Phoenix Mercury face Las Vegas Aces in final matchup with playoff stakes rising

Phoenix comes off a comeback win against the Golden State Valkyries on Tuesday, 98-91, and is riding momentum into Sin City. The Mercury and the Aces play their second game in a week and their last game this season, with Phoenix hoping for a different outcome against Las Vegas from their previous encounter.

The Aces took an 86-83 win against the Mercury in a late-quarter thriller on Aug. 15 in Phoenix. The Mercury are 1-2 against the Aces and hope to even the season series as they continue to monitor the standings.

“I think early in the season, you don’t think about the standings too much,” Phoenix guard Kahleah Copper said after Tuesday’s win, according to the team’s post-game recording. “… But, you understand how much more important it is in the second half.”

Phoenix and Las Vegas are separated by win percentage in the standings, in fourth and fifth place, respectively. With only nine games left in the regular season, every game is critical for both teams.

“You start to think about tiebreakers, you start to think about where you could finish,” said Kahleah. “I think that we’re putting a little emphasis on that and understanding what’s important. So, we watched the film after the Vegas game. So we’re just gonna watch the film again and just approach it how we should. And go out there and try to get a win.”

The Mercury look to put behind last week’s heartbreaking loss against the Aces and leave Las Vegas with a crucial win with playoff positioning on the line.

The Phoenix Mercury and the Las Vegas Aces play on Thursday, Aug. 21, at 7 p.m.