The Phoenix Mercury will host the Sky on Sunday, three days after winning in Chicago in the first game since the WNBA took a break for the Paris Olympics.
Both teams have played since Phoenix’s 85-65 win over the Sky on Thursday night. The Mercury were led in that game by Olympian Kahleah Copper, who scored 29 points.
Phoenix (14-13) lost 98-89 at the Indiana Fever on Friday and the Sky (11-15) beat the Los Angeles Sparks 90-86 on Saturday.
The Mercury rallied against the Fever after trailing 48-20 in the second quarter.
“I think you can see it in their faces, you know, they’re tired,” Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said, referencing Phoenix playing the night previously at Chicago.
“There’s going to be better days, for sure. We’ve just got to understand these games are going to come quick here.”
Phoenix cut the halftime deficit to 54-37 and opened the second half on 25-7 run to take a 62-61 lead late in the third quarter.
The Fever turned back the tide and took a 73-65 lead into the fourth quarter and held on.
Copper finished with 32 points and eight rebounds.
Phoenix’s other two members of the U.S. Olympic team — Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner — combined for 12 points in the first half.
Taurasi finished with 16 points. Griner played through foul trouble and had 10 points and four rebounds.
In the Sky’s win over the Sparks on Saturday, Lindsay Allen tallied a season-high 16 points, while rookies Kamilla Cardoso (15 points and 14 rebounds) and Angel Reese (14 points and 11 rebounds) posted double-doubles.
The Sky trailed 74-64 after three quarters but scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter.
With the game tied at 79 with 4:43 left, Reese made 1 of 2 free-throw attempts and Michaela Onyenwere followed with a layup. The Sky never trailed again.
“The most important word for us is ‘together’ and that’s how we got it done,” Chicago coach Teresa Weatherspoon said. “We got it done by doing it together.
“When we got down in the third quarter, we found a way and that’s what is most important to me. We found a way back to that word — together.”
–Field Level Media