The Phoenix Mercury and Golden State Valkyries get a stay of the league elite when they meet in Phoenix on Thursday.
Everyone lost against the Minnesota Lynx 8-0 the last time-the depleted mercury at the injury down 88-65 Tuesday in Minneapolis. The expansion valyries lost against Lynx 86-75 Sunday in San Francisco.
The Valkyries (2-4) enter a sequence of three consecutive defeats, all three against the Liberty 7-0 of New York (twice) and the Lynx. The mercury is 5-3 and their last two defeats are for the lynx.
Mercury coach, Nate Tibbetts, has not yet put his planned training in the field this season. Stronger Alyssa Thomas missed the last three games with a calf injury, and the leaving goalkeeper projected Kahleah Copper (knee) and Natasha Mack (rear) did not play at all.
“We just ask many people to do things that normally they are not used to doing,” said Tibbetts. “We had three (new) players in the rotation. It is extremely difficult to put a group well executed there. Everyone learns on the fly.”
Strong Satou Sabally collected 15 points and eight rebounds against the lynx on Tuesday and leads the team with an average score of 20.5 and 8.1 rebounds per match in his first season in Phoenix after being acquired from Dallas.
Sabally’s 6 out of 16 out of 16 characterized the offensive problems of the team without the marker No. 2 Thomas against the lynx. Recruitment goalkeeper Lexi Hold had a 16 -point top, but Mercury pulled 38.4% and made 5 of the 30 attempts.
The Valkyries pass a “balanced attack” at the upper level. Veronica Burton, Kayla Thornton and Janelle Salaun have an average of 12.0 points per game, although the recruit Salaun has played a match less. The Tiffany Hayes guard is on average 10.0.
Salaun has an average of a summit of 7.4 rebounds and Burton on average 4.2 assists.
“They are disinterested,” said coach Natalie Nakase. “This is the philosophy we talked about by choosing these players. They always make the right game. This is why you never know who will be the top scorer because they constantly move the ball.”
Burton collected 21 points in the defeat against Minnesota on Sunday, when Kate Martin had a career summit of 14, all in the second quarter. Five different players led the Valkyries in a score, with Burton the only repeater. Four led in rebounds and assists.
– field level media