Game of the week
The big news from the W this past week was Diana Taurasi becoming the first player in league history to reach 10,000 points. She hit the milestone with a 3-pointer against the Atlanta Dream, etching her name in the history books.
It was a throwback performance from the league’s all-time leading scorer as she scored 42 points - her first 40-point game since 2010. She also became the oldest player to score at least 40 points.
The 91-71 win by Phoenix over the Dream couldn’t have come at a better time as it snapped a four-game losing streak. The Mercury are currently 7-20 on the season.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓. pic.twitter.com/Ev1untxPEe
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) August 4, 2023
Big-time baller
Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas is having a special season and her latest accomplishment cemented her place as an MVP candidate. She tallied 21 points, 20 rebounds, and 12 assists in the Sun’s win over the Minnesota Lynx. It was the first 20-20-10 game in league history.
Thomas has a total of nine triple-doubles and her five this season are already more than any other player has for her career. In addition, her performance against the Lynx was already an encore as she also had a triple-double against the same team in her previous game. She has notched triple-doubles in back-to-back games twice this season.
Team in the spotlight
The New York Liberty made a statement 99-61 win over the Las Vegas Aces, handing the defending champions only their third loss of the season. Sabrina Ionescu was a flamethrower as she scored 31 points, drilling six 3-pointers.
The script was flipped in the second meeting between the two frontrunners. In the first game, the Aces pulled away in the third quarter. This time around, it was the Liberty’s turn to unleash a backbreaking run after the halftime break to blow the game wide open.
The Liberty have now won four straight and improved to 22-6.
Watch out for…
The Liberty and the Aces will meet three more times this season, including the highly anticipated Commissioner’s Cup on August 16 (PH time). After the Liberty took the second meeting, this sets up an even more exciting background as both teams won against each other.
Every encounter between the two teams feels like a Finals preview and the Commissioner’s Cup will provide some hardware and bragging rights to up the ante.
