Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (No. 25) during a game against the Minnesota Lynx on May 12. (Photo: Trippy Traveler Media)
PHOENIX — In a thrilling Tuesday night showdown in downtown Phoenix which featured 24 lead changes and 13 ties, the Phoenix Mercury ultimately fell to the Toronto Tempo, 98–90.
Accountability Starts on the Defensive End for the Phoenix Mercury
The Tempo’s backcourt of guards Brittney Sykes and Marina Mabrey put on a show in the team’s win over the Mercury, becoming the first teammates in WNBA history to each record 30 points in a single game during a franchise’s inaugural season.
Not only that, but Toronto’s defense limited Phoenix’s three-point shooting to 18.2 percent from just four three-pointers made in the loss.
In the postgame conference, head coach Nate Tibbetts, guard Kahleah Copper and forward Alyssa Thomas emphasized Phoenix’s lack of communication on the defensive end, and it started with taking accountability.
“We’re nowhere near where we need to be defensively,” said Thomas, who finished with 17 points, six rebounds, and eight assists. “It’s going to be a long season if we don’t get it together on the defensive end. It shows if you want to play on this team, you got to defend them. I mean it’s game five. We got to continue to clean it up and to work together.”
“We just got to help each other,” Copper added. “If you know someone’s not in the right place or somebody’s getting beat one-on-one, like we just got to cover for each other. We got to fly around more. We fell into some one-on-ones, not having each other back, not being in the gaps. Just being better collectively and then ultimately, that’ll help our team defense.”
The moment Mack fell down on the court, holding her hamstring area while her Mercury teammates huddled around her, was a concern.
She did not return for the remainder of the game despite sitting on the bench as Phoenix has another home game to play on Thursday against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Throughout the game, Mack recorded her second double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds while playing nearly 18 minutes of action. Before 2026, she had only one double-double in her previous 78 career games played in the league.
Through the first five games of the season, the Mercury are missing the impact of guards Monique Akoa Makani and Sami Whitcomb due to overseas commitment and left knee arthroscopy, respectively.
Akoa Makani brought the basketball IQ and defensive intensity as a starting point guard, while Whitcomb brought the energy off the bench.
“Mo (Akoa Makani) is going to be huge for us,” Thomas said. “I mean, even Sami (Whitcomb) is coming back, too. (Natasha) Mack gets us a lot of our rebounds, so losing her definitely hurt us. But it’s also an opportunity for others to step up. That’s what we did last season when people went down, others stepped up. There are plenty of minutes to have. It’s just going to come down to who’s going to do the dirty work, who’s going to hustle, who’s going to play defense.”
Alyssa Thomas, Nate Tibbetts Put Emphasis on Next-Woman-Up Mentality
Phoenix Mercury guard Jovana Nogic (No. 29) against the Chicago Sky on May 15. (Photo: Trippy Traveler Media)
Last season, when the Mercury dealt with some of the injuries at the beginning, Tibbetts encouraged the players to make a commitment to defend and show up on the court.
“Every year is a new year,” Tibbetts said. “Every year presents new challenges. We’re facing them just like Toronto was tonight. Collectively, we just got to decide to commit to the group and play as a team. And the number one thing is like ‘what is going to take to help the Mercury win’, and I don’t think we understand where that is right now.”
“It’s a long season, it’s a marathon, and it’s not a sprint,” Thomas added. “It’s been a crazy training camp, got a lot of people in and out, still got people coming in. We’re all learning each other, but at the end of the day, what made us special last year was we were committed to the defensive end and to each other’s success.”
Game Notes – The Mercury struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just four of 22 attempts—a season-low—while the Tempo caught fire, knocking down 15 of 36 three-pointers, setting an opponent season-high against Phoenix. Jovana Nogic went 2-for-9 from the three-point line after going 5-for-8 from beyond the arc on Friday.
Additionally, rookie guard Jovana Nogic recorded 13 points, bringing the total to 77 points scored through five games, which was marked as third in franchise history, trailing only Diana Taurasi (89 in 2004) and Cappie Pondexter (115 in 2006).
The Phoenix Mercury (2-3) will welcome Kelsey Plum and the Los Angeles Sparks (1-3) at home on Thursday, May 21, at 9 p.m. CT.
