Mercury Fall To Wings In Satou Sabally's Return to Dallas

The Phoenix Mercury have lost back-to-back games after the Dallas Wings beat them 98-89

Jul 3, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally (0) shoots over Dallas Wings center Luisa Geiselsoder (18) during the second half at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

After losing to the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday, the Phoenix Mercury had a chance to get back on track and potentially start another win streak. The Dallas Wings had other plans in mind.

The Wings defeated the Mercury 98-89 to improve to 6-13. The Mercury are now 12-6. They are third in the league behind the Minnesota Lynx and the New York Liberty.

Phoenix defeated the Wings during their recent win streak. They beat them 93-80. Dallas redeemed themselves this time around, with a team effort. Aziaha James led the Wings with 28 points. Their star rookie Paige Bueckers finished with 23 points. Two of their other starters scored in double figures as JJ Quinerly had 17 points and Li Yueru had 12.

The Mercury were led by Kahleah Copper, who finished with 33 points. Satou Sabally finished with 20 points. Monique Akoa Makani finished with 14 points.

While both of these teams are in different spaces, there was a story behind this game. Sabally played her first game in Dallas as a member of the Mercury. Her contending team faced her old, rebuilding team, and the Wings came out on top.

Last season, the Wings finished 9-31. During the offseason, Sabally announced that she had already played her last game with Dallas. This led to a trade that sent her to Phoenix. Since then, the Mercury have played at a high level. The Wings drafted Bueckers months after trading Sabally, and they are trying to find their identity.

When a player returns to their old team, the reception they receive may vary. Some players receive cheers, while others are booed. In Sabally's case, she received the latter.

"The city booed me, so I'm moving on. I was happy to see everyone in the back and hug everyone, and I was really happy to come here, but then I guess it's also a sign of respect to be booed, so I'll take that." Sabally said.

The Mercury and the Wings will meet again on Monday. Phoenix will be home for this game, which gives them a chance to bounce back from the loss. The Wings have put up a fight to this point, but for a contending team, picking up wins over rebuilding teams will be crucial. This game will be a chance to do just that.

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