The Phoenix Mercury desperately wanted to return to the same form that allowed them to rout the Las Vegas Aces in the 2026 season opener.
And at times, the Mercury looked like that dominant team. The Mercury had stretches where they controlled the pace of the game and defended well.
But once the turnovers piled up in the second half and the Aces scored 16 points off the Mercury’s mistakes, Phoenix fell 86-76 at Mortgage Matchup Center on June 17.
“Against good teams, you can’t have bad three- or four-minute stretches,” Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said. “At the end of the third, the last four or five minutes, we really struggled to score, and that makes it tough. It puts more pressure on your defense and it’s a possession game.”
The Mercury (4-12) dropped their fourth straight and sit second-to-last in the Western Conference standings. Kahleah Copper led with 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting.
And at times, the Mercury looked like that dominant team. The Mercury had stretches where they controlled the pace of the game and defended well.
But once the turnovers piled up in the second half and the Aces scored 16 points off the Mercury’s mistakes, Phoenix fell 86-76 at Mortgage Matchup Center on June 17.
“Against good teams, you can’t have bad three- or four-minute stretches,” Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said. “At the end of the third, the last four or five minutes, we really struggled to score, and that makes it tough. It puts more pressure on your defense and it’s a possession game.”
The Mercury (4-12) dropped their fourth straight and sit second-to-last in the Western Conference standings. Kahleah Copper led with 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting.
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