When the Phoenix Mercury kicked off their 2025 regular season, they boasted one of the most talented rosters in the league, thanks to major offseason additions like Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas. But ever since the season began, despite holding a decent record, the team has been battling injuries and uncertainty. With the roster stretched thin, all eyes were on Sabally to lead the charge against Kelsey Plum and the LA Sparks—and she delivered, pouring in an impressive 24 points. Yet, despite her standout performance, the Mercury’s head coach remained far from satisfied.
It all comes up with Sabally entering the court at Crypto Arena. While she was dominant since the beginning, Mercury struggled early. They had their lead of the game with 2:11 left in the third quarter, thanks to Kathryn Westbeld’s three-pointer that took the Mercury 58-57. That shot was the cherry on top of a 23-7 run, which had Sabally’s free throws as well. That momentum carried Phoenix to a hard-fought win, bouncing back from their previous loss to the Minnesota Lynx.
Notably, Sabally finished with 24 points, nine rebounds, and four steals, while Westbeld and Laksa each chipped in 15 points, helping Phoenix overcome an 18-point first-half deficit to topple the Sparks. Still, despite the win and Sabally’s heroics, the coach’s mood remained muted for a moment, largely due to an incident at the end of the first half.
Well, here’s what happened. The Sparks seemed in full control, charging to a 48-30 lead late in the first half. But then—cracks began to show. A few sloppy possessions, a momentum shift, and just before the buzzer, Sabally picked up a technical foul that many now say must have lit a fire under the Mercury bench. Plum calmly knocked down the technical free throw—and that’s when Phoenix pounced. Ten points later, the Mercury were flying high, outscoring the Sparks 24-9 in a third-quarter run that flipped the script. However, Nate Tibbetts probably saw it with a face-palm.
“Probably not the smartest technical to get. Satou knows that. I think her emotions got the best of her,” Coach Nate Tibbetts said after the game, quickly dismissing claims that the tech foul somehow sparked the team’s comeback. “We’re early in the season. Yeah, I think collectively the group rallied around each other and really started to compete, and I think that’s what changed the game.”
Phoenix Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said he was unsure if Satou Sabally’s technical foul at the end of the first half fired the team up.
He said the team rallied around each other.#WNBA pic.twitter.com/KVd4a7DAFB
— Desert Wave Media (@DesertWaveCo) June 2, 2025
Indeed, the technical foul was avoidable and came at a critical moment, marking the Mercury’s 22nd foul against the Sparks’ 25. Tibbetts was right to call it unwise, but the bigger picture was Phoenix’s collective effort. Their success stemmed from sharp execution on the perimeter and at the free-throw line, where they knocked down 21 of 24 attempts, an impressive 87.5%. This efficiency helped neutralize the Sparks’ aggressive defense, which, despite producing 11 steals and 12 offensive rebounds, also led to a foul-heavy game that gifted Phoenix crucial free points.
Moving on, both teams turned the ball over 14 times, but the Mercury were slightly better at converting those mistakes into points, scoring 14 points off turnovers. Still, that edge wasn’t enough to overcome their inefficiency elsewhere. One glaring concern for Phoenix was the paint scoring battle. Especially since LA poured in 36 points in the lane, while the Mercury managed just 26. This highlighted the Sparks’ clear strategy to attack the rim and use their physicality to their advantage, an area Phoenix will need to shore up, especially given their current roster challenges. But, will they get any better in upcoming games??
Key injuries leave Mercury HC leaning more on Satou Sabally
The Phoenix Mercury may be stacked with talent, but they’re feeling the weight of some key absences, and it’s starting to show. Especially since three players didn’t suit up in today’s game, and none looms larger than Kahleah Copper. Notably, Mercury’s leading scorer has been out since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on her left knee. While the team announced her return could come in four to six weeks, she’s still at least two weeks away, with June 15th circled as a hopeful target.
Then there’s Natasha Mack, who hasn’t played a single regular-season game after hurting her back in the season opener against Seattle. She had a promising preseason, even starting at center, but has been sidelined ever since. Head coach Nate Tibbetts summed it up bluntly: “I think it’s the beauty of sports and the [expletive] part about sports, right? People don’t care about injuries. The games just keep coming. I feel really bad for Kah, she had a great camp. I feel unfortunate for our team.”
As if losing Copper—currently the third-leading scorer in the entire WNBA at 21.1 points per game—wasn’t already a gut punch, Mercury was hit with another blow: Alyssa Thomas was ruled out yet again, still dealing with a nagging calf injury. This marks her third straight missed game, with no official update on her recovery timeline. That’s especially tough news for Phoenix, considering Thomas was averaging 15.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game before the setback. Right now, it feels like the weight of Mercury is falling squarely on Satou Sabally’s shoulders. And when you look at the missing pieces, it’s easy to understand why Coach Tibbetts is pushing her.
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