.
“We’re just thinking about us,” Copper said. “We definitely know we’re fighting for something, and we want to continue to grow and just build on every game. So we just talked about it before. Just when we come back, just having that mindset and just being ready to lock in to going around.”
Tibbetts and the players continue to speak about the consistency the Mercury are building toward as they go from a 4-12 start to clinching a playoff berth in a competitive playoff race. Since getting Mack back fully healthy, Phoenix has won two straight games decided in close battles, which is a positive sign heading into the All-Star break.
“I think we’ve been waiting for some momentum,” Tibbetts said. “The last two games we’ve played with better energy, better belief, better trust, and we’ve got to have that. This is going to be a tough road to get to the eighth spot, but four or five other teams are battling for that same thing, and we feel like if we can play good basketball, we’ll put ourselves in position to do that, and we’ve got to keep doing it every night.”
The Phoenix Mercury will have a week off to rest, recover, and practice before welcoming the Golden State Valkyries at Mortgage Matchup Center on July 29.
Game notes: Alyssa Thomas recorded her 20th career triple-double, becoming the first player in WNBA history to record 20 triple-doubles, and her fourth game where she had 15 or more points and 15 or more assists altogether. The next closest is four, each recorded by New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu and Dallas Wings forward Jessica Shepard, respectively.
