Homecourt advantage favors Phoenix Mercury for season turnaround

The Mercury haven’t been playing their best basketball — going 2-4 since the All-Star break. Frustrations began, with head coach Nate Tibbetts acknowledging the team needed to play better if they wanted to continue to compete.

“We need to find out,” Tibbetts said after their loss against the Atlanta Dream on Aug. 1. “You know, how much we want to keep competing and keep fighting. I still really believe in this group, and you know we’re in a tough stretch right now. But we gotta figure it out.”

Guard Sami Whitcomb shared the same sentiment and said the team was “trying to figure it out.”

“We’re not playing good basketball right now, probably defensively,” said Whitcomb. “And I think you know, that’s our DNA. That’s our makeup. It’s what we’re made to do.”

Phoenix salvaged its road trip with a win against the Chicago Sky, 83-67, on Aug. 3, with better performances on both sides of the ball. Returning home may be what the team needs to get back on track.

The Mercury’s record at home is 9-4, with homecourt advantage favoring the team. The players thrive on the energy of their fanbase, the X-Factor. Alyssa Thomas has said that the fans rallying behind them are a “huge factor” in winning games.

“When we’re having bad moments in the game, when you hear the fans cheering, it just gives you a whole other boost that takes it to another level,” Thomas said back on June 11, according to the team’s post-game presser.

With the WNBA playoffs approaching, the Phoenix Mercury have a chance to build momentum at home and turn their season around for good.