{"id":840212,"date":"2026-06-02T23:54:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T23:54:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/840212\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T23:54:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T23:54:18","slug":"phoenix-mercury-at-a-crossroads-after-lopsided-loss-to-minnesota","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/840212\/","title":{"rendered":"Phoenix Mercury at a crossroads after lopsided loss to Minnesota"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHOENIX \u2014 The Phoenix Mercury\u2019s Monday night matchup against the Minnesota Lynx felt like a golden opportunity for the team to turn the tides after a disappointing 2-7 start to the 2026 season. National TV. The beginning of Commissioner\u2019s Cup play. A chance to take down an opponent at the top of the WNBA standings in front of the home crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you imagine a more desperate team being on their home floor for one game, then going back on the road, and it\u2019s a must-win game for them?\u201d Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said pregame of the Mercury. \u201cTheir best effort of the season is what we expect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead, Phoenix suffered what is likely its worst loss of the Nate Tibbetts era, falling 111-77, the most points allowed and largest margin of defeat during Tibbetts\u2019 tenure as head coach. For a team that was already in the midst of a defensive identity crisis<\/a> and on a now-six-game losing streak, all while being under the weight of expectations following a WNBA Finals run in 2025, it couldn\u2019t have come at a worst time.<\/p>\n

It was the kind of loss that felt bigger than a single mark in the standings. Whether it proves to be the moment the Mercury begin to turn things around, or the point where their season slips further off course remains to be seen, but that feeling of being at a crossroads is becoming more palpable as fans and analysts alike grapple with what exactly is going wrong in Phoenix.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere wasn\u2019t a lot working the whole night,\u201d Tibbetts said postgame. \u201cWe were a step slow. We didn\u2019t do a good job playing at the second side. It was a tough one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just how the Mercury respond will be under the biggest microscope.<\/p>\n

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What\u2019s going wrong<\/p>\n

Throughout the Mercury\u2019s rough start, their defensive woes, shooting struggles and lopsided scoring runs have been common failures pointed out by the team in postgame interviews. On Monday night, it felt like all of those margins were dramatically made clear, more so than in any other game so far this season.<\/p>\n

By halftime, the Lynx had already scored 67 points and were shooting 75% from the field. Olivia Miles<\/a> was making any pass she wanted, Courtney Williams<\/a> was constantly getting to her patented mid-range jumper uncontested, and on multiple occasions, Lynx players were able to get behind the back line of Phoenix\u2019s defense for wide-open layups. By the end of the night, Minnesota scored 50 points in the paint while also going 10 for 17 from 3-point range.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Phoenix, on the other hand, once again struggled to find any rhythm. The offense looked stagnant, as passes and shots were attempted with far less conviction in comparison to Minnesota\u2019s fluidity. The defense often allowed quick baskets without much resistance, allowing Minnesota to easily lock back in on defense and rally for multiple big runs. All of it created the impression that the Mercury were always a step behind the Lynx.<\/p>\n

The result was a 34-point loss in which the Mercury shot just 34.4% from the field, conceded 23 points off 14 turnovers and were outrebounded, 35-24. At many points in the game, Minnesota\u2019s Williams and Miles alone had more field goals made than the entire Mercury team.<\/p>\n

In other losses during this stretch, Tibbetts was still able to credit the team for the level of effort put forth despite not coming away with a victory. Last night, that was not the case.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe weren\u2019t close tonight,\u201d Tibbetts said. \u201cI think we\u2019ve battled in some games, and tonight we did not \u2026 It\u2019s one of those things when you start to lose, people start to hang their head a little bit.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe needed to play harder,\u201d guard Kahleah Copper<\/a> added. \u201cWe know what we have to do, moving the ball side to side, we missed a lot of in the paint, and then sending them down in transition, not being matched up, not sprinting back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rock bottom?<\/p>\n

At no point during the Mercury\u2019s 2025 season did they ever dip below .500. Prior to this year, a Tibbetts-coached team had never even fallen more than three games below .500. His previous longest losing streak in Phoenix was four games, which coincidentally also came following a loss to Minnesota heading into June 2 (in 2024).<\/p>\n

To be on a six-game losing streak and as many games under .500 now is simply alarming considering the standard that Tibbetts has set. The last time any Mercury team started off 2-8 came in 2023, the year before Tibbetts took over, in a season the Mercury ended 9-31. Head coach Vanessa Nygaard<\/a> was fired just two games later<\/a> when the team hit the 2-10 mark.<\/p>\n

None of that is to suggest Tibbetts\u2019 job security is suddenly in question or that this year\u2019s Mercury are destined to follow the same path as that 2023 team \u2014 the circumstances of the two are dramatically different \u2014 but the comparison goes to show exactly how significant of a low point this is for a franchise with constant championship aspirations.<\/p>\n

\"AlyssaJun 1, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) drives against Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride (21) during the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. (Photo Credit: Joe Camporeale | Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Disaster may not be inevitable, but it\u2019s clear there\u2019s plenty of work to do. That goes for everyone in the organization \u2014 from the front office, to Tibbetts, to of course, the players. General manager Nick U\u2019Ren already made a significant move to begin that work, even before Monday night\u2019s game started. He waived guard Kiana Williams<\/a>, previously considered to be a 2026 breakout candidate<\/a>, in favor of returning guard Lexi Held<\/a> to the roster.<\/p>\n

Held played in 32 games for the Mercury during her rookie season in 2025, showing flashes of an all-around game that could complement Phoenix\u2019s stars off the bench. However, her minutes declined in the 2025 playoffs, leading to Phoenix being fine with the possibility of her being selected in the 2026 expansion draft, which is exactly what the Toronto Tempo did.<\/p>\n

But Toronto waived Held on May 28, allowing U\u2019Ren the opportunity to bring back another player from 2025 in hopes of recapturing some of that season\u2019s magic. Held\u2019s quickness and instincts as a point-of-attack defender addressed a glaring weakness of the team in particular.<\/p>\n

\u201cLexi is super excited about this opportunity to be coming back here, it doesn\u2019t always happen like that in your career,\u201d Tibbetts said pregame. \u201cWe need her defense on the ball, her shot making, and it works out to have her back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, even with roster changes, more practice and potential gameplan adjustments aimed at improving the team on the court, there\u2019s work to do in regard to chemistry-related connectivity, as well. The issue of team morale is one that comes up during stretches like, making it just as important to manage the emotional side of things as it is the basketball side.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going through a little bit of a low right now, but it\u2019s a lot of the same people in that locker room last year,\u201d Held said postgame. \u201cYou know what we\u2019re capable of, so [we\u2019re] just continuing to find a way and stick together. I\u2019m really excited for the opportunity. I know I\u2019m a little bit fresh on the scene, but I have a lot of faith in this group and these coaches in this organization.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the losses continue to stack up, so too does the risk of the season spiraling into something far more difficult to reverse. In a league where margins are thin and the momentum of a 44-game schedule can shift quickly, prolonged stretches like this have a way of defining teams before they ever find a chance to respond.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why it\u2019s important for the Mercury to correct course as soon as possible. Monday night proved that things may not go to plan even in a setting where peak desperation was expected. The longer that pattern continues, the more difficult it becomes to separate early-season struggles from something more entrenched.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The fire is lit<\/p>\n

The other option for Phoenix is to use Monday night\u2019s loss as motivation for a turnaround. From that perspective, there\u2019s ways to pick out some context that can prevent everyone from prematurely pressing the panic button.<\/p>\n

First, Phoenix is led by veterans who have been through their own past adversities. Copper, Alyssa Thomas<\/a> and DeWanna Bonner<\/a> have a combined 38 seasons of WNBA experience, and although they have yet to fully meet their own individual standards so far this season, each of them have experience with fighting back from extended periods of losing.<\/p>\n

For example, Bonner was the leading scorer of the worst Mercury team in franchise history \u2014 the 2012 squad that went 7-27. She and the Mercury proceeded to make the conference finals in 2013, then win the WNBA championship in 2014.<\/p>\n

In 2021, Copper was a part of a Chicago Sky team that went on a seven-game losing streak early in the season. After the final loss in that stretch<\/a> \u2014 coincidentally also in a game where her team shot just about 34% \u2014 Copper rallied the Sky for a seven-game winning streak, ultimately going all the way to the WNBA Finals that season. Chicago beat Phoenix in four games, and Copper was named Finals MVP.<\/p>\n

\u201cI lost seven straight, [then] I won a championship, so that\u2019s just what\u2019s in my mind right now,\u201d Copper said. \u201cI do want to come out of it, not falling into what the record says. I think that we have to continue to hold this standard of what it takes to be a championship team, and what it took for us to do that last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not easy. It just doesn\u2019t carry over just because you did it,\u201d she added. \u201cSo, for us, it\u2019s about everybody looking in the mirror. Everybody\u2019s here for a reason. Everybody has a job to do, and it\u2019s like a puzzle \u2014 everybody\u2019s got to do what they bring to the team, whatever that is. You got to bring it every single night. So, I think that\u2019s just where we are right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like Copper, Thomas also recalled a previous early-season turnaround. Both her and Bonner began the 2020 season on an 0-5 start with the Connecticut Sun. With even less margin for error because of a shortened 22-game schedule, the Sun miraculously made the playoffs with a 10-12 record, then just narrowly missed a trip to the finals by one game.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you haven\u2019t played sports then you don\u2019t understand it,\u201d Thomas said after losing 75-68 to the New York Liberty on May 29. \u201cI\u2019ve been [0-5 then was] one game away from being in the finals, so the tide turns, shots start to fall. This isn\u2019t the time to get in your head and think that the season\u2019s over or you\u2019re not going to make playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"KahleahJun 1, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard-forward Kahleah Copper (2) dribbles against the Minnesota Lynx during the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. (Photo Credit: Joe Camporeale | Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

While there\u2019s still a greater sense of urgency with each day that passes, it\u2019s early and far from over for the Mercury. Their 2-8 record might be tied for the worst in the league, but they\u2019re just 3.5 games out of a playoff spot as it stands.<\/p>\n

Phoenix will have to begin its turnaround without homecourt advantage, though \u2014 another lengthy road trip is on the schedule. They next play on Wednesday against the Seattle Storm, who have also been struggling at just 3-7, then play an expansion team in the Portland Fire on Friday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On paper, those two games present a more manageable challenge than the past stretch of four against teams who look to be championship contenders. Perhaps those contests can provide the opening the Mercury need to halt their slide, but that possibility existed Monday night, as well. For now, all eyes are on the Mercury\u2019s response \u2014 what happens next will be revealing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether it\u2019s individually or [as a] team, you want to get over the hump to just feel a little bit better,\u201d Copper said. \u201cWe got to continue to stack the days and practice, and then kind of let it translate to the games. We are searching, we are on a hunt. I don\u2019t think today really reflects who we are and what we want to be able to represent for this organization, but we\u2019re going to get it right, we\u2019re going to figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

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