Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas during the game against the Connecticut Sun on July 17. (Photo: Adrianna Peralta | The Podium Finish)
PHOENIX – The Phoenix Mercury went 1-1 against the Connecticut Sun at the Mortgage Matchup Center, first losing 96-83 on Friday and snapping their five-game losing streak to take home a 72-63 win just nearly 48 hours later.
After their losing streak stretched to five games, head coach Nate Tibbetts and the Mercury acknowledged their disappointment with the team’s performance, especially in front of their home fans. Players spoke openly about the need to regroup, refocus, and find solutions, emphasizing their commitment to turning the season around and rewarding their supporters’ loyalty.
“Just disappointing,” Tibbetts said postgame Friday. “We all feel like we’re still playing for something. We’ve been consistently inconsistent with our want to and our effort, and it’s tough to dig out of a hole like that.”
Forward DeWanna Bonner led the Mercury in scoring with 21 points and had six rebounds, and also made history by becoming the Mercury’s All-Time leader in total rebounds with 2,324. The backcourt duo of guards Kahleah Copper and Monique Akoa Makani recorded a combined 29 points, ten rebounds, and five assists for Phoenix, looking dangerous against a young Connecticut team.
Additionally, forward Alyssa Thomas made franchise history, surpassing Ring of Honor member and Hall of Famer Michele Timms on the team’s all-time list for total assists, with 558. In just 64 games with the Mercury, she recorded 550 assists. The next fastest in Phoenix history is franchise legend Diana Taurasi, who reached that total in 131 games.
Phoenix Mercury Improves on Defensive End
Phoenix Mercury huddles and celebrates after defeating the Connecticut Sun, 72-63, at Mortgage Matchup Center on July 19. (Photo: Adrianna Peralta | The Podium Finish)
Over the last five games, the Mercury has been plagued by turnovers and miscommunication on the defensive end. During Friday’s showdown against the Sun, Phoenix had 15 turnovers which led to 25 points scored by Connecticut.
Just one season after Phoenix had one of the best defenses in the WNBA, the Mercury entered Sunday’s contest ranked No. 12 in the league in defensive rating at 109.7 and 11th in the league in NET rating with -5.2 per game. Over the last five games, before Sunday’s win, the Mercury averaged 117.3 in defensive rating and 97.8 in offensive rating, both of which were second-worst in the WNBA in that timeframe, and had an assist/turnover ratio of 1.16, which was also ranked 12th in the league.
“I think it starts on the defensive end,” guard Lexi Held said. “That’s usually our strength, or should be our strength, and should be what we take the most pride in. And when the game’s rolling well for us, we’re getting stops defensively; we’re getting out in transition- it makes our offense easier. When we’re fighting defense, offense is a lot trickier; we have a lot more stagnant possessions. More consistency is just, defensively, taking more pride in that in the fourth.”
After guard Leila Lacan had a career night, scoring 26 points in the Sun’s win on Friday, the Mercury made their defensive adjustments, putting guard Noemie Brochant on assignment. As a result, Phoenix limited Lacan to only seven points, forced nine turnovers, and took home the victory.
“I think tonight was a good step,” Tibbetts said postgame Sunday. “I thought Leila the other night was extremely aggressive. It’s something we talked about yesterday in the video session. Just being better, being tougher on the ball, being more competitive, and that’s something that we got to continue to do here down the stretch.”
Natasha Mack’s Return for Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix Mercury center Natasha Mack (No. 4) guards Connecticut Sun forward Olivia Nelson-Ododa (No. 10) during a home game at Mortgage Matchup Center on July 19. (Photo: Adrianna Peralta | The Podium Finish)
Since forward Natasha Mack went down with an injury, the Mercury went 3-5 in the stretch, missing her impact on both ends of the court. For example, Phoenix missed her size and rebounding during the home loss against the Chicago Sky, which has the frontcourt duo of Azura Stevens and Kamilla Cardoso, on July 7.
Mack made her return from her left foot injury after missing the last eight games, and she made a positive difference for the Mercury, matching up against Sun center Brittney Griner, in the paint. She had a positive efficiency of 11 on the court and recorded four points, five rebounds, a steal and a block while playing nearly 20 minutes of action for Phoenix.
“It’s definitely going to change our rotation,” Tibbetts said about how Mack’s return could change the Mercury’s rotation. “She’s on the minutes restriction tonight. The health and performance team is going to be very happy with her. You went over just a little bit. We’ve got a plan that we need to follow to win this game tonight. She plays big minutes in the fourth quarter. Just her screen setting, her activity on the glass, she’s got a good way about her, and our team loves the energy that she plays with.”
When Mack stepped onto the court for the first time since June 22 against the Indiana Fever, the crowd erupted in cheers. Her Mercury teammates were thrilled to welcome back her defensive presence and impact in the paint.
“It was great to have Mack Daddy back in her short stint,” Copper said. “She’s a rebounding machine. She’s getting her hands on everything defensively. Having her back in the pick-and-roll coverages. What she brings and the impact that she has for us is incredible. I can’t wait till she gets off the (minutes) restriction and really gets back to herself because we need that so much.”
Phoenix Mercury is still finding their true identity
Phoenix Mercury teammates DeWanna Bonner (24) and Alyssa Thomas (25) celebrate during a home game against the Connecticut Sun at Mortgage Matchup Center on July 19. (Photo: Adrianna Peralta | The Podium Finish)
With a 9-18 record, the Mercury sit 13th in the standings. One of the notable losses includes the historic 48-point loss on the road to the Las Vegas Aces on July 11.
“We kind of are who we are right now, right?” Tibbetts said Friday. “I think we’re still searching for better basketball. We have not found that, and this is our reality, right? We’ve got to decide if we’re going to keep fighting when it gets hard. We play a good game or a competitive game, and then we don’t come out and compete, and then we play hard, and then we don’t compete. So the effort from one game to the next is frustrating.”
Last season, the Mercury were known for their defensive identity that led to their appearance in the WNBA Finals in Thomas’ first season with the team.
This season, while new additions to the team are acclimating to Tibbetts’ system as well as the WNBA as a whole, Phoenix continues to take a patient game-by-game approach while going through growing pains.
“I think that was part of our adjustments,” Copper said when being asked about the Mercury’s adjustments on the defensive end. “We wanted to put more pressure, and we just did a really good job of flying around when it came to putting more pressure on BG (Brittney Griner) and then putting more pressure on the guards trying to get the passes in. I think we did a really good job just on the adjustments.”
As the Mercury travels to Los Angeles to face the Sparks on Wednesday afternoon, Phoenix looks to continue building on its momentum of turning its season around while finding and utilizing the right rotation.
“I just want to thank the X-Factor,” Tibbetts said. “This has been a tough home stretch for us, and they just continue to come out and just keep supporting us game after game. We’re trying to find our way, but I’m just really proud of the atmosphere that we bring each and every night. The X-Factor brings it, and just very thankful for that.”
From the desk of Phoenix Mercury PR from Friday’s game: “The Mercury gave up 25 points off their 15 turnovers, while the Sun only conceded 12 points off their 11 turnovers. Connecticut outscored Phoenix 19-6 in fastbreak points.”
From the desk of Phoenix Mercury PR from Sunday’s game: “The Mercury held the Sun to a season low by an opponent (63 points). It was Phoenix’s fewest points allowed since their August 30, 2025, win over the New York Liberty.”
