Mercury rally from 13-point deficit to defeat Sparks

Late-game 3-pointers from Satou Sabally and Monique Akoa Makani helped the Phoenix Mercury complete their comeback from a 13-point halftime deficit in an 85-80 road win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday.

Phoenix (5-2) fell behind 50-37 at intermission of the Commissioner's Cup-opening contest with Los Angeles. But a dominant third quarter, outscoring the Sparks 24-9 in the frame, set the stage for a back-and-forth final period.

Sabally broke a 74-74 tie with 3:16 remaining when she connected from deep on Akoa Makani's assist. Sabally then snared one of her game-high nine rebounds on the ensuing Los Angeles possession, leading to Akoa Makani knocking down another triple on the other end.

The six-point cushion proved critical for the Mercury. The Sparks (2-6) held Phoenix scoreless for a 2:18 stretch and cut the deficit to two points on four Kelsey Plum free throws.

Los Angeles had possession with an opportunity to tie in the closing 20 seconds, but Kitija Laksa stole a Plum pass to maintain the Mercury's edge.

All five Phoenix starters scored in double-figures, led by Sabally's 24 points for her third straight outing with at least 20. Laksa and Kathryn Westbeld, who each scored 15 points, knocked down four clutch free throws in the closing seconds to help seal the win.

Sami Whitcomb added 11 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Akoa Makani finished with 10 points, six assists and five boards.

Los Angeles' Odyssey Sims led all scorers with 32 points, her most since posting a career-high 39 back in July 2014. Sims shot 10-of-14 from the floor and 9-of-10 from the foul line on the way to her first 30-plus-point effort since her All-WNBA campaign in 2019.

Dearica Hamby had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Sparks. Plum also scored 15 points but shot a dismal 2-of-10 from 3-point range as Los Angeles fell into its second three-game skid early in the WNBA season.