Dream Defeat Mercury in Griner's Return to Phoenix

Griner and the Dream made a statement with a road win over the team where BG spent her first 11 seasons.

Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner (42) is defended by Phoenix Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner (14) during the first quarter at PHX Arena Jul 23, 2025. / Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Atlanta Dream made a statement with an 11-point road victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night. The game began with Phoenix welcoming back franchise legend Brittney Griner, who was excellent for Atlanta in the win.

The Mercury saw their big three hit the court together for the first time since July 3rd, but their return, while a good sign for the rest of the season, didn't provide the boost they hoped for, as Atlanta led nearly wire to wire. Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper were back in the starting lineup, but on a minutes restriction (Sabally played 20 and Copper played 21) and both took a while to find their rhythm.

Griner took in the emotional tribute video the Mercury played for her, then began the game with aggressiveness and confidence. Atlanta's first bucket was a BG and-one over Kathryn Westbeld that she knocked down despite a double-team from Sami Whitcomb. She put up a three-point attempt on the next possession and hit a tough contested bucket over Sabally soon after.

Atlanta raced out to an early lead behind a 12-0 run. Phoenix sent help at Griner early and often, which opened up space for cutters off the ball. Phoenix struggled to deal with Atlanta's off-ball movement all game, and Atlanta made them pay with sharp passes, racking up 25 assists compared to just eight turnovers.

From the outset, both teams pushed the tempo relentlessly in transition, but Atlanta looked sharper. The Dream hit three of their first six from threes, most of which were off open looks, while the Mercury hit just one of their first nine. Atlanta held a 26-17 lead at the end of the first quarter.

In the second, Phoenix fought back. A mixed unit of Thomas and bench players played with energy and finally got some stops against a tough Atlanta attack. Kitija Laksa and Lexi Held fought over screens and played with physicality and DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Mack added timely scoring. Mack and Bonner actually led the team in scoring in the first half, with eight and seven points, respectively. Sabally, Copper, and Thomas had uncharacteristically slow starts, with five, two, and zero.

At halftime, Griner already had nine points and seven boards, nearly her season averages, and All-Star Allisha Gray already had 13 on just seven field goal attempts. Atlanta knocked down six first-half threes on solid shooting while the Mercury were just 3-for-15. Atlanta held a narrow 39-34 lead at the half. Phoenix outscored Atlanta 17-13 in the second.

The game started to get chippy in the second half as both teams upped the intensity. Griner continued to cook, punishing the Mercury anytime the double arrived late, and kicking out to shooters anytime it came early. Bonner hit some shots in the post to keep Phoenix alive, but Gray was unstoppable, and had hit seven of her first 10 attempts.

The Mercs narrowed the deficit a few times, but Atlanta always seemed to have the answer, whether it was from their All-Star or a role player like Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, who was deadly from deep. Phoenix was trailing by nine heading into the fourth.

Copper and Sabally picked up their scoring a bit late after rough starts, but Atlanta's offense kicked back into gear and threatened to put the game out of reach. Jordin Canada gave Phoenix's perimeter defenders fits and Gray kept her momentum going, and Atlanta pushed their lead to 16 points.

Back-to-back Bonner buckets from both corners cut it down to 10 with just over four minutes to go, but Gray immediately nailed a contested three to quiet the crowd. The Mercury attempted to claw back but Atlanta never let their lead drop below seven. They'd go on to win 90-79.

Gray scored a game-high 28 points on 10-for-16 shooting, and added seven boards and six assists. Griner put up 17 on 8-of-12 shooting and pulled down eight rebounds. The Dream shot just under 42% from deep and hit 50% of their shots from the field while the Mercury shot just 38.8%.

Bonner led the Mercury in scoring with18 off the bench. Sabally put up 13. No Mercury starter had a positive plus/minus for the game, as a unit that has rarely gotten to play together struggled at times with communication and chemistry. At one point late in the game, Thomas's knee seemed to be bothering her but she stayed in the game.

Mercury icons Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor were in attendance to watch Griner play and BG shared a few moments with her former teammates after the game.

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