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Phoenix Mercury overcome New York Liberty in a historic shootout on Tuesday

© Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
© Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Shooters shoot.

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First-year Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts has designed his philosophy to create efficient looks from beyond the arc, and the Mercury have had some of the highest volume among any team this season from 3-point land. But so have the New York Liberty.

New York averages 29 attempted 3-pointers a contest — while Phoenix averages 28.5. Both teams sit at second and third amongst the rest of the WNBA, just behind the Las Vegas Aces, who shoot 29.1 3-pointers per night.

Tuesday’s outing between Phoenix and New York was a battle between two well-balanced teams. There were 11 total double-digit scorers in this game, and players from across each team’s rotations were filling their respective roles.

However, if there was one takeaway to be had from this game, it’s clear that these two teams make their money from beyond the arc.

“To be honest, when you’re in [the game], you’re not even focused on the shootout,” Mercury wing Sophie Cunningham said following the game. “You’re just trying to compete and get the best shot possible. I think when we share the ball, you have a whole bunch of shooters on the court.”

“We have [Kahleah] who’s unstoppable at getting to the rim, who can also shoot the ball. You have [Brittney Griner], who’s arguably the best post player in the league right now. And [Natasha Cloud] — I don’t want to forget her. Her assists and the way she can get to the rim, it’s a recipe for success,” Cunningham added. “When you have shooters like Bec [Allen], Diana [Taurasi] and me on the outside just spotting up when people help in and we share the ball… I don’t know, I like our chances.”

 

WNBA record broken in Mercury versus Liberty

Phoenix and New York broke a WNBA record for the most cumulative 3-pointers in a single game, as both teams converted upon a combined 33 field goals from long-range. The previous record was set during Liberty versus Aces on July 6, 2022, where both teams combined for 31 triples.

Among all of Phoenix’s contributors, Bec Allen was the unsung hero against the Liberty. She scored 17 points and collected seven rebounds, while shooting 5-of-7 from beyond the arc.

“Her willingness to take seven 3-pointers tonight was huge, we’re going to need that moving forward,” said Tibbetts following the game. “We need her with that mentality — just let it fly. Because we’ve got other playmakers, her spacing the floor was huge tonight… She was the difference.”

The Liberty’s up-tempo attack sped up the Mercury early on, and Phoenix had trouble containing them in the open court. But a shootout is all about responses, and the Mercury responded in the timeliest of moments.

“It was a hell of a game,” Tibbetts said. “If you’re a basketball fan at all, that was some high-level stuff.”

Phoenix dissected New York’s defense for most of the fourth, frequently making the extra pass to find the most efficient looks possible. It converted at a high clip — and the Mercury were able to find quick swings in momentum after being down by seven-points heading into the fourth quarter.

“The way that we move the ball, it’s a really fun style to play,” said Allen. “I know collectively as a group, we’re really up about this win just because everyone feels that they sort of contributed.”

New York upped the tenacity defensively in the final few minutes of the fourth, but a successful challenge by Tibbetts followed by a timely Taurasi 25-footer gave Phoenix a two-possession advantage. Phoenix held onto that swing in momentum to seal the deal at the Footprint Center.

 

Decisions, decisions, decisions…

The Mercury did a good job of running more actions through Copper, rather than to her. She scored 17 points, but also dished out seven assists — executing sets and finding off-ball movers in their spots.

Phoenix’s inside-out attack becomes largely more effective thanks to Griner’s inside presence and gravity. Defenses are put into situations to react and pick their poison on whether to prevent easy looks at the rim or stay up on Phoenix’s shooters. The team realizes that her presence poses a unique advantage — that’s why they frequently change up looks to keep the defense on their toes.

“You have to make a decision,” Copper said following Phoenix’s win over Seattle on Sunday.

The tandem of Copper and Griner surrounded by efficient shooters forces defenses to make decisions — but the Mercury were forced to do the same against New York.

Having two bigger forwards in Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart who are just as effective from long-range as they are on the inside posed problems for the Mercury. That, paired with the gravity that shooters like Sabrina Ionescu and company provide, forces Tibbetts to get creative with his schemes.

“[Jonquel Jones] is the best pick-and-pop five in our league,” Tibbetts said. “When you have pick-and-pop fives, it puts fear in your defense… We talked about today when JJ’s popping, we want to stunt at her on the catch. Well, now you’ve got Breanna Stewart on the weakside, and Kahleah stunts, and Stewart back-cuts, and you’re just like ‘man, that’s tough to guard’. They put you in a ton of tough positions, again they shot 41 [3-pointers]. That’s hard to guard, and we stayed with it. We didn’t hang our head, and we got stops when we needed to.”

Schematics and X’s and O’s are incredibly important towards designing different looks to throw at teams on any given night. Tibbetts’ coaching style seems very analytical and scheme-oriented, but a proper scheme can only go so far if the tenacity isn’t there.

“We have the ability to be a good team, but we’re also gritty,” Tibbetts said. “That’s a good characteristic to have if you want to beat a good team.”

Next Games

Mercury: Away vs. Minnesota Lynx (11-3) | June 22 | 5 p.m. PT

Storm: Home vs. Los Angeles Sparks (4-11) | June 20 | 4 p.m. PT

Mercury’s Natasha Mack reveals ‘Black Excellence’ specialty shoes honoring Lisa Leslie, other WNBA icons

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Justin LaCertosa covers Phoenix Sports News for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @LaCertosaSports

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