Connect with us
Burn+

Phoenix Mercury

Diana Taurasi snapped Mercury’s 4-game losing streak with 31 points in 87-68 win over Sparks

© Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

PHOENIX – Diana Taurasi put on another superstar display as she scored 31 points to lead the Phoenix Mercury to the team’s first win of the 2024 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup, an 87-68 win over the Los Angeles Sparks.

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

Natasha Cloud had 21 points and Kahleah Copper ended with 12 to snap the Mercury’s (4-5) four-game losing streak. Phoenix shot 28-for-66 (42.4%) from the field and 14-for-29 (48.3%) from three.

Dearica Hamby finished with 23 points and Kia Nurse had 12 for the Sparks (2-6) who lost four of their last five games.

Starting Cup Run on a High Note

Trying to make an early impression on the game early on, both teams started off cold with the score being just 16-15 at the end of the first quarter. Hamby had nine of the 15 points for the Sparks who, as a team, shot 4-for-15 (26.7%) while the Mercury were 5-for-18 (27.8%) in the quarter.

Phoenix presented a stingy defensive presence that Los Angeles struggled to break through. Because of the Mercury’s pressure in the paint, the Sparks had 11 turnovers in the first half and were limited to just two points in the second quarter until there was 3:17 left.

“Tonight we stepped up,” Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts said on the defense. “We were competitive. The fact that this was a Commissioners Cup game and we lost four in a row coming back home, I was extremely proud.”

Building off of the defense, the offense came to life for the Mercury as they outscored LA 23-7. Copper led the Mercury with two threes and eight points in the first half giving them a 39-22 lead.

Lighting up the basket, the 20-year WNBA veteran Taurasi was scoring with ease, firing at a 9-for-14 (64.3%) clip and going 7-for-9 (77.8%) from three.

“DT has been really solid for us,” Cloud said. “She has been playing for 20 years, but she has been our consistency. Even when s*** hasn’t been going right on the road, she has been our poise and the consistency that we needed. Keeping our energy up, keeping everyone locked in and not only does she show up on the stat sheet, but she shows up where the stat sheet doesn’t show as well.”

The Sparks responded in the third quarter with 24 points even though they trailed 68-46. Despite her team being behind by 22, Hamby tried to erase the margin with 22 points.

Los Angeles did draw within 16 in the fourth, but that was as close as they were to the Mercury in the quarter.

Setting up a recipe for success, Phoenix accumulated 11 steals, outrebounded Los Angeles 33-30 and forced the Sparks into 20 turnovers.

In the teams’ first game of the tournament, the Mercury are now 1-0 and will continue their Commissioner’s Cup run into Seattle on Tuesday against the Storm.

“I thought that we were more engaged, more pop to us,” Tibbetts said. “We were flying around, we need that activity especially with Bec [Rebecca Allen] and BG [Brittney Griner] out. I thought everyone that played tonight played extremely hard.”

Cloud Creeping Up Double-Double Leaderboard

With 21 points and 12 assists, Cloud recorded her 12th points/assists double-double as she is just one away from tying Lindsay Whalen for No. 7 all-time (13) in WNBA regular season history. Taurasi is sixth on the leaderboard with 14 in her career.

When reflecting on her fourth double-double of the season and being mentioned with some of the greatest WNBA players of all time, Cloud stayed humble and wanted to give most of the credit to her Mercury teammates.

“I am a player that is not supposed to be here, I am a second-round draft pick,” Cloud said. “For me, I am really proud of where I am, where my feet are today. But more than anything, it is a personal accolade that is a testament to my teammates. They’re knocking down shots and making my job easy. For me to be in the Valley, I am generally happy and when I can be happy, that really does change my play on the court. I am just really excited to be here with this group. I don’t really care about the numbers, I just want to get wins at the end of the day.”

Being arguably the most important player on both ends of the floor this season, her playmaking as a floor general and her defensive tenacity have been a revelation for Phoenix. She has averaged 11.3 points, 7.8 assists and 4.1 rebounds a game for the Mercury since signing as a free agent this offseason.

Knowing that she is playing alongside a star like Cloud, Taurasi mentioned how crucial she has been in all facets of how Phoenix has been playing.

“She has guarded the best player on the other team every, single night,” Taurasi said. “And we still ask her to bring the ball up to make plays for everyone on the other end. It is a huge load and she loves it.”

New York Liberty superstar Courtney Vandersloot has 60 points/assists double-doubles which is double the amount that No. 2 Sue Bird has (28). Cloud may not think about the accolade when she plays, but she could very well leapfrog some pioneers in the WNBA that paved the way for players like herself to get to where she is at, proving to be a perfect fit for the Mercury.

Next Games

Mercury: Away at Seattle Storm (5-3) | June 4 | 7 p.m. PT

Sparks: Home vs. Dallas Wings (3-4) | June 5 | 7 p.m. PT

Sophie Cunningham becomes fourth player in Mercury history to hit 200-plus 3-pointers

*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, and exclusive content. SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*

Reporter Alec Cipollini covers ASU Athletics, Phoenix Mercury and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini

Related Topics

Burn City Radio

More in Phoenix Mercury