In the middle of a sequence of three consecutive defeats, the Phoenix Mercury aims to get out of the funk on Sunday when they visit the mystics of Washington.
Phoenix (15-9) let an advance in the second half escape in a defeat of 89-76 against the host of New York Liberty on Friday, but still maintains the third global record of the WNBA.
Meanwhile, Washington (12-12) found the column of victories, ending a sequence of two consecutive defeats with a 69-58 home victory against the Seattle storm on Saturday. The mystics had won three games in a row before the consecutive defeats.
Friday, Alyssa Thomas played well in the defeat of Mercury, recording almost a triple double with 20 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. The star striker said that the team did not hang their heads.
“I wouldn’t say it’s something mental or physical. We don’t get back,,” Thomas told journalists. “It’s a long season.
“Beauty is that we can play another game very soon,” she continued. “We therefore learn from our mistakes and go to the next game.”
Phoenix has only 6-5 on the road and heads for the second match of a five-game swing.
The good news for Mercury is that they welcomed the top top Setou Sabally scorer of an ankle injury earlier this week. She had missed four competitions, plus the star match, but still has an average of 18.1 points per game.
Kaleah Copper and Thomas are on average 15.5 and 15.1 points, respectively, although Copper appeared in eight games this season after the recovery of knee surgery.
Washington seeks to avenge a loss of road from 68-62 against Phoenix on May 25 while keeping the head out of the water in the hunt for the playoffs.
Washington, who went 14-26 in 2024 to miss the playoffs, is seventh in the standings and would be in the playoffs if they started today.
Despite the potential of the Mystics in the playoffs, head coach Sydney Johnson wants his team to be where his feet are, according to the Washington Post.
“It is a real challenge to make sure that we continue to improve throughout the season,” said Johnson. “I don’t know if it ends with a place in the playoffs, and this is not necessarily where my head is.”
Brittney Sykes leads the mystics in score at 17.1 points per game. The recruit Sonia Lemon ranks second in score (13.8) and killed 36 3 points in 99 attempts (36.4%).
Shakira Austin led Washington in Saturday’s victory against Seattle, scoring 14 points and striking 11 rebounds. Austin scored two figures in three consecutive games.
The mystics have an 8-4 file at home this season and have won seven of their last 11 in the general classification.
– field level media
