After going up against the Indiana Fever with six players for the majority of the game on Friday, the Phoenix Mercury are optimistic that they will receive a boost in getting up to three injured stars back before they face the Connecticut Sun today.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Diana Taurasi (Lower Left Leg), Brittney Griner (Right Hip) and Natasha Cloud (Left Knee) were all out vs. the Fever, with Griner leaving the game with her injury in the early stages of it.
All are listed as questionable coming into today, but Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts believes there is hope that up to all three of them could play as they will take part in warmups.
“That’s the hope, we are leaning towards having everyone which would be great besides the ones listed as out [Charisma Osborne and Sug Sutton],” Tibbetts said. “They are going to warm up, my hope is that all of them will play.”
BREAKING: Phoenix Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said that the team is "leaning towards having everyone."
All listed as questionable, Diana Taurasi, Natasha Cloud and Brittney Griner will all warm up, "the hope is that all of them will play."#ValleyTogether #WNBA #BringTheHeat
— Burn City Mercury (@BurnCityMercury) July 14, 2024
Already missing the first 10 games of the season due to a toe fracture to her left foot, Griner will see if she will be able to be good to go against Connecticut. Going for a loose ball during the Mercury’s last game vs. the Fever, she collided with Indiana guard Lexie Hull and was immediately in pain while hunched over on the court.  The two-time WNBA champion would limp to the locker room in anguish before she was ruled out for the remainder of the game. Griner has played 13 games and averaged 18.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists and will be a WNBA All-Star this year.
Right as the Mercury and Fever were set to warm up, Phoenix issued a release saying that Cloud was out because of a left knee injury and missed her first game of the season. The Pennsylvania native is averaging 12.5 points, 7.2 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game in 22 games. Cloud is third in the league in assists per game this year, trailing just Sun forward Alyssa Thomas (7.9) and Fever star Caitlin Clark (7.8).
Taurasi has been out for the last four games with a lingering lower left leg injury, but could return today. The 20-year veteran is averaging 16.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game this season. Missing the last matchup against the Sun on July 1, she was dealing with a lower back injury.
The early morning matchup between the Mercury and Sun tips off at 10 a.m. PT.
Sophie Cunningham flames officiating vs. Fever for technical foul on X
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers ASU Athletics, the Phoenix Mercury and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
