Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner (42) loses the ball to New York Liberty forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (44) during the third quarter at Footprint Center on Aug. 26, 2024, in Phoenix. Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

How The Mercury Handled Games Against East Teams

Originally posted on Phoenix Mercury On SI
By Davion Moore | Last updated Mar 1, 2026 11:00 AM ET

The 2019 Phoenix Mercury were fifth in the Western Conference, and they finished the season with a record of 15-19. They reached the playoffs despite teams like the Minnesota Lynx, the Seattle Storm and the Las Vegas Aces being ahead of them.

Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Phoenix fought its way through the season, and it had battles against Eastern Conference teams. For starters, the Mercury swept the Atlanta Dream, and it all started with a close win. They beat the Dream 65-63, and Brittney Griner had a huge game.

Griner and the Mercury keep winning

The Mercury center finished the game with 31 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and a steal. Leilani Mitchell helped the team win, as she had 13 points, four assists, three rebounds, a steal and a block. Then, DeWanna Bonner had an impressive double-double.

Bonner had 14 rebounds in that game, and she had 11 points in the process. The Mercury picked up two more wins, and they had a victory over an Eastern Conference team.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

When it came to the series against the Chicago Sky, the Mercury did not win a game. Chicago controlled the series, and in the first game, the Sky picked up an 82-75 win. Bonner was Phoenix's leading scorer, and she had 28 points. Diamond DeShields was the leader for her team, and she had 25 points

Phoenix lost the next two games, and that resulted in a sweep. Chicago gave the team trouble later on, as the Sky blew out the Mercury in their playoff meeting. The Mercury were swept by another Eastern Conference team, as the Connecticut Sun pulled off some impressive victories.

The series between these two teams started off with the Sun beating the Mercury 79-64. Bonner was Phoenix's leader with 20 points, and Alyssa Thomas had 20 points for Connecticut. Then, the future Mercury star helped her team pick up two more wins.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Overall, the Mercury were 4-2 in their series against Eastern Conference teams. The Sky and the Sun gave them trouble, but they were victorious in their games against the Dream, the Indiana Fever, the New York Liberty and the Washington Mystics. Some of those teams won one game in the series, but Phoenix did enough to secure the other two.

Phoenix had a decent year, and the wins over East teams put them in a good position.

This article first appeared on Phoenix Mercury On SI and was syndicated with permission.

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