Phoenix Not Giving Up Quest for 1st Seed in West

The Phoenix Mercury is ready to take over the 1st seed in the west before the playoffs.

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

The Phoenix Mercury are just coming off a loss to the Minnesota Lynx, with the final score being 66-79. Even with this loss, the Mercury remain second in the ranking, standing at 15-7.

This loss to the Lynx looks bad for their chances of winning the division, but the reality is that Phoenix would have had to play perfectly to beat Minnesota. The Mercury were missing their leading scorer, Satou Sabally. They needed someone to step in, and they didn't get the big performances they've been getting from role players.

Even through this loss Phoenix still has a good chance to take the west. The Lynx is at a 20-4 record. This puts Phoenix 5 wins behind them.

An obstacle for Phoenix is getting Satou Sabally back to health. Sabally is such a help to this team, and it shows. She averages over 19 points per game, which is among the highest in the WNBA. Without her, Phoenix has not been the same offensively. Alyssa Thomas has had to carry the load both offensively and defensively recently.

The Mercury offense has not been clicking or synergizing without her. In their last three games, they haven't met their season scoring average. With this lack of scoring, it puts a lot of pressure on their defense, and they have been feeling it.

Even though Phoenix's defense has been under stress, they continue to show why they are contenders for the first seed in the Western Conference. Despite their best scorer being out, they can rely more on their defense to help them win games.

They still don't have a definite timetable for her return as she is missing the All-Star Game. The Mercury can only rely on players stepping up for so long before teams with depth and consistency.

Fortunately for Phoenix, that's a trait they have had strongly this year. Throughout this season, Phoenix has had games where players other than Thomas and Sabally have led the charge. Throughout their time without Sabally, they have had to dig deep and let their players step up offensively.

When Sabally returns, this Mercury team will be dangerous, not only in the Western Conference but in the WNBA playoffs. They are now battle-tested and experienced; if one of their stars is having an off game, another player can come up to the plate and change the game.

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