Mercury rely on Big Three to keep momentum against Indiana Fever

With only five games remaining in the regular season, the Mercury are now fighting for homecourt advantage in the postseason. Led by Satou Sabally, Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas, Phoenix has relied on the Big Three’s brilliance in recent weeks to push toward a playoff berth.

After the three had individually had their injuries during the season, the trio didn’t begin to play together as much until the second half. After Sabally returned from her right ankle injury, the Big Three were able to play more games together and build consistency.

The Mercury have gone 6-1 in their last seven games and are tied for the No. 3 seed with the Atlanta Dream.

“We need these games,” head coach Nate Tibbetts said when asked if the trio was peaking at the right time, according to the team’s post-game notes. “We need to go through good times and tough times. It’s part of learning how to be a good team. We’ve got five more [games] to go and all of those are going to matter just as much as this one.”

The Fever won’t go down easily, as they’re also fighting for a playoff berth and currently hold the eighth seed. Now is not the time to be complacent and Tibbetts believes the team needs to keep playing as hard as they have done throughout the season.

“We can’t take a deep breath,” he said. “We’ve still got work to do and we need these games. We do because we need reps as a unit to find our way.”

Phoenix will rely on its Big Three to maintain momentum as the regular season winds down and the postseason approaches.

The Phoenix Mercury and the Indiana Fever face off on Tuesday, Sept. 2, at 7 p.m.