Mercury returnees lead charge in victory against Wings

The game concluded a stretch in which the Mercury played five games in nine days and nine games in 18 days.

Five of those games had been played without forward Alyssa Thomas. All of them were played without center Natasha Mack and wing Kahleah Copper. The last three of those games were played with just nine players available.

“I think everybody needs [rest], the players especially,” Tibbetts told reporters following the game against Seattle. “It’s been a grind. … A lot of our players have been asked to do more because of people being out. And so again, I’ve been extremely proud of how hard we’ve played.”

Wednesday night, against the Dallas Wings, after some much-needed time off and practice, the Mercury welcomed Mack and Thomas back to the lineup in front of a season-high crowd of 13,001 fans. The reinforcements on the court and the extra support in the stands helped the Mercury pick up the 93-80 win.

“I think anytime you get high-level players back on the floor, it’s a good step in the right direction,” Tibbetts said pregame. “Obviously, AT provides a lot for us at both ends. … And then, I know Mack is super excited to get going. You’re going to feel her energy and spirit in the minutes that she gets. And I’m sure that there’ll be a little bit of rust along the way, but we’re super excited to have her back.”

Thomas and Mack are back

After Thomas missed five games with a left calf injury and Mack missed the first 10 with a back injury, both made their long-awaited returns to the court Wednesday at PHX Arena.

Although they played with minutes restrictions – Thomas played 24 minutes, while Mack played 13 – their presence on the floor was welcomed, as the Mercury faced a new opponent.

In her 13 minutes, Mack scored two points and contributed two rebounds, two steals, two blocks and an assist. Even in a relatively short amount of time, her impact was felt on the defensive end.

“I think [Mack] provides some things that we don’t have,” Tibbetts said. “Obviously, her length and her shot blocking at the defensive end, and then also her rebounding at that end.”

With Thomas having more leeway in her minutes, she looked like the version of herself seen in the first five games of the season. She finished with 11 points and 10 assists, and also added two rebounds and two steals.

“It sucks to be hurt, sucks to not be able to play, but super excited to be back out there,” Thomas told reporters postgame. “Finally, we’re starting to, you know, get our whole team back, so it’s just really exciting and a great game to come back with.”

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With Thomas available, the Mercury were able to get certain shots off more effectively than they have in the last few games. As often as she could, Thomas took the ball to the rim, and when opposing defenders stepped up, she either dumped it off to another teammate in the paint for an easy score or tossed it to a wide-open teammate on the perimeter for three.

“She creates the advantage,” Tibbetts said postgame. “Teams have to make a decision with the shooting that we have around her. There were plays tonight that we ran that we haven’t been able to run with her out. And so, yeah, I think we’re still figuring it out as a team, but we want to get her downhill, attacking the rim, and if she doesn’t like it, hopefully she’s got space around her.”

Thomas’s return also meant the return of the team’s defensive anchor. Although the Mercury have made it clear they want to be a defense-first team and set that expectation from day one of training camp, they’ve also pointed out the role Thomas plays in developing that quality and how impactful it is to have her on the defensive end.

“I think for us to be third or fourth defensively, with the games that AT has missed, and the games that Mack has missed, is a credit to our group. We’ve kind of done it collectively,” Tibbetts said. “Most or all of AT’s teams have been in the top five defensively over the years, and she really sets the tone for us. She competes on each and every possession.”

Satou’s revenge

In the background of Thomas and Mack’s return was the presence of another key factor in Wednesday’s game: Satou Sabally’s first matchup against her former team.

When asked about the matchup after practice Tuesday, Sabally indicated she was treating it as any other game. Pregame, Tibbetts alluded to there potentially being some extra energy for her.

“I would assume that she’s super excited about this opportunity,” Tibbetts said. “She spent some years in Dallas and grew as a player and as a person, but I’m sure she’s looking forward to today.”

Revenge game narratives aside, Sabally played the effective basketball Mercury fans have become accustomed to seeing from her. She scored a team-high 20 points on 7-for-15 shooting from the field and 4-for-10 shooting from three. She also led the Mercury in rebounds with 10, while tacking on two assists.

“[Satou] is a super talented player,” Tibbetts said. “She’s going to continue to get better and better. I think she’s been off to a great year. … We need her to score. We need her to shoot. We need her to post up.”

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Sabally’s first matchup with the Wings wasn’t without some extra drama. Postgame, tensions rose between the Mercury and several Wings players. The two sides seemingly exchanged some heated words while security attempted to break things up and get Dallas to leave the court. Wings players Myisha Hines-Allen, NaLyssa Smith, DiJonai Carrington and Arike Ogunbowale walked back to their locker room visibly frustrated.

Sabally did not comment on the altercation when asked.

Phoenix embraces balance

Wednesday night, with Mack and Thomas back in the fray, the Mercury looked considerably more balanced than they had in previous games.

Of the nine players that saw time, only Sami Whitcomb played 30-plus minutes. Additionally, Mack, on a minutes restriction, and Murjantu Musa were the only players who played less than 20 minutes.

With balanced minutes came balanced scoring, as five Mercury players – Sabally (20), Kitija Laksa (14), Thomas (11), Kathryn Westbeld (11) and Held (11) – finished with double-digit point totals.

Across the board, the Mercury carried more energy on both ends of the floor as Tibbetts made substitutions and toyed with his rotations.

“I thought tonight our energy was better defensively because people were playing less minutes,” Tibbetts said. “That’s what we’re going to need as we continue to add Kahleah. We’ve got a deep team, and we play hard, and I think we can play harder when the minutes go down.”

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As the minutes balanced, so did the shot distribution. Mack was the only player who didn’t attempt at least five shots.

Every player had the opportunity to make a play on offense, especially from beyond the perimeter. Phoenix put up 35 3-point attempts, knocking down 15 of them (42.9%).

“I’ve always asked for shooters around me, and that’s what [the Mercury front office] went and got,” Thomas said postgame. “When you’re able to have that kind of spacing, it just puts defenses in trouble. You’re either gonna help in on me or I’m just gonna spray out and find my teammates.”

Paige dishes up a 30-piece

Although the focus was on the Mercury’s returning players, Dallas’s rookie guard Paige Bueckers also stepped on the floor for the first time in four games after being out with a concussion and illness.

“I think Paige is one of the better young players in our league,” Tibbetts told reporters at practice Tuesday. “She’s missed four or five games here. I’m sure she’s super excited to get going. She’s somebody that’s going to be on our scouting report.”

Bueckers torched the Mercury, starting the game a perfect 7-for-7 from the field and scoring 22 points in the first half. She finished 13-for-19 from the field and 5-for-7 from three for a career-high 35 points, surpassing the Mercury guard Lexi Held’s 24-point outing on June 5 for the highest rookie scoring output this season.

“Paige has been out with a concussion and then the sickness, but it’s probably the best her body has felt in months. So she looked refreshed,” Tibbetts said. “I thought Paige had a really good night. I thought we competed on her. We competed all night against her, and she’s going to be a really good.”

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