PHOENIX — After the on-court drama — and subsequent off-court circus — that unfolded during the June 22 and June 24 matchups between the Phoenix Mercury and Indiana Fever, everyone circled their calendars for July 9, the next rendition of what is now becoming somewhat of a rivalry.
While Thursday night’s game was under a microscope for many reasons not related to basketball, the finale of these teams’ season series coming so soon after the previous two drama-filled games offered a much-needed opportunity to put a bow on everything, by settling it on the court. And boy, did these teams deliver.
Although Fever star guard Caitlin Clark was out for this contest as the team continues to play it safe with her lingering back injury, every other player who was available — including Mercury guard Sami Whitcomb, making her 2026 debut — was more than hungry to win for a multitude of reasons.
“This is a game that we need. It’s a game that they need,” Fever coach Stephanie White told reporters pregame. “It’s two competitive teams, and sports are competitive, and sometimes there are games like that. But we have to be able to keep the main thing the main thing. We got to be poised and composed. We’ve got to execute. We’ve got to play a basketball game.”
A playoff atmosphere
Before the game could even tip off, one could sense a different energy in the Mortgage Matchup Center. The arena was fitted for a full-capacity crowd, as both Mercury and Fever fans descended on empty seats hours before starting lineups were announced.
The tension in the air had a clear undertone: these teams have developed some bad blood. From former Mercury-turned-Fever wing Sophie Cunningham’s viral point at former Fever-turned-Mercury wing DeWanna Bonner, to Cunningham’s subsequent comments about the Phoenix organization, to, of course, Alyssa Thomas’ flagrant foul penalty on Clark that caused all sorts of unneeded firestorms — the stage was set for another chapter in an increasingly heated matchup.
“Obviously Indiana travels with some people … And the X-Factor continues to come out and support us,” Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said postgame. “It did feel like a playoff game tonight. We’re playing for our playoff lives here to finish the season.”
Thankfully this time, the focus was entirely on basketball. In a highly competitive, physical and energetic game, no out-of-the-ordinary extracurriculars occurred to overshadow the excitement of what was ultimately a three-point Fever win decided by multiple clutch shots.
The buildup may have centered around everything that happened before Thursday, but once the ball went up, the game delivered on its own.
Rep The IX Sports at your next game!
Shop the logo collection or special “Women’s Sports are Front Page News” collection now on Shopify.
Back and forth
Pretty early into the game, it was obvious neither team was going to make it easy for the other. Indiana threw the first punch, unloading a barrage of 3-pointers to take a commanding 26-14 lead roughly eight minutes into the game.
But the final two minutes of the first quarter were all Mercury, as they clawed back to make it 28-24 before the start of the second. From there, the pendulum swung, and swung and swung again. Whether the teams were going basket for basket with one another or trading lengthy scoring runs, the flow of the game never allowed either team to settle into control for too long.
The Mercury, who took a 53-47 lead into halftime, twice went up by 10 in the second half, only to see both leads vanish almost instantly. The second of those two blown leads marked the turning point in the game.
With less than six minutes remaining in the game, a tough finish from Thomas put the Mercury ahead 79-69, sending the home crowd into a frenzy and eliciting a rare smile from the veteran forward.
The energy inside the arena only grew louder when, on the other end, Phoenix’s defense scrapped for multiple stops in one possession, ultimately turning into a fast break opportunity. Thomas found a wide-open Whitcomb in the corner for a 3-pointer that would have blown the roof off the building.
Instead, however, the shot rimmed out. The Fever secured the long rebound and turned it into a transition opportunity of their own, immediately answering with a 3-pointer from Cunningham. Another stop and 3-point score later, Indiana had erased what felt like a game-changing moment for Phoenix, cutting the deficit to 79-75 in a matter of seconds. Just moments earlier, the Mercury were on the verge of taking a commanding lead with all the momentum on their side.
“[Whitcomb] had a great look in transition there that would have pushed it to 13,” Tibbetts said postgame. “That would have been a big one, and that thing was in and out.”
That sequence encapsulated the back-and-forth nature of Thursday’s matchup, but the game’s competitiveness was a product of standout performances on both sides throughout the night.
Jul 9, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) moves the ball against Phoenix Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani (8) in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. (Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas | Imagn Images)
Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell was the star of the night. Besides eventually making the game-deciding shot, she led all players with 29 points and eight assists. Tyasha Harris, the other half of Indiana’s backcourt duo, added even more clutch shooting and rarely missed all night, finishing with 15 points. MVP candidate Aliyah Boston contributed her usual 21 points and nine rebounds against a tough defensive matchup in Thomas.
On the Mercury side, stars Thomas and Kahleah Copper played great games — both scoring 22 points on over 50% shooting — but the impact of two role players was what caught many’s attention.
In the first half, guard Monique Akoa Makani led the comeback efforts for Phoenix. Coming off the bench, she was a +11 in the box score at halftime thanks to her 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including crucially making all three of her 3-point attempts. However, in the second half, Akoa Makani didn’t attempt a single shot, and ultimately ended as a net negative. Still, without her first-half contributions, the Mercury would have been in a much worse position.
Forward Marta Suárez also shifted the game for Phoenix. The rookie played with something to prove after being moved from a developmental contract to a 7-day contract earlier in the day. Physicality was something that would be needed in such a competitive environment, and Suárez sought to bring it.
“I’m pretty physical, so I love it,” Suárez said at morning shootaround. “As soon as I realized how to not foul with it, and I’m still working on that, I think that I’m going to use that to my favor.”
In only 11 minutes of play, Suárez filled in as an undersized backup center whenever Thomas went to the bench to rest. Tasked with defending Boston, her physical play shined while also being a difference maker on offense. She scored 10 points, including two clutch threes, that contributed to Phoenix’s 15-4 run in the second quarter and its 14-0 run in the fourth quarter.
“Basketball is extremely important to [Suarez],” Tibbetts said postgame. “She’s a worker. She’s not afraid of anything. She’s not afraid of competing. I thought she came in and had a really good game for us.
“She’s a smart, skilled player. Her shooting is one of the reasons we like her, that she can space the floor, and she did that tonight,” he later added.
Crunch time
With those players setting the stage, the game’s final minutes would decide the outcome. With three minutes remaining, the game was still a one-possession battle. With one minute left, it was tied.
After Harris knocked down a mid-range jumper, Indiana went up 86-84, giving the Mercury an opportunity for a 2-for-1 to end the game. Instead, the Mercury went quick, and it paid off: in just three seconds, Copper drove to the basket, finished through contact, and converted an and-1 to put the pressure back on the Fever, now up 87-86.
Then, Boston and Thomas traded buckets, leading to the climax of the game. Mitchell, in a win-or-lose possession, tore through the Mercury defense one final time for a go-ahead layup with 10 seconds remaining on the clock.
Thomas’ answer on the following play came off the rim, and then Cunningham got the last laugh with two free throws to ice the game. Final score: 92-89.
Jul 9, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) celebrates after defeating the Phoenix Mercury at Mortgage Matchup Center. (Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas | Imagn Images)
In the end, the game was as close on paper as it was to the eye. Every major team stat was nearly identical: field goals attempted, field-goal and three-point percentages, free throws, rebounds and fouls. The one exception was in the turnover department; although both teams committed 12, Phoenix’s miscues proved far more costly, leading to 25 Fever points compared to just nine points off Indiana turnovers.
“We had a couple careless, silly turnovers in that second half,” Tibbetts said. “It just hurts you. And we didn’t have that many tonight, but they were big ones.”
Copper added, “I think sometimes we were just going too fast, just [not] really understanding the time and the score. You know what we want to be able to do, so I think you just slow down.”
Those turnovers ended up being the difference maker in the loss, which will be a difficult one to swallow for the Mercury as they continue “fighting for their playoff lives,” with the second half of the season officially underway.
Phoenix dropped to 8-15 with the loss, sitting 12th in the WNBA standings and 3.5 games behind a playoff spot as it currently stands. The path forward remains difficult, with the Mercury still needing to contend with the Los Angeles Sparks, Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, who also searching for a way forward in the postseason.
But despite the setback, the way the Mercury competed in a high-pressure environment showed why they still believe they can make a run.
“I was proud of the way we played tonight,” Tibbetts said. “It’s kind how we’ve been playing … These are the games that you need to get, and we didn’t get it done tonight.”
“Becoming Caitlin Clark” is out now!
Howard Megdal’s newest book is here! “Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar” captures both the historic nature of Clark’s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible, including interviews with Clark, Lisa Bluder (who also wrote the foreword), C. Vivian Stringer, Jan Jensen, Molly Kazmer and many others.
Related