Phoenix Mercury guard Jovana Nogic (No. 29) guarding against Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum during a game on May 21. (Photo: Trippy Traveler)
ATLANTA –– The Phoenix Mercury’s narrow two-point loss to the Atlanta Dream revealed a tale of two teams—and for the Mercury, the prevailing feeling was one of embarrassment.
Early in the second quarter, the Mercury surged ahead to a 15-point lead over the Dream, resembling the championship-caliber squad that reached the WNBA Finals last season. But as Atlanta tightened up defensively and found their rhythm from beyond the arc, Phoenix faltered, ultimately collapsing in the fourth quarter and falling 82-80 on Sunday.
“We had three great quarters until the fourth, and they got hot,” head coach Nate Tibbetts said postgame. “This is a really good team in Atlanta, and once they make one, it feels like they’re going to make three or four in a row.”
What Went Wrong in Phoenix’s Two-Point Loss to Atlanta
The Mercury started on a positive note, defending aggressively on the Dream’s three-point line in the first half, and guard Kahleah Copper led the team in scoring with 12 points. Not to mention that Phoenix only had one turnover in the first quarter as they took care of the basketball.
However, the Mercury went cold from beyond the arc, going four-for-21 from the three-point line while allowing the Dream to make 11 of their 26 attempts, which ultimately cost them the game. Guard Rhyne Howard‘s six of those three-pointers made played a major role in Atlanta’s thunderous comeback and Phoenix was unable to recover.
During the tough stretch, Copper was since limited to 6-for-16 from the field and 1-for-6 from the three-point line and finished with 18 points and three rebounds.
Forward Alyssa Thomas, especially having been to three WNBA Finals in her professional career, continued to mention how it is a long season, and the team has tons of time to make adjustments. At the same time, the Mercury is patiently waiting for guards Monique Akoa Makani, who was recently activated, and Sami Whitcomb, to make their season debuts to ensure they are at full strength.
“This is uncharted territory for me, so the biggest thing is, it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon,” Thomas said. “It’s not easy when we’ve had a lot of moving pieces (in the offseason), and we can make as many excuses as we want, but at the end of the day, we know how to play basketball.
“It’s about committing ourselves to what the coaches are asking us to do. It starts on the defensive end, and that’s the biggest thing. We keep harping on it, and we’re just going to keep trying to find people that can play defense, and we took a step in the right direction, and we just got to continue to grow, continue to pick people up. It’s a long season; there’s a lot more basketball to play.”
Kyara Linskens Was Productive Off the Bench for the Mercury
When center Natasha Mack picked up her fourth personal foul at the start of the third quarter, forward Kyara Linskens checked in and recorded eight points off the bench while going 3-for-4 from the field.
She ended up recording 10 points, two rebounds, a steal, and two blocks while having a positive efficiency (+/-) of 5 for the Mercury, which was one of the bright spots during the game.
“I have great people around me (with) a lot of experience,” Linskens said when being asked about her performance. “We have great coaches; they talk to me every day. I try to get better in practice because I’m really not there yet. I’m trying to be better every day. I’m trying to bring what I can do into the games.”
Throughout her professional playing career overseas, Linskens was one of the vital players for the Belgium women’s national team in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Last season, she made her WNBA debut as a member of the Golden State Valkyries, appearing in only four games before being waived.
As Linskens continues to adjust to Tibbetts’ coaching system for Phoenix, what stands out to Thomas is her confidence.
“Kiki (Kyara Linskens) did great for us today,” Thomas said. “I’m super happy for her. We know that she’s capable of this, and coming to the league is an adjustment. We have the utmost belief in her, and today you saw that she trusts herself, and she came out and played her game, and it’s only up from here.”
Alyssa Thomas Records Double-Double for the Mercury
Thomas, a defensive anchor and triple-double machine, recorded a double-double of 20 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists in nearly 36 minutes for the Mercury.
After Phoenix’s consecutive losses at home to Toronto and Los Angeles, she repeatedly emphasized taking accountability on the defensive end through a team effort.
Thomas went 9-for-13 from the field while recording 11 defensive rebounds and played a role in the Mercury’s efforts throughout the game.
“I mean, she’s a force on the glass,” Tibbetts said of Thomas. “I thought AT (Alyssa Thomas) obviously did a really good job. Our guards got in there and battled, but those second-chance points are huge for them, and they’re on the misses. They’re usually long three, they take a lot of threes, and we battle, and we’re going to need that again in New York.”
Phoenix is 2-5 through seven games. They have a lot to clean up in order to become one of the best defensive teams in the WNBA, as they were known for last year. Once they get Makani into the mix, the Mercury could look into a positive turnaround by adding in one of the best pick-and-roll defenders.
Game Notes: During Mercury’s three-game losing streak, the team has allowed opponents to make 10 or more three-pointers while going cold turkey from beyond the arc. According to Across the Timeline, Phoenix has allowed the Toronto Tempo and Los Angeles Sparks to drill 15 three-pointers in back-to-back games, resulting in losses, for the first time in franchise history.
In Dream’s win, forward Angel Reese became the fastest player in WNBA history to record 950 points and 850 rebounds in 69 career games. She was efficient on both ends, recording a double-double of 17 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, four steals and a block.
Next game: The Phoenix Mercury (2-5) will travel to Brooklyn to face the New York Liberty (3-3) on Wednesday, May 27, and Friday, May 29, at 6:30 pm CT to finish the three-game road trip.
