Mercury Star Available For Game Against Sun

Mercury star Satou Sabally will be available for Tuesday night's game against the Connecticut Sun after missing last game due to personal reasons.

Jul 23, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally (0) shoots over Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray (15) in the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Mercury just got some good news heading into their four-game homestand. All-Star forward Satou Sabally, who had missed the team's away win over the Chicago Sky due to personal reasons, is available for Tuesday night's game against the Connecticut Sun, according to Desert Wave Media.

Sabally, who had missed time heading into the All-Star break with an ankle injury, is also not on the injury report, per Underdog WNBA.

Her return to the lineup comes at a crucial time for the Mercury, who are fresh off a difficult five-game road trip. They managed to win two of the five games, but they looked disconnected on the court for long stretches and got hammered by the Atlanta Dream in their worst loss of the season. Sabally was benched in the second half of that game and missed the Sky game two nights later, but head coach Nate Tibbetts has said her absence for that game was unrelated to her benching.

The team has had to have patience with re-integrating large parts of their lineup after various injury-related absences and their chemistry -- remember, despite their great start, only two Mercury players were on the team in 2024 -- is still a work in progress. Sabally's return will come against the team with the league's worst record (albeit one that did beat the defending champion New York Liberty by 16 points on Friday), giving the Mercury a chance to start their homestand off strong.

While the Sun may seem like pushovers on paper, they've played relatively well over their last four games, posting the aforementioned 16-point victory over the title holders, as well as a 95-64 thrashing of the Golden State Valkyries, who have a respectable 14-14 record.

While they do have four straight games at home, Sabally's two-way ability will be crucial, as they aren't facing an easy slate of opponents. The Sun may be at the bottom of the league, but Phoenix will also be taking on the Indiana Fever, the Dream, and the Seattle Storm, all three of which are within a game and a half of the Mercury in the WNBA standings.

A series of poor performances could see them fall out of the fourth spot and leave them facing the prospect of losing home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Conversely, a dominant homestand could potentially see them climb as high as second in the league, as the Liberty are just a game ahead of Phoenix.

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