The Phoenix Mercury aren’t a stranger to adversity, but what separates the 2026 team from the 2025 team is the defensive effort.
“It’s been a crazy training camp, we’ve had a lot of people in and out, and we’ve still got people coming,” the Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas said. “We’re learning each other, but at the end of the day, what made us special last year was we were committed to the defensive end and each other’s success.”
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Against the Toronto Tempo on May 19, the Mercury (2-3) allowed 14 3-pointers on 35 attempts. Tempo stars Brittney Sykes and Marina Mabrey combined for 61 points and 21 field goals in the 98-90 loss at Mortgage Matchup Center.
The Mercury remained close with the Tempo and trailed by four points with 2:19 left in the game following Noemie Brochant’s 3-pointer. Mabrey continued to show off her great vision and hit a second-chance 3-pointer for the dagger.
Part of the late defensive struggles came from center Natasha Mack’s untimely exit late in the third quarter, from what was later revealed as a leg cramp.
Mack was pivotal in exploiting the Tempo’s mismatches in the paint, posting a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
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With Mack on the floor, the Mercury looked more comfortable against Toronto’s small ball lineup. At 6-foot-4, Mack’s height and strength allowed the Mercury to run actions and in turn, the Phoenix posted 42 points in the paint in the first three quarters.
But without Mack, the Mercury looked a step too slow and allowed Sykes and Mabrey to dictate the pace of the game.
Head coach Nate Tibbetts didn’t blame Mack’s absence for the late loss, but said his group “looked like a poor defensive team tonight.”
“For a team that takes pride in defense, we didn’t do what we needed to do tonight,” Tibbetts said. “There were five or seven of their shots where we didn’t get matched up.”
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The Mercury have a short turnaround before facing the Los Angeles Sparks on May 21, at home.
According to guard Kahleah Copper, the key to getting back to a strong defense is helping each other.
“If someone is not in the right place or somebody is getting beat one-on-one, we just got to cover for each other and fly around more, “ Copper said. “We fell into some one-on-ones, not having each other’s back and not getting in the gaps. Just being better collectively and that’ll help our team defense.”
Alyssa Thomas to be honored by former team
The Connecticut Sun’s time in Connecticut is ending after the 2026 season, but the franchise won’t go without honoring several pivotal figures before moving to Houston. Among those is Thomas, one of the greatest players in the Sun’s 24 seasons. Thomas will see her No. 25 jersey added to the rafters on Aug. 7, when the Mercury come to Connecticut.
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“I think it’s great that Connecticut is recognizing some of the former great players that have played there before they make the move to Houston,” Tibbetts said.
“Obviously, AT had some unbelievable years there and I think it’ll be a special moment for her and her family, especially with the commitment they made to Connecticut and in their time there, they had a ton of success,” he added. “They should be proud of what she did. I’m glad she’s getting to feel that love that she deserves.”
Thomas spent 11 of her 13 seasons in Connecticut and is the franchise’s career leader in points, rebounds, assists and steals. She ranks second in double-doubles and sixth in blocks. She is the only Sun player ever to record a triple-double and set a WNBA record with 11 triple-doubles while with the team from 2014-24.
Thomas earned five All-Star honors, three All-WNBA nods and six All-Defensive team selections in Connecticut.
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“I spent 11 years of my career there. If you don’t play there, you don’t understand Connecticut and what it meant to play there,” Thomas said. “Just super honored to be honored by such a great franchise. I gave my whole career to that franchise and it’s exciting for the opportunity and the value they have in me.”
Reach the reporter or send tips for stories at jenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com, as well as @jennarortiz on X.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mercury can’t handle Toronto Tempo’s duo in loss
