Dream Stifle Mercury Offense, Sweep Season Series

The Mercury will finish 0-3 against the Atlanta Dream, who were missing at least one key starter in all three games against Phoenix.

Aug 10, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray (15) moves the ball against Phoenix Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani (8) in the first half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

In a pivotal regular season game with playoff seeding on the line, the Atlanta Dream went into Phoenix and beat the Mercury 74-66 behind a strong defensive performance. The win was Atlanta's third over the Mercury this season and pushed them a game ahead of Phoenix for third place in the WNBA standings.

Not long before the start of the game, the Dream announced that both Rhyne Howard (who had missed 10 games) and Brittney Griner (who had missed the last three) were available for selection. Neither was put back in the starting lineup, and they both played limited minutes, but the Dream proved once again that they don't need a full lineup to beat the Mercury.

Atlanta Dream guard Jordin Canada (3) drives against Phoenix Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani (8) during the first quarter at PHX Arena Aug 10, 2025. / Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

1st quarter

The game was close at the beginning, with Atlanta guard Te-Hina Paopao scoring the Dream's first five points and the Mercury answering back with buckets by Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas.

It was a slow start on offense for the Mercury, and they trailed 10-6 nearly halfway through the quarter. The ball wasn't moving consistently and they weren't getting open looks against a physical Atlanta defense.

Over three minutes, the Dream went on a 13-2 run to open up a nine-point lead, hitting three of their first five three-pointers. The Mercury hit just one of their first seven.

Phoenix finally got some momentum towards the end of the first, thanks to a contested three by Monique Akoa Makani and a DeWanna Bonner steal on an Atlanta inbounds pass, followed by a drawn foul. Bonner knocked down another three off a pick-and-pop with Akoa Makani to cut the deficit to two but a Naz Hillmon three that drew iron and bounced in gave the Dream a 24-19 lead after one.

Phoenix shot just 7-for-20 over the opening stanza, while Atlanta knocked down 52.9% of their shots and 50% of their threes. It was a rough start for a Mercury team that had seemed to put their defensive issues behind them.

Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) is defended by Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner (42) during the first quarter at PHX Arena Aug 10, 2025. / Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

2nd quarter

The Mercs did some experimenting with their lineup, briefly going without a traditional center on the court against an Atlanta lineup that featured Griner. A Maya Caldwell corner three (Atlanta was a red-hot 6-for-10 from three at this point) and an Allisha Gray fastbreak layup pushed Atlanta's lead to 13, forcing Phoenix to take a timeout in hopes of finding a way to stop the Dream's 8-0 run.

Things didn't get much better after the timeout. The Mercury were struggling to generate easy looks an were forcing passes against a Dream defense that was fighting through every screen. A Brionna Jones bucket put the Dream up 36-19 and the game was starting to get away from Phoenix early.

Nearly six minutes had passed before the Mercury finally got their first bucket of the quarter after a skip pass from Thomas found Kathryn Westbeld, setting up an open three from the corner. A bench-heavy unit started to claw back into the game. A Bonner three got it down to 11 and Sami Whitcomb forced a jump ball on defense and stole the ball from Jones soon after.

The bench had 16 of the first 25 Phoenix points before a Satou Sabally three from above the break finally got Phoenix within single digits. Some excellent defense from Natasha Mack, who forced a miss at the rim by Jordin Canada and stopped BG on the interior, led to a trip to the free throw line for AT, who brought the score to 39-34 and gave Phoenix some momentum heading into the halftime break.

Thomas and Bonner led all Phoenix scorers with eight points apiece, while Hillmon and Canada had nine and seven, respectively, for the Dream

"I think we need to be more aggressive offensively," said Westbeld. "I think we're kind of stagnant right now."

Aug 10, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Dream guard Jordin Canada (3) drives to the basket against Phoenix Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner (14) in the first half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

3rd quarter

Phoenix put together their best defensive quarter in the third, and they set the tone right from the start. Thomas jumped a passing lane for a steal and knocked down a jumper on the other end to kick things off. Copper finally got herself going too, hitting a lefty layup off a vicious crossover, then drawing a foul from behind the three-point line. She knocked down all three to tie the game at 41.

The Mercury started creating opportunities to get out in transition. After two consecutive defensive stops, Thomas used her shoulder to clear space for a fastbreak layup then hit a spin move on the break to earn a trip to the line. She knocked down one of two to give Phoenix a three-point lead, their largest since they were ahead 4-2 in the early going.

Canada appeared to injure her leg on a fastbreak layup following a Thomas turnover but stayed in the game for a few minutes before ultimately being carried to the locker room.

Brionna Jones started to take over toward the end of the third, using her physicality on the offensive glass and in the low post to get herself good looks at the rim. The slow-paced third quarter ended with Atlanta holding a narrow 53-50 lead.

Aug 10, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani (8) controls the ball as forward DeWanna Bonner 14) blocks Atlanta Dream guard Te-Hina Paopao (2) and forward Naz Hillmon (00) in the first half at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

4th quarter

Phoenix couldn't buy a bucket to begin the fourth, but the Dream started to find solutions on offense. An and-one by Gray after a basket from Caldwell pushed Atlanta's lead to 58-50, capping off a 17-6 Atlanta run after the brief three-point lead for Phoenix.

The Dream started getting good looks from three, but the Mercury were a bit fortunate to see some of them clank off the rim. At one point, the non-Thomas members of the Phoenix starting lineup were shooting just 5-for-33 for the game, and Phoenix was struggling to maintain their rhythm on offense.

Bonner knocked down two free throws to capitalize on Howard getting ejected for two quick technical fouls and a give-and-go between Mack and Sabally tied it up at 58 all.

Jones quickly answered with a three, a spinning bucket in the post, and an assist for a wide open three by Gray, making her responsible for eight consecutive Dream points. Gray got two more buckets of her own, keeping Phoenix at a distance as they missed tough shots.

Atlanta held on to win 74-66.

Atlanta Dream forward Brionna Jones (24) passes the ball off against Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper (2) during the first quarter at PHX Arena Aug 10, 2025. / Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Phoenix held Atlanta to 38.5% shooting from the field and 28.1% shooting for three, despite their hot start, but the Mercury managed to hit just 34.8% of their own shots and go just 6-for-23 (26.1%) from three.

Thomas led all scorers with 21 points and added eight rebounds and five assists, halting her triple-double streak at a WNBA-record three games. The rest of the Mercury starting unit had 21 combined, on 38 shot attempts. Bonner added 16 points on 50% shooting off the bench.

Gray led the Dream with 17, while Jones scored 15 and Canada put up 13 despite missing much of the second half with an injury. Griner played just 13 minutes as she works her way back from a neck injury.

With the loss, the Mercury are now 19-12, a game behind the Liberty and Dream, who are tied for second at 20-11.

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