Mercury return home after loss against Aces
Following Tuesday’s loss at Las Vegas, the Phoenix Mercury (2-2) are hoping for a reset in Thursday’s 7 p.m. game against the Dallas Wings (2-2) at Footprint Center.
The Mercury put together a solid first half with a 12-point lead at one point in the half. Tina Charles led with 15 points at the end of the second quarter, while Shey Peddy added eight points off the bench.
But then the second half doomed the Mercury when Las Vegas outscored the Mercury 30-12 in the third quarter to lead 69-55.
Tensions flared late during a timeout in the first half when a heated exchange between Mercury guards Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith led to both being separated on the bench.
Head coach Vanessa Nygaard called the exchange “passion” and said it stemmed from everything surrounding the team, including playing without Brittney Griner as she remains detained in Russia.
“The players, they play hard, they play with passion. This is their lives, this is the game that they love, and there’s a lot going on. Our team has even more going on with the BG situation too. That isn’t something that goes away for us,” Nygaard said after the game.
The Mercury will have a chance to put the early frustrations behind in a potential bounce-back game against the Wings. The Wings will also be coming in from a similar loss after falling behind late in the first half to the Washington Mystics on Tuesday.
Against Las Vegas, wing Diamond DeShields made her debut as a starter with 11 points and five rebounds. DeShields took Peddy’s spot in the lineup as Peddy contributed 13 points off the bench.
The Mercury won't be facing the full Dallas squad as Wings forward Satou Sabally will not play in the game. Sabally was activated by the Wings on Wednesday upon returning from an overseas commitment, but did not travel with the team to Phoenix.
Sabally is an extra presence the Wings would like to have.
Four of the five Wings starters scored in double figures against the Mystics, but the bench provided just three points. Sabally averaged 11.9 points per game and 5.9 rebounds last season.