Why The Mercury Were Swept By Another West Rival

The Phoenix Mercury had a difficult series against the Minnesota Lynx, and they were swept by another West rival.

Jul 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner (42) reacts against the LA Sparks in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Mercury were swept by the Minnesota Lynx in 2017, and unfortunately, they struggled against another Western Conference rival.

The Los Angeles Sparks were a strong team that year, and they finished the season with a record of 26-8. They were second in the West, and the Lynx were ahead of them. Minnesota finished the season with a record of 27-7, and the team went on an excellent playoff run.

May 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner watches from the bench in the first half against the LA Sparks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Phoenix's series with Los Angeles did not go well, and it started with a close loss. The Sparks beat the Mercury 89-87, and it was a road game for them, and Chelsea Gray was the leading scorer. She had 24 points, eight assists, three rebounds, a steal and a block.

Los Angeles had four more players who scored in double figures, and one of them was Essence Carson. She played for the Mercury a few years later. As far as the Mercury, Diana Taurasi was the leading scorer, and she had 27 points. She also had three rebounds and an assist.

Oct 11, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Los Angeles Sparks forward Essence Carson (17) dribbles in the third quarter against the Minnesota Lynx in game two of the WNBA Finals. at Target Center. The Minnesota Lynx beat the Los Angeles Sparks 79-60. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Brittney Griner had a nice game, as she had 21 points, nine rebounds, five assists and a block. Camille Little was the last player to score in double figures, and she had 12 points, three rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block.

Mercury suffer another loss, Sparks improve to 2-0

The Mercury were down, and they had a chance to tie the series in the second game. However, things did not go according to plan. The Sparks picked up a huge win, and Nneka Ogwumike was the leader. She had 18 points, and Los Angeles had three more players who scored in double figures. Candace Parker had 17 points, Riquna Williams had 15 and Gray finished with 12.

Phoenix's leading scorer in that game was Taurasi, and she had 19 points. Little had 14 points and Griner had 11.

Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi (3) drives to the basket against Los Angeles Sparks guard Kia Nurse (10) during the second quarter on Sunday, June 2, 2024, at Footprint Center in Phoenix. / Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Taurasi and her teammates had one last shot to get a win, but the Sparks beat them 82-67. Odyssey Sims was the leading scorer for her team, and she had 28 points. Griner was the leader for the Mercury in that game, and she had 18 points. Emma Cannon was the second-leading scorer, and she had 11 points off the bench.

It was a hard series for the Mercury, and in the end, they had another loss against a West rival.

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