Of course, the difficult part is identifying what exactly those issues are and if they were common across all those instances. The good news for Phoenix is that, while no two losses were identical, many of them shared similar characteristics that can possibly salvage its season if corrected.<\/p>\n
The evidence<\/p>\n
The two most glaring issues when it comes to Phoenix\u2019s late-game execution have been committing costly turnovers and failing to get timely stops. Take for instance the team\u2019s May 24 matchup against the Atlanta Dream. Ahead by eight points entering the fourth quarter, the Mercury committed six turnovers in the final frame, allowing Atlanta to outscore them by 10 points and escape with an 82-80 victory \u2014 the closest loss of the Mercury\u2019s season so far.<\/p>\n
In the final possession of that game, with the Mercury down two with half a second remaining on the clock, they failed to even attempt a game-tying or game-winning shot as Alyssa Thomas<\/a>\u2019 baseline inbound pass was stolen by Angel Reese<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n About three weeks later on June 13 against the Los Angeles Sparks, the Mercury showed tremendous poise to come back from down nine in the fourth quarter to force overtime. But then, those same issues emerged. A turnover on Phoenix\u2019s first possession of overtime set the tone for Los Angeles to race out to an 8-0 run to begin the overtime period.<\/p>\n After finally scoring its first points of overtime to make it 106-100 and in need of a huge stop to get back in the game, Phoenix did everything right on defense for 24 seconds, but still gave up a backbreaker as Erica Wheeler<\/a> drilled a contested 3-pointer with the shot clock expiring to put the nail in the coffin. One can argue a possession like that is a case of bad luck, but the same can\u2019t be said for the previous 14 3-pointers made by Los Angeles in the game \u2014 some of which stemming from defensive lapses in the fourth quarter and overtime.<\/p>\n \u201cI think each of [the losses] are different,\u201d Tibbetts said. \u201cWhen you talk about slipping away, I think it\u2019s more like when you have a lead and a team comes back and takes it from you \u2026 Both teams have possessions to go win it. I think it\u2019s about coming up with a stop at the right time, and at times we haven\u2019t done that at the level we need.\u201d<\/p>\n Those late-game struggles have been especially evident in two of Phoenix\u2019s three most recent losses, July 9 versus the Indiana Fever<\/a> and July 13 at the Minnesota Lynx. Against Indiana, Phoenix led for most of the second half before squandering it late into the fourth quarter.\u00a0<\/p>\n Rep The IX Sports at your next game! <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n Shop the logo collection or special \u201cWomen\u2019s Sports are Front Page News\u201d collection now on Shopify.<\/p>\n While there wasn\u2019t much the Mercury could do against some of the shots the Fever hit to come back initially, the sequence of events in the final minute or so can certainly be looked at under a microscope. Tied at 84 with 1:03 to go, Phoenix\u2019s Monique Akoa Makani<\/a> coughed up the ball to Sophie Cunningham<\/a>, eventually leading to two Indiana points to take an 86-84 lead with 44 seconds left.<\/p>\n Still, the Mercury were able to twice answer with go-ahead layups from Kahleah Copper<\/a> and Thomas, but failed to get the timely stop after each of them that would\u2019ve put them in the driver\u2019s seat. In the end, Indiana\u2019s Kelsey Mitchell<\/a> drove through Phoenix\u2019s defense without much resistance to lay in the game-winning shot.<\/p>\n A similar story was told just days later, as Phoenix led for most of the game against the WNBA\u2019s best team in Minnesota, but let it slip away after being outscored by 10 in the fourth quarter. Although the Mercury only committed one turnover in the fourth quarter, it came at the worst possible time, as a Thomas pass was stolen during Phoenix\u2019s final opportunity to tie the game with 20 seconds remaining while trailing by three.\u00a0<\/p>\n Once again, the Mercury wouldn\u2019t have been in that position in the first place if they were able to string together some stops to maintain their lead; Minnesota scored on 10 of its final 12 offensive possessions before that point.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been in a lot of these games here down the stretch,\u201d Tibbetts said after the game. \u201cAnd it\u2019s not only offensively, but defensively, and making a stand and getting a stop. There was at least one, maybe two, possessions where we did get stops, and they got offensive rebounds, and those are backbreakers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLooking at the last Indiana game or the Minnesota game, in both of those we did have leads at different stages,\u201d Whitcomb later said at Thursday\u2019s practice. \u201cWe were winning, we did have control at different stages. What are the things that got away from us, and how can we try and limit that moving forward?\u201d<\/p>\n Defending without fouling \u2014 which has been a core principle for Phoenix \u2014 was another primary culprit. Minnesota shot 13 free throws in the fourth quarter, compared to 11 across the other quarters in the game, highlighting how costly those fouls became.\u00a0<\/p>\n Free throws are called \u201cfree\u201d for a reason. In late-game situations where teams are more likely to be in the bonus, eliminating unnecessary fouls could be the most important step toward the Mercury consistently finding the stops they need to close out games.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, I think it\u2019s just the little details, like taking more care of the ball and being able to defend without fouling,\u201d Akoa Makani said at a July 16 practice. \u201cBecause our opponent most oftentimes go to the free throw line a lot, especially in the last quarter.\u201d<\/p>\n Margin for error<\/p>\n The Mercury can\u2019t get back the games they\u2019ve already let slip away. What they can control is making sure those mistakes don\u2019t continue to define the final stretch of their season.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of people battling for that eight spot, four or five of us,\u201d Tibbetts said following Monday\u2019s loss in Minnesota. \u201cWho\u2019s going to go on a run? This is a group that thinks that we want to be a part of the playoffs, but time is moving, and we got to make a move. I thought today was the right step in the direction that we want to go. But we know these are the games that you got to win.\u201d<\/p>\n How Phoenix does in its remaining clutch games could be the difference in edging out those teams nearby in the standings, especially when playing against each other. Thus, the Mercury\u2019s cushion for making mistakes has grown thin \u2014 both in the microcosm of individual games, and in the macrocosm of the remaining season as a whole.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that we just have to understand our margin of error is very slim,\u201d Copper said. \u201cSo whether it\u2019s turnovers, live-ball turnovers or just being able to get a stop and then being able to secure rebounds, I think the more we just understand that our margin of error is slim, we\u2019ll be better off in those tight-game situations.\u201d<\/p>\n Akoa Makani added, \u201cIt\u2019s not time to try to make things more complicated. The easiest thing I think is just to take it one game at a time and try to erase every mistake that we make. Because at the end of the day, the season is far from its end, and we still have a chance.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s possible because we\u2019re having [close] losses, and yeah, I think we\u2019re closer than what it looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n Those words give great insight into what Phoenix\u2019s mindset and approach looks like internally. It doesn\u2019t seem like the Mercury want to make drastic changes to reinvent their identity. While the sense of urgency to turn things around is definitely there, the team believes the solution lies in cleaning up the mistakes they already know they\u2019re making, rather than making sweeping tactical changes.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/unisex-premium-sweatshirt-black-zoomed-in-69d805eea2e49-1024x1024.webp\")
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Phoenix Mercury guard Sami Whitcomb (33) gathers in a team huddle alongside head coach Nate Tibbetts and other teammates during their game against the Minnesota Lynx on July 13th 2026 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo Credit: John McClellan | The IX Sports)\u00a0<\/p>\n