Mercury rally without Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith in win over New York Liberty
When signs pointed to the Phoenix Mercury losing another crucial game, the Mercury took the challenge and flipped it on its head.
The Mercury (14-19) continued to mystify on the court in Saturday’s matchup against the New York Liberty (13-19), another team fighting for a playoff berth.
Playing without top playmakers Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith, the shorthanded Mercury’s chances against a surging Liberty appeared slim. However, the Mercury played the underdog role well and shocked the playoff race with a 76-62 victory at Footprint Center.
“It’s not really a measurement, it’s not about size, it’s about heart and tonight, we decided to show up for each other and have each other’s backs no matter who was out on the floor and that’s what it’s all about,” Mercury wing Diamond DeShields said.
The win moved the Mercury up to the eighth spot in the playoffs and the Liberty now sit outside in ninth place.
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Despite losing Taurasi for a second-straight game with a quad injury and Diggins-Smith to a non-COVID illness, the Mercury didn’t show sizable gaps without the two on the floor.
DeShields was electric for the Mercury and led all players with 25 points. She reverted to form in her second game back from a hip injury, kickstarting the Mercury with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting in the opening frame. DeShields dazzled with athletic plays sprinkled throughout the game, including a layup made in the paint as she was knocked down by Marine Johannes at 8:26 in the second quarter.
“I know what type of player I am and to just go out there and get the opportunity to go out there and do that was kind of refreshing for me knowing that we had players who were out and down. I knew I had to do that at a higher level. It was really nice and we had amazing contributions from everybody,” DeShields said.
Addressing rebounding concerns from the previous three games, the Mercury’s starting five all contributed seven rebounds or more to have 38 of the team’s 40 rebounds. Guard Jennie Simms started in Diggins-Smith's place and had eight rebounds with three assists.
“We have some tough individuals. It’s not easy to make it as a pro athlete and this group has had to battle through a lot this year. They’re tenacious, tough, and they know things are getting thrown at them constantly throughout this season. We’ve had every kind of thing thrown our way and they showed up ready to battle as hard as they could,” Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard said.
The Liberty gained an early 5-2 lead in the first quarter, but the undeniable athleticism from the Mercury started to show. Once the Mercury found its stroke on a 3-pointer from Sophie Cunningham at 8:02 in the first quarter, the Mercury shot up through a 9-0 run and didn’t let go of its lead in the first half.
The Mercury’s defense did its job in cutting down on the effectiveness of the Liberty’s shooters in the first half, leaving the Liberty’s starters all scoring in single figures. The Liberty couldn’t find its cohesion with seven turnovers and shot 35.3 percent in the first half.
Sabrina Ionescu was mostly contained by the Mercury's defense, but led with 20 points and five assists. In the first quarter, Ionescu became the first player in WNBA history to record more than 500 points, 200 rebounds and 200 assists in a single season.
More problems arose for the Liberty in the third quarter when starting forward Natasha Howard was helped off the court by teammates and was unable to put weight on her leg. Howard exited the game at 6:17 in the third quarter after scoring six points on 3-of-7 shooting.
Looking for chances to catch the Mercury winded, the Liberty’s defense honed in on DeShields in the second half. The focus on DeShields then paved the way for Shey Peddy to take over and score 13 points and three 3-pointers in the half. Peddy finished with 20 points and a career high of four 3-pointers.
Despite hitting a cold stretch in the fourth quarter with six straight missed shots, Peddy ended the dry spell with several plays to keep the sizable lead. Once DeShields was denied at the rim and Brianna Turner grabbed the rebound to make the game a 10-point lead with 1:18 left, the Mercury held on to the game.
Three games now remain for the Mercury with all three set for Footprint Center. Wednesday’s game against the Minnesota Lynx (12-20) could be a spoiler for the Mercury as the Lynx hold a 3-0 series lead.
Reach the reporter at jenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com or 602-647-4122. Follow her on Twitter @jennarortiz.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mercury rally without Taurasi, Diggins-Smith in win over Liberty
