PHOENIX – The energy in PHX Arena was palpable against the Dallas Wings. After a fiery Alyssa Thomas steal and fastbreak finish, followed by Natasha Mack forcing a shot clock violation, the X-Factor was in an uproar.
After her bucket, Thomas talked to the crowd, her teammates, the other team – anyone willing to listen. Mack fired up the crowd following the forced turnover, bringing the X-Factor to their feet. By the end of the first half, both had made their presence known.
After the returns of Thomas, Mack and Kahleah Copper, the Phoenix Mercury are finally at full strength. Thomas and Mack returned first last Wednesday, and Copper made her season debut Saturday against Las Vegas Aces.
Wednesday was Thomas’s first game since the Mercury’s win over the Chicago Sky at home on May 27. Mack made her season debut after starting 11 games for the Mercury last season, averaging 3.8 points and 5 rebounds per game.
Thomas finished with a double-double last Wednesday with 11 points and a team-leading 10 assists in 23 minutes. Mack finished with 2 points, 2 rebounds and 2 blocks in 13 minutes.
Through the first five games of the season, Thomas was instrumental to the Mercury’s 4-1 start. The five-time all-star picked up right where she left off in her return, finishing the game as a +11.
“I thought they were very productive in their minutes. I thought AT in the first six minutes kind of got going and after that she was back to herself. She does such a good job of getting to the paint and finding our shooters,” Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said. “I thought Mack did a really good job, you felt her energy. She’s going to continue to get more and more comfortable.”
After the game, Thomas reassured the X-Factor that she feels good about moving forward with the season, citing that the Mercury are nearing full health for the first time.
“Super excited to be back out there. I know Mack is excited to be back,” Thomas said. “Finally, we’re starting to get our whole team back, so it’s just really exciting.”
With Thomas and Mack back in the lineup, the Mercury retained some of their defensive identity. With Thomas out of the lineup, the Mercury dropped from the second-best defensive rating in the league (92.7 DRTG in May) to the seventh-best defensive rating in the league.
Mercury rookie Kathryn Westbeld emphasized the importance of maintaining the team’s defensive identity despite the numerous injuries they have faced.
“That was the number one point that they made on the first day of training camp. We’re going to be a defensive team,” Westbeld said. “We have a lot of people who want to win. Whether it’s diving on the court for loose balls or whatever the case may be, every time we step on the floor, we’re dogs. We’re going to fight to the end.”
Thomas has been very vocal about the importance of developing a defensive identity to build a winning formula in Phoenix. Her sentiments remained unchanged after the game.
“I’ve always said there’s room for improvement. We’ve been fouling people a lot and putting them on the free throw line, not always knowing players’ tendencies,” Thomas said. “But that’s a part of the growth of our team. We can always be better in that aspect. I’m going to always push our team to be better on defense.”
After Wednesday’s win concluded the Mercury’s three-game homestand with a 2-1 record, Copper made her season debut Saturday against the Aces to start a four-game road trip.
Copper started slow, scoring 2 points in the first half before finding her rhythm in the third quarter. She finished with 11 points on 4-for-9 shooting in the Mercury’s win over the Aces.
“I thought she was more aggressive in the second half,” Tibbetts said. “She was running four-minute stretches, and that’s not typically what she does. It’s going to take a little bit of time. I was happy with how she played in the second half.”
While Thomas and Mack saw a slight increase in minutes, Copper only played 18 minutes in Saturday’s win. During the closing stretch of the game, Copper was notably sitting on the bench. The Aces were without their star, A’ja Wilson, who is dealing with a concussion injury.
Thomas was the Mercury’s offensive catalyst yet again in the win over the Aces, scoring 14 points and dishing 13 assists. Satou Sabally led the team in scoring for the third time in a row with 22 points on 6-for-15 shooting.
With Thomas, Mack and Copper all being on a minutes restriction, the Mercury are still dealing with lineup adjustments. Their road trip continues with back-to-back matchups Wednesday against the Connecticut Sun, followed by their biggest challenge yet – a game against the defending WNBA champion, the New York Liberty.
They’ll also stop in Chicago before returning home to face the Liberty for a second time on June 27.
“It’s a business trip. We’re going to be in a little bit more uncomfortable situations because we’ve played at home a lot,” Tibbetts said. “Personally, I’m kind of excited to get on the road and see how we do.”
Westbeld noted that the number of games played has not been easy to accomplish, but the team must remain focused.
“You got to roll with it. This season has definitely been going by pretty fast, so it’s hard to have a moment to get mentally prepared for things,” Westbeld said. “But I’m excited. I think our organization does a really good job of making sure we have everything we need and that we’re comfortable.”
Sabally, who will match the 15 games she played with the Wings last season on this road trip, shared similar sentiments as her coach.
“I’m excited to get on the road with a good team and play good teams,” Sabally said. “Just looking forward to that.”
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