Diana Taurasi was on the verge of facing a suspension following her offensive foul on Washington Mystics guard Ariel Atkins. According to Business Insider’s Meredith Cash, however, the WNBA front office did not upgrade her foul to a flagrant.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!UPDATE: The #WNBA league office did not upgrade Diana Taurasi's offensive foul that sent Ariel Atkins to the floor during Thursday's Mystics-Mercury contest. As of now, DT is still short of the threshold requiring a suspension.
— Meredith Cash (@mercash22) July 19, 2022
Taurasi was called for an obvious offensive foul in the late stretch of the first quarter on Thursday against the Mystics. The former MVP was looking to come off a handoff pass when she swung an elbow Atkins.
Atkins remained on the court for an extensive amount of time before play resumed.
Diana Taurasi injuring a player for the second time in her last 6 minutes on the court — this time possibly concussing Ariel Atkins pic.twitter.com/B2d9oPqRkM
— Em🌹🏳️🌈 (@em_adler) July 15, 2022
Taurasi wasn’t done with questionable calls however. In the fourth quarter, Taurasi shoved through a screen set by teammate Sophie Cunningham, sending both Cunningham and Alysha Clark to the floor.
Phoenix was able to secure a 80-75 win over the Mystics in spite of Taurasi’s critical fouls. She went on to finish with 29 points while connecting on 10-of-17 shots from the field. Taurasi also put away five 3-pointers to help seal the victory.
The 40-year old guard found herself in a similar situation after kicking Minnesota Lynx center Sylvia Fowles in the groin only a game prior. The foul was upgraded to a flagrant 2.
Fans will rejoice in knowing Taurasi will be available for their next game. Friday’s contest will see the Mercury face off against the Seattle Storm. It will likely be the final showdown between Taurasi and legend Sue Bird, who’s set to retire at the end of this season.
While much of next game’s attention will feature Bird’s performance, Phoenix has much work to do in order to secure a playoff spot. Their coming off a loss to the Atlanta Dream on Sunday. Phoenix totes a deflating 11-16 record with only nine games left in the regular season. The Storm will be one of their more challenging opponents.
