Desert Wave Media

STORY: Alyssa Thomas had another MVP-type performance and the Mercury dominated both sides of the ball in the second half to beat the Mystics, 88-72. More from @veenstra_david: open.substack.com/pub/desertwave… #WNBA

Phoenix Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said the Mercury got back to “Mercury defense” in the second half of Sunday’s win. He said they had a discussion at halftime that they weren’t good enough. The Mercury held the Mystics to 26 in the second half, an opponent season-low. #WNBA

FINAL: Phoenix Mercury 88 Washington Mystics 72 Alyssa Thomas finished with 27 points (on 12-for-17 shooting), 11 rebounds and eight assists. The Mercury allowed a season-low 26 points in the second half and forced 15 TOs in the second half. #WNBA

A 10-3 Mercury run has given them their largest lead of the game. Mercury lead 78-61 with 7:47 to play. #WNBA

The Mercury lead the Mystics 68-58 after three. The Mercury outscored the Mystics 26-12 in the third, which included an 11-0 run where they held the Mystics without scoring for 4:47. The Mystics had seven TOs in the third, which led to 11 Mercury points. #WNBA

Monique Akoa Makani makes a 3 to give the Mercury their first lead since it was 17-16 in the final two minutes of the first quarter. Mercury lead 49-48 with 6:48 left in the third. #WNBA

The Mystics lead the Mercury 46-42 at the half. The Mercury are just 2-for-13 (15.4%) from 3 but have scored 28 points in the paint, 18 of which have come in the second quarter (9-for-11). Alyssa Thomas has 14 points (on 7-for-10 shooting). #WNBA

The Mystics lead the Mercury 23-21 after one. The Mystics are moving the ball well and getting a ton of good looks in the paint. Washington has 16 points in the paint on 15 attempts. #WNBA

Phoenix Mercury at Washington Mystics starting lineups: F 22 Sonia Citron F 44 Kiki Iriafen C 0 Shakira Austin G 20 Brittney Sykes G 1 Sug Sutton Mercury: F 0 Satou Sabally F 25 Alyssa Thomas C 4 Natasha Mack G 2 Kahleah Copper G 8 Monique Akoa Makani

Phoenix Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts on the challenges of finding rotations with players coming in and out of the lineup. “I'd like to explore some different lineups. Hopefully tonight we can get to some of those lineups that we haven't seen, just as we get more healthy.” #WNBA

Phoenix Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said he’s unsure why Alyssa Thomas is an understated player. “She's the ultimate competitor. She's takes complete pride in winning, and it burns her up when you lose, and it's a lot of fun to have somebody like that on your team.” #WNBA

Phoenix Mercury injury report for Sunday’s game at the Washington Mystics: No injuries to report. #WNBA

Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas said the Mercury played a “pretty good game” and it was their rebounding and second-chance points which cost them. The Mercury allowed a season-high 21 second-chance points in Friday’s loss. #WNBA

Phoenix Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts denied the claim that the Mercury are a team that “lives by the 3 and dies by the 3.” The Mercury shot 6-for-16 (37.5%) from 3 in the first half and 1-for-14 (7.1%) from 3 in the second half. #WNBA

Phoenix Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said the team’s mindset is in a good place despite the Mercury being on a three-game losing streak for the first time this season. “So I think just we got to keep getting reps as a unit and together, and we'll figure it out.” #WNBA

STORY: In a tale of two halves, the Phoenix Mercury fell apart after the break in an 89-76 loss to the New York Liberty on Friday. More from @veenstra_david: open.substack.com/pub/desertwave… #WNBA

FINAL: Phoenix Mercury 76 New York Liberty 89 The Mercury fall to 15-9 and have lost three games in a row for the first time this season. The Mercury shot just 13-for-40 (32.5%) from the field and 1-for-14 (7.1%) from 3 in the second half. #WNBA

The Liberty take a 67-59 lead over the Mercury after three. The Liberty had four turnovers in the first 4:14 of the third and started 1-for-7 but closed the quarter on an 18-5 run. Sabrina Ionescu has 24 points and half of them have come in the third quarter. #WNBA

The Mercury and Liberty are tied at 46 at the half. After the Mercury took their largest lead of 12, the Liberty ended the half on a 19-7 run. The Mercury went 3:22 without scoring and hit just two field goals in the final six minutes of the half. #WNBA

Natasha Cloud is called for her third personal at the 4:09 mark in the second. Sandy Brondello opts to leave Cloud in the game. #WNBA