After another win over the defending champions, it’s time to acknowledge the Phoenix Mercury

On Friday, the Phoenix Mercury beat the New York Liberty 106-91. The win put Phoenix at 12-4 on the year, which is the second-best record in the WNBA.

Satou Sabally was spectacular in this game. She had 24 points and shot 7-for-10 from 3-point range. Alyssa Thomas was just one rebound away from a triple-double with 17 points, 15 assists and nine rebounds. Kahleah Copper scored 12 points, and Sami Whitcomb and Kitija Laksa were both in double figures.

Perhaps, the Mercury have flown a bit under the radar. There’s tons of attention on individual players, such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, and a focus on teams like the 2024 finalist Minnesota Lynx. However, how much coverage has been dedicated to the Mercury and their stars?

If there is a collective ignorance on the quality Phoenix has, it is quickly going away with quality wins like this.

Breanna Stewart had a team-high 17 points for the Liberty, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a poor first half for New York. The Liberty have only lost four games this year, but two of them have been against the Mercury.

Lynx survive against Dream, Fever beat Wings

One of the better games this weekend happened between the Minnesota Lynx and Atlanta Dream.

The contest went into overtime, and Napheesa Collier scored four-straight points down the stretch to give the Lynx the lead. Allisha Gray countered with a layup for the Dream, but Kayla McBride hit a pair of free throws to ice the game. McBride not only helped Minnesota, but she also reached the 5,000-point mark for her career.

Collier had 26 points in the win for Minnesota, while Atlanta had a balanced attack with all five starters in double figures.

Wings lose to Fever, beat Mystics on back-to-back

Out in Texas, Friday night was supposed to be the Caitlin Clark-Paige Bueckers game. However, Clark remained out with a groin injury, so she couldn’t hold up her end of the bargain. The Fever still managed to earn the win against the Wings, 94-86. Kelsey Mitchell led the charge with 32 points, Aliyah Boston scored 21 and Natasha Howard had 17 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

For the Wings, Bueckers had another dominant game with 27 points. She went a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe and appears to be getting more comfortable playing in the W with each game.

On Saturday night, the Wings were back at it, this time beating the Mystics 79-71. Washington had a terrible opening quarter, scoring just nine points, which put them in a deep hole. The Mystics had a good third quarter and got within five at one point, but were never able to truly get back in this one.

Sonia Citron had 22 points and 10 rebounds for Washington in the loss. For the Wings, it was a nice bounce back. Despite Paige Bueckers, DiJonai Carrington and Maddy Siegrist being ruled out, they won with four of the eight players that suited up scoring 10 or more points, led by matching 15-point performances from rookies JJ Quinerly and Aziaha James.

Sky, Sun continue to struggle

The Seattle Storm hosted the Connecticut Sun, and the game went the way you thought it would go. Seattle dominated and Connecticut lost 97-81.

It’s going to be a long season for the Sun, but Aneesah Morrow does provide some promise. The rookie scored a team-high 20 points off the bench. If she keeps it up, starting will be inevitable. Skylar Diggins scored 24 points in the Storm’s win, and Gabby Williams scored 16 points, in addition to collecting eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals.

The Golden State Valkyries beat the Chicago Sky 83-78 on Friday, as the Valkyries continue to rise in the league, while the Sky go in the opposite direction.

It was a close game, but midway through the fourth, the Valkyries went on a 10-0 run. They gained control of the contest and never relinquished it. Ariel Atkins scored 20 points for the Sky, and Kayla Thornton led the Valkyries with a 29-point performance.