The Phoenix Mercury were officially eliminated from playoff contention after falling 97-87 to the Atlanta Dream on Saturday, Aug. 22, at Mortgage Matchup Center.
Alyssa Thomas posted her third triple-double of the season with 11 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists, while Kahleah Copper had 38 points.
The Mercury were down by as many as 16 points in the third quarter before outscoring the Dream by 10 points and shooting 59.1% (13-of-22). Copper made all but two of her nine shots and scored 18 of the Mercury's 33 points in the stretch.
"Right now, we're playing for pride, and I think all of us are disappointed with how the year has gone," coach Nate Tibbetts said. "The second half (against Atlanta), you can lay your head down tonight and know that
you competed and played with passion and to our standard. You just can't give in, and I thought in the second half, we responded and played in a manner that you can feel good about."
However, the loss came with the sobering reminder of Phoenix's shortcomings in 2026. One season after making the WNBA Finals, the Mercury (13-24) underwhelmed in their follow-up. Tibbetts pointed out that early injuries, defensive struggles and a lack of 3-point shooting contributed to the season's early end.
The Mercury's production from 3-point range dropped significantly from 9.4 3-pointers in 2025 to 7.9 in 2026, moving from fifth-best to fourth-worst.
As apparent as the Mercury's offensive struggles have been, the defensive issues have been glaring.
"We're 12th in the league (on defense)?" Thomas said. "That's unheard of for me. I'm accustomed to being at the top of the league, so that's something you have to look at at the end of the season."
Whether it was the struggling defense or lack of shooters to blame, the Mercury didn't have success in close games either. Phoenix thrived in pressure situations last season, but has lost leads in 2026.
"A lot of things were clearly not great for us, and that's why we're in the position that we are," Thomas said.
Phoenix made a shocking move to bring in Kelsey Plum, one of the WNBA's best shooters. But so far, she's appeared in four games since she was acquired.
Plum missed her third consecutive game on Aug. 22 with a left calf injury. She had a full practice with the team on Friday, Aug. 21, for the first time since reaggravating her calf issue against the Washington Mystics on Aug. 9.
The Mercury put their future on the line in the trade for Plum, giving up a first-round pick and a second-round pick to the Los Angeles Sparks. With an average age of 30 years, Phoenix is the oldest team in the WNBA and will need to find other ways to find young talent and develop it.
Now that the postseason is out of reach for the Mercury, the remainder of the season will be focused on player development and convincing Plum to stay.
One move that made sense for player development was sending an offer sheet and acquiring forward Maddy Westbeld from the Chicago Sky.
At 24, Westbeld is a player with a lot of potential. The Mercury already liked her older sister Kathryn's style of play, but missed out on another season with Kathryn due to an offseason ACL injury.
Westbeld was active against the Dream, but didn't enter the game. Tibbetts said at practice on Friday, Aug. 21, that he didn't expect her to see time against Atlanta because she's still learning the Mercury's system. However, she'll be implemented more in the remaining seven games.
Tibbetts said that a successful end to the season now looks like playing to the standard set in the second half against Atlanta. He also emphasized getting a healthy roster by having Plum back in the lineup, along with playing more of the younger players.
"Just competing and playing the right way," Tibbetts said. "Unfortunately, we haven't done it for as long of a stretch as we need. We got to keep playing."
Phoenix has three more home games before heading on a nearly three-week break for the FIBA World Cup. The Mercury next host the Washington Mystics on Tuesday, Aug. 25.
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: Phoenix Mercury eliminated from WNBA playoffs. What's next?
