Inside the Phoenix Mercury’s surprising 3-1 Start


PHOENIX- The Phoenix Mercury have unexpectedly shown better bench depth through the season’s first four games.

Satou Sabally Phoenix Suns 2025 WNBA
 (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

Despite missing layups and being outrebounded by the Washington Mystics 41-26, the Mercury started the season with a 3-1 record for the second consecutive year, showcasing another impressive defensive game.

“Credit to our defense,” Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas said postgame. “I think if we don’t have that, we might not win this ball game. Our offense and how we weren’t able to hit shots tonight —was tough. But 30 turnovers, that’s the difference maker in the ball game.”

Phoenix Has Unexpected Bench Depth From the Rookies

At the start of the season, there were questions about how the Mercury would manage their bench depth with the addition of their new trio. Surprisingly, Nate Tibbetts and his coaching staff have put in considerable effort to ensure that Phoenix wins games by focusing on toughness and defensive intensity.

Thomas and forward Satou Sabally have been performing exceptionally on both ends of the court for the Mercury despite the notable injuries of Kahleah Copper and Natasha Mack. Copper was also seen wearing an oversized suit on the sidelines, and fans across social media compared her to Cheryl Miller, the first head coach in franchise history who coached from 1997 to 2000.

How the Phoenix Mercury’s Defense Is Dominating the WNBA in 2025

Phoenix has also surprised many with its bench depth and the contributions of four rookies: forward Kathryn Westbeld, and guards Kitija Laksa, Lexi Held, and Monique Akoa Makani. For the first time in franchise history, three Mercury rookies recorded two or more steals in the same game, with Westbeld having four and Akoa Makani and Held each recording three steals.

“They’re ready, they’re pros,” Thomas said. “My job is to get their shots, make it easy for them. They come in ready each and every day. It’s just easy to play with them. A lot of people might not know who they are, but we have the utmost faith in them, and we go out there and battle with them each and every night.”

Most importantly, the Phoenix Mercury have improved their record to 3-1 this season after securing a thrilling victory over the Washington Mystics at home, winning by a score of 68-62.

The Mercury’s defense has been impressive, ranking first in the WNBA with an average of 71.0 opponent points per game. They recorded 15 steals, the most for the team since 2007, and forced the Mystics into making 30 turnovers, which is the fourth highest in a single game in WNBA history and most in a non-overtime game in franchise history.

“Give our team a ton of credit,” Tibbetts said. “I haven’t seen our team miss this many layups before in practice or anything. It was something I hadn’t seen, but we didn’t hang our heads. I’ve been so impressed with our defensive effort – it was all defense and belief. We just kept fighting, we kept feeding off AT’s (Alyssa Thomas) energy and toughness. When you’ve got her out there, you always have a chance.”

Phoenix’s defense limited Washington to a field goal percentage of 35.2%. For the season, the Mercury are allowing opponents a shooting percentage of 39.4%, which ranks fourth-best in the league.

The 284 points allowed over the first four games is the lowest total allowed by the Mercury since they permitted only 271 points in the first four games of the 2017 season. Phoenix has also limited Washington to just seven points in the second quarter, and it is also the first season where they recorded multiple quarters allowing seven or fewer points since the 2015 season, when they did it three times.

“We had to control what we could control, which is our energy and effort,” Thomas said. “I think in the third quarter we had a slip, and they started getting downhill on us and playing our game. So, the fourth quarter, we still played the same offensively for us. We had our lulls, but we dug in and trusted each other and we just grinded out a hard win.”

Don’t Poke the Bear

In the fourth quarter, the Mystics increased their lead to six points after forward Kiki Iriafen made a running layup. She taunted Thomas afterward, prompting the referees to issue a technical foul.

This energized Thomas, who stated in the postgame interview, “I’m always awake.” Her renewed energy in the fourth quarter helped the Mercury secure the victory. Thomas finished the game with 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists while recording her 500th career steal.

“I love it, this is what we live for,” Thomas said. “At the end of the day, this is our home court. We had the X-Factor behind us. Just feeling that energy. We didn’t have as much energy, we were kinda tired today. Having them scream behind us really fueled us down the stretch.”

Tibbetts credited the Mercury’s defense for limiting Iriafen and her teammate, guard Sonia Citron, to under 15 points each. Iriafen finished with a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds, while Citron had 14 points and four assists.

“Sami (Whitcomb) did a really good job on (Sonia) Citron from the jump,” Tibbetts said. “She’s been playing extremely well. KiKi (Iriafen) did something to (Alyssa Thomas) to wake her up on a Sunday afternoon. (Alyssa Thomas) is an elite level defender. Her and Sami did a great job on those two matchups.”

Akoa Makani and Westbeld Sink Clutch Threes to Lift the Mercury

The game between the Mercury and Mystics was closely contested, but the Phoenix team needed a few key plays to secure the win in front of their loyal fans, known as the X-Factor. Rookies Westbeld and Akoa Makani made vital three-pointers in the fourth quarter, and the team stepped up their defense to clinch the victory.

Westbeld joins Phoenix Mercury legend Diana Taurasi as the only rookies in franchise history to make at least one three-pointer in their first four career games. Throughout the game, she made two three-pointers and contributed on both ends with six points, four rebounds, and four steals.

“I missed a few before that, so you just got to keep telling yourself to keep shooting the ball,” Westbeld said. “You can’t get in your head about missing those shots – it’s all about the next shot. And I mean, my teammates and everyone’s so confident in me to keep shooting the ball and AT (Alyssa Thomas) found me on the wing again, and I just let it fly.”

Akoa Makani’s Confidence as a Starting Point Guard

The moment Akoa Makani made a crucial three-pointer to give the Mercury a lead; she also made two big free throws to extend Phoenix’s advantage to four points. The team ended up winning over the Mystics by six points after Thomas drew a foul and made free throws to seal the victory.

“It feels good, you’re just confident and you’re ready to shoot, so be ready,” Akoa Makani said of playing with Thomas.

I mentioned Akoa Makani in Ballislife’s WNBA Rookie of the Year candidates as an honorable mention, but she is also in contention for the All-WNBA Rookie Team due to her contributions with the Mercury. Through four games, she is averaging 10.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game and has been impressive in her role as a starting point guard.

Tibbetts and the coaching staff have confidence in Akoa Makani’s potential as a point guard, as her experience overseas has helped her prepare for the big stage.

“Honestly it doesn’t only come from the beginning of this season because I’ve been playing basketball for a while now, and so back in Europe, I’ve also focused on my three-point shot and the confidence just comes with you shooting the ball,” Akoa Makani said. “Every time I take a shot, you’re going to make it and if I don’t make it, next time you’re going to make it.”

The Phoenix Mercury will take on Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky, who are still looking for their first win of the season, at home on Tuesday. It was their first 3-0 start at home since starting 5-0 at home in 2009, where they won the championship that year.





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