{"id":51933,"date":"2025-07-09T17:22:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T17:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/51933\/"},"modified":"2025-07-09T17:22:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T17:22:11","slug":"how-phoenix-mercury-displayed-their-learning-curve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/51933\/","title":{"rendered":"How Phoenix Mercury displayed their learning curve"},"content":{"rendered":"

Taking on that very same Wings team, however, this time without wing Kahleah Copper<\/a> and forward Satou Sabally<\/a>, the Mercury won easily 102-72, with several players having notable nights.<\/p>\n

While the numerous individual accolades were highlighted and celebrated, what stood out most to the team was their ability to flip the script in just four days. They equated the quick turnaround to a playoff series, noting how important this experience is for the team as the season goes on.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we got a good version of Dallas,\u201d Tibbetts said pregame Monday. \u201cThey kind of jumped on us early, which we haven\u2019t faced. \u2026 These are all going to be new situations for this team. It\u2019s a really new team. I believe our three best players have played three games together this year, maybe four, I don\u2019t know the exact number. So we\u2019re still building, and so we need to go on the road and get pushed around a little bit and see how we respond when we come home.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Next, a 24\/7\/365 women\u2019s basketball newsroom
<\/strong>
The Next<\/a>: A basketball newsroom brought to you by The IX<\/a>. 24\/7\/365 women\u2019s basketball coverage, written, edited and photographed by our young, diverse staff and dedicated to breaking news, analysis, historical deep dives and projections about the game we love.<\/p>\n

Sharpshooter Sami<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"PhoenixPhoenix Mercury guard Sami Whitcomb attempts a layup during a game between the Phoenix Mercury and the Minnesota Lynx at Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, on June 3, 2025. (Photo credit: John McClellan | The Next)<\/p>\n

It was clear from the start of the game that it was going to be Sami Whitcomb<\/a>\u2019s night. She made the first bucket of the game, a three assisted by Alyssa Thomas<\/a>, then proceeded to score 11 of Phoenix\u2019s first 12 points<\/a>. By the end of the first quarter, she had 19 points \u2013 equaling the Wings\u2019 total for the quarter \u2013 on 7-for-9 shooting from the floor and 4-for-5 shooting from deep<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At the half, she had 29 points with six made 3s<\/a>. By the time the final buzzer rang, Whitcomb had scored a career-high 36 points. A third of the Mercury\u2019s made field goals and half of their made 3-pointers<\/a> came from Whitcomb\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fun when the basket is big for you like that,\u201d Whitcomb told media postgame. \u201cIt\u2019s nice to see some go down. And obviously, on this team, you\u2019re gonna get lots of great looks, so you just keep shooting them. And it\u2019s really fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monday\u2019s performance was the culmination of weeks\u2019 worth of shooting prowess for Whitcomb. During the first quarter of the season, in which Whitcomb primarily started due to Copper\u2019s absence, she shot just 24.5% from three while attempting 4.8 a game<\/a>. Since Copper\u2019s season debut on June 15, Whitcomb has shot 51.2% from beyond the arc on an average of 8.6 3-point attempts<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Although she may have been a starter in Monday\u2019s game, her shooting was just as precise as it had been the previous three weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf [Thomas] finds you and you have open shots, and she\u2019s telling you to shoot them, you\u2019re gonna keep shooting them,\u201d Whitcomb said. \u201cIt instills a lot of confidence in you. So I wasn\u2019t worried about that. We talked about the math mathing, and it finally, sort of, has now, [it\u2019s] starting to turn the corner a little bit. But, you know, the rest of the season, if I don\u2019t make shots for a stretch, if I do like, I\u2019m gonna keep shooting them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Postgame, Tibbetts said that he tried to leave Whitcomb in the game long enough for her to hit 40 points, but ultimately, the 36-year-old\u2019s exhaustion resulted in her taking a seat with 2:39 to play.<\/p>\n

\"Locked<\/a><\/p>\n

Tune in to Locked On Women\u2019s Basketball<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here at The Next, in addition to the 24\/7\/365 written content our staff provides, we also host the daily Locked On Women\u2019s Basketball<\/a> podcast. Join us Monday through Saturday each week as we discuss all things WNBA, collegiate basketball, basketball history and much more. Listen wherever you find podcasts or watch on YouTube.<\/p>\n

Sparking the Engine<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"PhoenixPhoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) drives around Connecticut Sun forward Aneesah Morrow (24) during the WNBA game between the Phoenix Mercury and the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut, USA on June 18, 2025. (Photo Credit: Chris Poss | The Next)<\/p>\n

This season, Alyssa Thomas has consistently produced, with eight double-doubles in 14 games<\/a>. However, it seemed that Thomas, who is occasionally referred to as a \u201cwalking triple-double,\u201d always managed to come up short in that field.<\/p>\n

That is until Monday night. After finishing just two rebounds short against the Connecticut Sun on June 18 and just one rebound short against the New York Liberty on June 27, Thomas finally got her first triple-double as a member of the Phoenix Mercury. In Monday\u2019s game, she had 15 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And of course, to her, it was no big deal.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, for me, it\u2019s about winning,\u201d Thomas told reporters postgame. \u201cOf course, it\u2019s always nice to get a triple-double. To get my first one in a Mercury uniform, I mean, have a crowd behind you cheering you on like that, it\u2019s a warm welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

The triple-double was the 16th of her career (regular season and playoffs), yet just the second in Mercury franchise history. She was the first in WNBA history to do it with 15-plus points and assists.<\/p>\n

The triple-double wasn\u2019t the only notable statistic for Thomas from Monday\u2019s game. For the third time this season, Thomas recorded 15 assists, once again tying the Mercury\u2019s single-game franchise record.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think AT, just her all-around game is pretty impressive,\u201d Tibbetts said postgame before joking about Thomas\u2019 teammates keeping her from breaking the franchise record. \u201cYou know \u2026 if Sami would have hit one more three, AT woulda had 16 assists. So we got to talk to Sandy about that a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

True to form, Thomas was more pleased with the team\u2019s defensive performance. Specifically, hew matchup against rookie phenom Paige Bueckers<\/a> took center stage in the first quarter.<\/p>\n

\u201cAT just being tough as heck [slowed Paige down], like making it hard,\u201d Tibbetts said. \u201cShe knew that we were going to be shorthanded. She asked for that matchup. \u2026 We had to move [Thomas] off of [Buckers] because of fouls. But I thought AT really set the tone with the defensive pressure on Paige.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bueckers, who went for 23 points on 8-for-11<\/a> shooting in Dallas on Thursday, was limited to just 11 points on 3-for-11 shooting. Thomas knocked Bueckers out of rhythm early, making way for Whitcomb to close out the game as Bueckers\u2019 primary defender.<\/p>\n

Defense first<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"PhoenixDallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) shields the ball from Phoenix Mercury guard Sami Whitcomb (33) in the first half at PHX Arena, Phoenix, Arizona, on July 7, 2025. (Photo credit: Rick Scuteri | Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Outside of Thomas and Whitcomb\u2019s work on Bueckers, the Mercury\u2019s defense as a whole looked much-improved Monday night.<\/p>\n

Where Dallas scored 32 points in Thursday\u2019s first quarter, they had just 19 in the first 10 minutes Monday. The turnaround was huge, considering much of Thursday\u2019s loss was attributed to a slow defensive start.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were just a step slow tonight, and it was from the start,\u201d Tibbetts told reporters postgame in Dallas on Thursday. \u201cI think they came out and were ready. We weren\u2019t at the level that we needed to be. And then they got comfortable, and that that leads for a long night, and it was.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monday, Phoenix was ready to go from the tip, turning Dallas over 17 times in the first quarter. In total, the Mercury forced 18 turnovers that led to 24 points for Phoenix.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The pressure didn\u2019t let up, even coming out of the halftime break. After giving up the first three points of the half to Dallas, Phoenix scored 19 points in a row. In that stretch, Dallas shot 0-for-8<\/a> from the field. The total 72 points that Dallas scored were the fourth-fewest<\/a> the Mercury have given up in a game this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe message, the challenge before the game was grit and toughness,\u201d Tibbetts said postgame. \u201cThat\u2019s what we just kept hitting home with. We\u2019ve been good this year so far because our defense has been good, and the defense has slipped the last four or five games for whatever reason. I thought tonight we came out and set the tone early in the first half.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the off game Thursday, Phoenix quickly let it be known that they aren\u2019t the type of team to play more than two bad games in a row. Once again, the resilience and ability to plug holes caused by injuries showed up. The Mercury are locked in a battle for second place heading into the All-Star break, but regardless of how the standings settle, Phoenix continues to prove how tough they are to catch off guard.<\/p>\n

\u201cCredit to our team and how we bounce back after our last performance,\u201d Thomas said. \u201c I think for us, it\u2019s just we\u2019re going to continue to do what we do, despite whoever is out, it\u2019s next person up, and we\u2019re just going to continue to play with this team.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Taking on that very same Wings team, however, this time without wing Kahleah Copper and forward Satou Sabally,…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":51934,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5131],"tags":[4552,5229,5643,1587,35694,2471,1589,1502,19714,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-51933","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-phoenix","8":"tag-alyssa-thomas","9":"tag-america","10":"tag-arizona","11":"tag-az","12":"tag-nate-tibbetts","13":"tag-paige-bueckers","14":"tag-phoenix","15":"tag-phoenix-mercury","16":"tag-sami-whitcomb","17":"tag-united-states","18":"tag-united-states-of-america","19":"tag-unitedstates","20":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","21":"tag-us","22":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114824436018868637","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51933\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}