Phoenix Survives Golden State Offensive Explosion in Road Win

After a rough first half, the Phoenix Mercury tightened up their defense after the break and picked up a vital road win against the shorthanded Golden State Valkyries.

Aug 19, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper (2) attempts a layup against Golden State Valkyries forward Laeticia Amihere (3) in the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images / Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

After the Golden State Valkyries dropped a head-turning 59 points in the first half, the Phoenix Mercury locked in on defense in the second half and secured a crucial 98-91 win. The Mercury improved to 21-13 for the season and have kept their fourth-place spot in the standings ahead of Thursday night's rematch against the fifth-place Las Vegas Aces.

Monique Akoa Makani returned to the lineup for the Mercury, but not to the starting lineup, with Sami Whitcomb once again on the court for the opening tip. Golden State was shorthanded, playing without Monique Billings and Tiffany Hayes (who sat out for rest), in addition to Cecilia Zandalasini, who was ruled out shortly before the game started due to a calf issue.

Aug 19, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton (22) drives to the basket against Phoenix Mercury center Natasha Mack (4) in the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images / Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

1st quarter

Despite missing Zandalasini, arguably their most dangerous shooter, the Valkyries practically couldn't miss from three in the early going. They hit their first three from beyond the arc and six of their first nine, with many of them coming on semi-contested looks from a step or two behind the line.

Phoenix got some nice offensive contributions from starting center Natasha Mack, who scored six of the team's first eight, including an impressive play where she was stuck under the rim when she caught the ball, but pivoted and faked her way into a tough bucket.

The Mercury were 7-for-9 to open the game, but Golden State roared back with a 15-3 to take the lead. Satou Sabally earned a trip to the line to stop the bleeding and the Valkyries would take a 31-28 lead into the second quarter. Both teams shot better than 60% from the floor in the free-flowing opening period.

Aug 19, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally (0) looks for a pass against Golden State Valkyries guard Kate Martin (20) in the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images / Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

2nd quarter

The Valkyries' offensive explosion in the first was largely due to great shot-making but in the second, the Phoenix defense began to spring leaks. Veronica Burton and the Golden State guards attacked Whitcomb with ball screens and isolations, and they did the same to Lexi Held when she came in to relieve her. Burton got wherever she wanted and dropped 12 points and three assists in the second quarter alone. She had eight free throw attempts by halftime.

Phoenix struggled to find their groove offensively in the second, but Kahleah Copper's aggressiveness helped keep things from getting out of hand. She had 16 points in 16 first-half minutes and knocked down three of her five three-point attempts. Sabally had seven points of her own, with all of them coming from the free throw line. It was a quiet first half for Alyssa Thomas, who had just four points, as the Valkyries looked to wall off the paint every time she had the ball in her hands.

After a Sabally free throw got their deficit down to single digits, Thomas fouled Burton on a three-point attempt as time was about to expire. She made all three, sending the Valkyries into the halftime break with a commanding 59-47 lead. Golden State shot 51.3% from the field in the first half and turned the ball over just twice. They also won the offensive rebounding battle six to two.

Aug 19, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Valkyries guard Carla Leite (0) goes up for two against the Phoenix Mercury in the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images / Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

3rd quarter

Despite the Valkyries missing their first six field goal attempts of the second half, things weren't looking much better for the Mercury after the break. Kate Martin picked off a Sabally pass in the backcourt and hit a pull-up three, then hit another three over Sabally after she airballed a shot on the other end, putting the Valks up 67-55. Back-to-back threes from Sabally and Copper, then another three by Copper a few possesions later helped the Mercury regain some momentum.

Akoa Makani attacked a closeout for a layup and Whitcomb knocked down a midrange jumper off a dribble handoff to end the quarter with the Mercury down just 73-68. They were in striking distance again after giving up just 14 in the third quarter.

Aug 19, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Valkyries guard Kate Martin (20) shoots over Phoenix Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani (8) in the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images / Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

4th quarter

Phoenix looked like a completely different team in the fourth. Akoa Makani began the quarter on the court and the defense immediately looked dramatically better. Her ability to fight over screens and shut off drives allowed the Mercury to settle down in help defense and make more consistent rotations.

Sabally hit a three and a bucket deep in the paint after a deep seal in transition (assisted by Akoa Makani) to give Phoenix their first lead since the first quarter. Akoa Makani was all over Burton at times and the Valkyries offense started to look out of rhythm.

The Mercury pushed their lead to five after a highlight-reel play where a Thomas alley-oop to DeWanna Bonner got redirected in midair to Mack for a bucket. Copper followed up by picking up Phoenix's first steal of the entire game -- astonishingly, with less than four minutes remaining -- and Akoa Makani hit a pull-up to put Phoenix up by seven.

Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts yells to his team during a game against the Aces at PHX Arena in Phoenix, on Aug. 15, 2025. / Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A Bonner jumper capped a 10-2 run that gave Phoenix a nine-point lead and they never looked back. They held on to win, 98-91. It's the Mercury's 10th road win of the season.

After starting out 9-for-18 from three in the first half, the Valkyries went just 3-for-17 the rest of the way and scored just 32 second-half points. They did a phenomenal job of protecting the ball (just three turnovers for the night) but struggled mightly to score after the break. Burton led the team with a 24-point, 14-assist double-double and Carla Leite had 15 points on 12 shots.

Copper led all scorers with 25 shots and five made threes, while Sabally scored 17 and chipped in six assists. Mack had 14 points on perfect shooting in just 17 minutes of action, while Thomas flirted with a triple-double yet again, with 13 points, nine boards, and eight assists.

The Mercury's next game will be a road rematch in a rivalry game against the Aces, a potential first-round playoff opponent.

Keep an eye out for more updates on our Facebook and X pages!

feed