The Phoenix Mercury will be well-represented at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 with Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi and Kahleah Copper representing Team USA while Rebecca Allen will play for Team Australia.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!But before that time comes, the Mercury has nine games to make up ground and push up the WNBA standings. When analyzing the upcoming schedule and the teams that they will be facing, Phoenix’s strength of schedule is lined up for them to do as such.
Mercury’s Upcoming Schedule
Home vs. Los Angeles Sparks (4-13) – June 28
Home vs. Indiana Fever (7-11) – June 30
Home vs. Connecticut Sun (13-3) – July 1
Away at Dallas Wings (3-13) – July 3
Away at Los Angeles Sparks (4-13) – July 7
Home vs. Dallas Wings (3-13) – July 10
Away at Indiana Fever (7-11) – July 12
Away at Connecticut Sun (13-3) – July 14
Away at Washington Mystics (4-13) – July 16
Besides two games against the No. 2 seeded Connecticut Sun, the Mercury schedule sees them play just one team in the top eight of the WNBA standings in their next nine games before the Olympic break.
The electric duo of former Mercury DeWanna Bonner and her fiancee Alyssa Thomas has guided the Sun to one of the best teams in the league this year. Bonner has averaged 16.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists while Thomas has 12.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game.
The Los Angeles Sparks are without star forward Cameron Brink who will be out for the rest of the season after she recently suffered an ACL tear in her left knee. With her absence being a massive miss to the roster, Dearica Hamby will be the focal point of how the Sparks will play going forward as she is averaging 17.8 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game this year.
After a slow 1-7 start, the Indiana Fever are 6-4 in their last 10 with rookie sensation Caitlin Clark and 2023 first-overall pick Aliyah Boston at the forefront of the turnaround. In her first WNBA season, Clark has 16.3 points, 6.6 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game as she’s quickly become one of the major faces in women’s basketball.
Dallas and Washington have struggled mightily. Wings superstar Arike Ogunbowale did score 40 points against the Mercury last month. Going 0-12 to start the season, the Mystics got their first win two weeks ago and are 4-1 in their last five games.
While, on paper, the Mercury has a favorable slate to win, underestimating any opponent is one of the worst things to do in any sport. Nothing is guaranteed and they’ll have to fight for every victory by any means necessary.
Say they do win more than they lose during this stretch, Phoenix will head into the break with a chip on their shoulders and when it ends in mid-August to get things going again.
It will be interesting to see how the Mercury’s season shapes up since they are No. 6 in the standings, and victories at this stage of the calendar will be pivotal in how the rest of the year plays out.
*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, and exclusive content. SIGN UP HEREÂ 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
