How The Mercury Battled Obstacles, Prepared For Playoffs

While Phoenix reached the postseason, the team did not play well in its last 10 games. They were 3-7 in those games, and they lost their last outing. The Seattle Storm beat them 89-70 in that game, and Brittney Griner was the leading scorer with 11 points. She also had eight rebounds, a steal and a block.

Phoenix had two other players who scored in double digits, as Sophia Cunningham and Natasha Mack both had 10. That game was an instance where some of the Mercury's best players received less minutes as they geared up for the postseason.

When it came to those last 10 games, the Mercury lost the first three. They lost to the New York Liberty, who picked up an 84-70 win. Phoenix's starters played well, but the bench struggled. The Liberty's bench outscored them, as they had 15 points compared to the Mercury's four.

As far as the starters, four of them scored at least 10 points. Griner led the way with 22 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Cloud had 18 points, seven assists, six rebounds and a steal. Copper had 14 points, five rebounds and two steals. Then, Diana Taurasi had 10.

After that, the Minnesota Lynx and the Las Vegas Aces beat Phoenix. The Lynx beat the Mercury 89-76, and the Aces beat them 97-79.

Mercury get victory against Eastern Conference team

The Mercury snapped that losing streak with a win over the Atlanta Dream. Copper was the star of this game, as she had 28 points, four assists and three rebounds. Griner had 16 points and Taurasi had 13.

Phoenix's victory was short-lived, as the next three games were losses. The Mercury lost to the Washington Mystics, the Storm and the Connecticut Sun. Then, the Mercury beat the Chicago Sky and the Los Angeles Sparks before losing to Seattle.

The Mercury were getting ready for the playoffs at that time, and while things did not work out, it showed that Phoenix was headed in the right direction.