DeWanna Bonner And Other Mercury Stars Take On The Sparks

The Phoenix Mercury had some tough series against Western Conference teams, and their matchups with the Los Angeles Sparks did not go in their favor.

Sep 23, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Dewanna Bonner (24), guard Briana Gilbreath (15) and Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike (30)go for a rebound in the first half of game three of the Western Conference Semi-Finals at Staples Center. Phoenix won 86-75. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The 2016 Phoenix Mercury lost to some of their conference rivals, as the Minnesota Lynx swept them, and the Seattle Storm beat them 2-1.

Phoenix had problems with another Western Conference team, as the Los Angeles Sparks won the season series 2-1.

Sep 23, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner (42) fouls Los Angeles Sparks center Candace Parker (3) in the first half of game three of the Western Conference Semi-Finals at Staples Center. Phoenix won 86-75. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Sparks hosted the Mercury in the first game, and they beat them 77-71. Candace Parker was their leading scorer, and she had 24 points. She also had 11 rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block.

Los Angeles had three more players who scored in double figures, and two of them had Mercury ties. Essence Carson had 12 points, and she joined the Mercury in 2019. Nneka Ogwumike and Kristi Toliver both had 10 points, and today, Toliver is the Mercury's associate head coach.

Candice Dupree was Phoenix's leading scorer, and she had 16 points. She also had four rebounds and three assists. Like the Sparks, the Mercury had three more players who scored in double figures. Diana Taurasi had 15 points, seven rebounds and two assists.

Sep 25, 2011; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Mercury forward Penny Taylor (13) , guard DeWanna Bonner (24) , guard Temeka Johnson (2) , and forward Nakia Sanford (43) huddle on the court while playing against the Minnesota Lynx during the second half at the US Airways Center. The Lynx defeated the Mercury 103-86. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-Imagn Images / Jennifer Stewart-Imagn Images

Penny Taylor finished the game with 14 points, and she had three assists, two rebounds and a steal in the process. Then, DeWanna Bonner had 10 points off the bench.

The Sparks were on fire, as the win over the Mercury was their 11th win in a row. They started the season 11-0, and their first loss was against the Lynx.

Mercury tie the series

Phoenix was home for the next game, and the team pulled off a win. The Mercury beat the Sparks 70-66, and Taurasi was the leading scorer. She had 26 points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal. She was the only player who scored in double figures, while the Sparks had two. The Mercury tied the series, and later on, they headed to Los Angeles in hopes of winning the series.

Sep 21, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard DeWanna Bonner (24) steals the ball from the Los Angeles Sparks guard Marissa Coleman (25) in the second half during Game 2 of a WNBA basketball Western Conference semifinal series at US Airways Center. The Sparks defeated the Mercury 82-73. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-Imagn Images / Jennifer Stewart-Imagn Images

Los Angeles pulled off a 90-85 win, and Bonner was Phoenix's leading scorer. She had 20 points, and she did it off the bench. The Mercury had three more players who scored at least 10 points, as Brittney Griner had 19 points, Dupree had 16 and Taylor had 13.

The Mercury lost to the Sparks, but they were not the only ones. Los Angeles won the championship that year, and Parker and her teammates beat the Lynx 3-2 in that series.

Dupree and her teammates put up a fight, but in the end, that year's champion came out on top

Please follow us on X to read more about the Mercury's 2016 season series against the Los Angeles Sparks when you click right here!

feed