Phoenix Mercury hang on in win over Atlanta Dream
With the dominance displayed over the Atlanta Dream throughout the game, the Phoenix Mercury couldn’t afford to lose it all in the final seconds.
The Dream roared back with three 3-pointers in the final three minutes to cut a nine-point deficit and trail by one point in the final nine seconds.
But as the Mercury’s stingy defense would have it, the Dream’s hot shooting wasn’t able to rev back up again as the team missed its last shot when the clock expired.
As a result, the Mercury (4-8) won its second-straight game in a 90-88 win on Friday at Footprint Center. The Mercury previously lost by 27 points to the Dream in Atlanta in a late May matchup.
“It was important, to be honest. I wanted to make sure we win because that was embarrassing in the last game and I think we responded well. We look good and we’re still learning each other and building chemistry. A win is a win,” Mercury guard Shey Peddy said.
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With wing Sophie Cunningham injured and unable to bring in energy off the bench, Peddy and Megan Gustafson chipped in with 13 points.
With Tina Charles back at center, Brianna Turner went back to power forward and thrived on defense. Turner led the team’s rebounding efforts with 13 against an athletic Dream team. The Mercury finished with 38 rebounds to the Dream's 35.
Without Brittney Griner there to rebound, Turner has taken on the load this season in Griner’s absence.
“With her not being here, I do try to stay on the boards a little bit more knowing that she’s not down there. I’m just trying to put an emphasis on rebounding lately,” Turner said.
Charles got the Mercury going early in the first quarter when both teams were figuring out each other’s schemes with two layups for a 4-2 lead. She eventually finished with 20 points and nine rebounds after missing the last two games with a right shoulder injury.
"She definitely came back in with a fire. She was really ready to come back in. She saw how we played in the last couple of games and we played pretty well, but her addition tonight really sparked and ignited something inside of us. When she is hot and when she wants the ball, we got to feed the big girl," Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard said.
The Mercury set the tone early with defensive stops and limited the Dream to four field goals and 21.1 percent shooting.
The early start for the Mercury carried over as the Dream only held a lead of one-point in the game. At the end of the third quarter, the Mercury led by five points and silenced the Dream with a 10-point lead in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter.
Small forward and No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick Rhyne Howard was contained in the first quarter to one field goal on five attempts, but ramped up in the second quarter with 4-of-5 shooting. Howard’s athleticism was managed in the third quarter after she was limited to three points.
A quiet third quarter wasn’t enough to contain Howard’s prowess as she came to haunt the Mercury in the fourth quarter with three 3-pointers. She nearly drained the game-winner in the final 13 seconds, but went wide. Howard still had a remarkable game with 25 points and five assists, along with 9-of-18 shooting.
Cheyenne Parker became another issue for the Mercury after hitting both 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter. Parker finished with 13 rebounds and 20 points, but was unable to make the last shot to win the game.
On the eve of her 40th birthday, Diana Taurasi led with 23 points and six assists. Taurasi shot three of the 10 3-pointers made by the Mercury.
“We’re never going to see anything like this,” Nygaard said. “Her ability to understand the game and dictate the game and slow the game down. She’s helped me tremendously as a rookie coach. I don’t think there’s an equivalent in basketball, I don’t know. She’s handling the ball on every possession, she’s making every game time decision, she’s orchestrating everything, and she has two little kids at home. That just goes to prove how amazing women are.”
Mercury begin four-game road tip with the Washington Mystics
It’s rare for a player to turn 40 years old in the WNBA and remain one of the best scorers on their team.
But that’s the reality for the Phoenix Mercury as Diana Taurasi turned 40 on Saturday, just one day after leading the team with 23 points and six assists in the 90-88 win over the Atlanta Dream.
Taurasi hasn’t slowed down and is one of two players on the Mercury to play in all 12 games this season. Just this month, Taurasi dropped her season high of 32 points and matched season high of six 3-pointers against Connecticut. Taurasi is second on the team with 16.1 points per game.
“It’s a cheat code to be honest. Dee’s been around since forever. Her wisdom, her knowledge, I think she’s one of the smartest basketball players when it comes to ball IQ and she just helps everybody," Mercury guard Shey Peddy said. "She sees the game differently than a lot of people do. When she talks, we all listen. I think that just helps us on the offensive end with our confidence and she’s playing at an elite level and it makes us play at an elite level. I’m glad to have her on my team.”
The Mercury (4-8) are a renewed team after surviving a down stretch that saw only two wins in the first 10 games of the season. Since rallying against the Chicago Sky on May 31, the Mercury have turned a corner in team chemistry and team defense. The improved play resulted in winning two of the last three games since the meeting against the Sky.
The surge comes at the right time as the Mercury will once again head on a four-game road trip, starting with the Washington Mystics (9-5) on Sunday.
Since going on a 5-1 start to the season, the Mystics have remained one of the top teams in the league. Elena Delle Donne leads the Mystics with 15.8 points per game but hasn’t played since exiting Wednesday’s game against the Sky early with muscle spasms. Delle Donne didn’t play in Friday’s game against the Minnesota Lynx, but the Mystics won by 17 points.
Rookie center Shakira Austin has made an impact on the boards with 6.1 rebounds per game. On Friday, Austin had 13 rebounds in her 10th start.
The Mercury will tip off against the Mystics at 3 p.m. on Sunday for the first of back-to-back games against the Mystics.
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: Diana Taurasi leads Mercury over Atlanta on eve of 40th birthday
