Nate Tibbetts details plan for Mercury’s return to WNBA Finals
Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts details what the team can do to make it back to the WNBA Finals in the 2026 season.
The Phoenix Mercury opened their 2026 regular season with a 99-66 blowout win on the road over the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces on Saturday, May 9.
Six Phoenix players scored in double figures, led by Alyssa Thomas with 20 points. Guard Jovana Nogic added 19. Natasha Mack added 15 rebounds to go with her 10 points.
The Mercury led after every quarter, building a 56-35 halftime lead and extending that to 83-45 after the third quarter.
The Mercury shot 49 percent from the field, including 46 percent from 3-point range (11-24), while Vegas shot only 21 percent (4-19) behind the arc.
Phoenix outrebounded Vegas 37-35 and scored 19 points off 17 Aces turnovers. Phoenix only had seven turnovers in the game.
The Aces, which swept the Mercury in last year’s WNBA Finals, were led by 2025 league MVP A’Ja Wilson with 19 points.
The win was the first of back-to-back games for Phoenix, followed by a matchup Sunday, May 10, at the Golden State Valkyries, at 5:30 p.m.
They then return to Phoenix for their home opener on Tuesday, May 12, at 7 p.m., at Mortgage Matchup Center, against the Minnesota Lynx.
