The Phoenix Mercury completed a four-game highway journey on Saturday with a 4-0 document as they made historical past by setting a franchise document with three-pointers made in a single sport with 17 of their blowout win over the Chicago Sky, 107-86.
Middle Kalani Brown made the crew’s seventeenth three-pointer, the second of her profession, earlier than the sport was completed.
Mercury set franchise document in three-pointers made in a single sport with 17
Within the first half, the Phoenix Mercury made 12 three-pointers in opposition to the Chicago Sky, who’ve the league’s worst protection on the three-point line. Not solely that, however their contributions on each offense and protection additionally set the tone for the victory.
Lil’ step again from Kat. pic.twitter.com/TgDBpjtB1O
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) June 21, 2025
The Mercury have an 11-4 document and a successful streak of 5 straight video games for the primary time since 2021. The final time Phoenix had a greater document by way of 15 video games was after they received the championship in 2014, after they had a 12-3 document.
“Shout out to the entrance workplace,” Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper stated postgame. “They did an unbelievable job in constructing this crew and understanding the imaginative and prescient Nate (Tibbetts) has for us. So only a shout out to my teammates for hitting pictures, hitting open pictures, hitting contested pictures, our publish gamers stepping up. (Kalani Brown) received an enormous one. Only a credit score to the work that we put in each single day, after which simply trusting the method and the imaginative and prescient and what the Phoenix Mercury desires to be.”
Within the third quarter, the Mercury started with an 18-0 run with Kathryn Westbeld, Copper, and Monique Akoa Makani making three straight three-pointers. Phoenix’s protection additionally held the Chicago Sky to only 15 factors as nicely.
The Mercury had six gamers—Copper, Kitjia Laksa, Akoa Makani, Satou Sabally, Westbeld, and Whitcomb—who every made greater than two three-pointers in a single sport, changing into solely the second crew, alongside the New York Liberty, to attain this feat all through the season. This marks the second time Phoenix has completed this, with their earlier occasion occurring in 2018.
The Mercury had six gamers—Copper, Kitjia Laksa, Akoa Makani, Satou Sabally, Westbeld, and Whitcomb— to make greater than two three-pointers in a single sport and joined the New York Liberty as the one groups to attain this feat
Since Tibbetts took over as head coach in 2024, the Mercury has achieved six video games with over 15 three-pointers every, surpassing the entire from the earlier 27 years mixed. Additionally, Phoenix is main the league in complete three-pointers made all through the common season with 149.
“I feel we’ve not shot it pretty much as good as we’re gonna shoot it,” Tibbetts stated. “I feel including Kahleah (Copper) is gonna add one other ingredient to only our assault. (Sami Whitcomb) has been taking pictures extraordinarily nicely. Nevertheless it was only a credit score to our group. There’s gonna be nights once you get 35 to 40 of them up and also you make virtually half of them. And so it begins with (Alyssa Thomas) in her drive that she performs with going downhill, and her figuring out that we’ve received shooters round her.”
Guard Sami Whitcomb made a noticeable impression off the bench, scoring 17 factors and 5 three-pointers, all of which she made within the second quarter. She additionally surpassed Kara Lawson for essentially the most video games in WNBA historical past with 4 or extra three-pointers made off the bench, with the sixteenth sport of her profession.
“We wish to shoot 3s,” Whitcomb stated. “We wish to shoot essentially the most 3s within the league, that’s been our MO. Protection, threes on the rim, and the coaches and the group put collectively a crew that’s received phenomenal taking pictures, after which folks that may get downhill and discover these gamers.”
“So it’s nice after they’re rolling. And it’s nice after we can play protection nicely sufficient to get these stops and run, as a result of that’s how we’re going to generate these 3s. And I assumed, that’s what it was right this moment. I assumed we performed nice protection. So we had been in a position to get out and run and generate some nice pictures.”
How the Phoenix Mercury Stack Up In opposition to the Prime Two Groups within the WNBA
From coaching camp to the common season, the Mercury targeted on enhancing their protection, growing a “position-Much less basketball” method, and pacing. Within the offseason, Phoenix introduced in ahead Thomas, Sabally and gamers with abroad expertise with the aim of contending for a championship.
Thus far, Thomas’ management on each ends of the court docket has been noticeable on each ends of the court docket and is main the league in assists per sport with 8.9.
“We’ve a number of incredible shooters,” Whitcomb stated. “Some as specialists, however even gamers that you just perhaps may not consider as three level shooters, like Kalani (Brown), she’s an excellent succesful three level shooter. All over the place we have now that in our spacing and the gamers that we have now, like (Alyssa Thomas, Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper) that may get downhill and are such keen passers, simply makes it very easy for all of us.”
With Copper’s return, Phoenix Mercury are presently sitting third within the standings. If they’ll keep their well being, the crew is in an important place for a deep playoff run.
Tibbetts believes that the Mercury may very well be a darkish horse championship contender with the gamers they introduced within the offseason and the way normal supervisor Nick U’Ren revamped its roster in Phoenix.
Phoenix Mercury wing Kahleah Copper in contrast the enjoyment on this Mercury crew to the title-winning Chicago Sky crew she was part of in 2021.
“That was most likely one of many different instances in my profession that I used to be having a lot pleasure and successful.”#WNBA pic.twitter.com/vzzlR4Y0zn
— Desert Wave Media (@DesertWaveCo) June 21, 2025
Copper additionally shared that the final time she remembered the crew having a number of pleasure, like this yr’s Phoenix Mercury crew, was when she received the championship with the Chicago Sky in 2021. She was additionally named the Finals MVP along with her explosive efficiency all through the sequence.
“Our imaginative and prescient is to be proper there with them on the finish of the season,” Tibbetts stated after the win over the Connecticut Solar Wednesday. “That’s our aim. And we’re not there but. I imply, I feel these prime two groups and different groups are gonna maintain getting higher because the yr goes on. However I can let you know that we’re not afraid of anybody. I do know that from our group, proper and at. And you already know they they wanna they wanna step to no matter’s in entrance of them.”
The Phoenix Mercury may have 5 days to recuperate and observe for a two-game house stand, beginning with the New York Liberty on Friday.
