The Phoenix Mercury’s defense was leaking like a sieve. They had conceded 85+ points in four games coming into the Liberty rematch while losing out to a 23-0 run to the 2024 champions. And Alyssa Thomas had already called this out after five games. After 9 games, the Mercury still can’t figure things out. They fell to their fifth consecutive loss for the first time since 2023 with the scoreline reading 68-75 against the Liberty. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel, according to Thomas.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“I think we’re nowhere near where we need to be defensively. It’s going to be a long season if we don’t get it together on the defensive end,” Thomas said after the Toronto game. And against the Liberty, they once again conceded points at important moments. However, Alyssa Thomas saw some encouraging signs in this performance, believing this team is close to getting results.
“This game is about the little things—the rebounds and the details in the scouting report that we’re trying to execute. The game came down to possessions, so you just have to keep chipping away at it,” Thomas told the media. “I think it was a step in the right direction. Last game they beat us badly in the third quarter, and I think we responded well. Now we just have to finish games.”
Alyssa Thomas had 15 points and 8 assists while Kahleah Copper rallied for 16. And at one point, a 13-5 run in the third quarter put Liberty comfortably ahead. However, the Mercury bounced back with an 8-0 run to get within two points with 3:16 left. But the Liberty held on as Pauline Astier hit two free throws with 8 seconds left to seal the win.
The Mercury got 11 steals and induced 19 turnovers from the Liberty that gave them a fighting chance until the final few minutes. They also forced the Liberty into some difficult shots and denied any open looks. This fight is something they can build on.
The Mercury can take some inspiration from the 2025 Champions, the Las Vegas Aces, who started the season 5-7 in the first 12 games and still won the title. For that, they will need to continue to build on the positives and prove they have the same mettle as the perennial champions. For Thomas, the Mercury are making progress defensively. Now, they need their offense to catch up.
Alyssa Thomas Points To Offensive Struggles After Low-Scoring Liberty Game
While the defense has struggled, the offense has not been much better, as they are scoring the 10th best, 83.7 points per game. Against Liberty, the situation was the same as they shot 34% from the field and 25% from the three-point line.
Those numbers rarely give teams a win, regardless of how the defense is performing. According to Across the Timeline, the last time a team won a game with 62 field goal attempts was in 2014. In the modern era, offense is the key and Alyssa Thomas emphasized that after the game.
“When you look at the box score, we held a lot of their starters under their average. It really came down to us making and missing shots,” Thomas said. “This is not the time to get discouraged. I think we need to do a better job of balancing our offense and getting people more shots early in the game so that, down the stretch, they have the confidence to knock those shots down.”
Examining their offensive output, there are a few problems. The Mercury are missing Satou Sabally, who averaged a team-high 16.3 points per game. However, Kahleah Copper has stepped up, going from 15.6 points to 18.4 points per game.
Even Thomas’ production is up by 1.3 points, as she is averaging 16.7 points per game. Jovanna Nogic has impressed with 13.3 points. Her minutes have questionably dropped in the recent games but she remains a threat. The problem is with their depth.
Last year, they had 10 players averaging at least 5 points per game. This year, that number is down to just 6. The starters infact rank fifth in scoring at 67.6 points per game. But that could be pinpointed to coach Nate Tibbetts giving his bench just 10.8 minutes a game.
Consequently, they have scored the third-least bench points per game. Either Tibbets does not believe in his bench or he loves his starters too much. He needs a more balanced output to get the most from this squad.
