One of the characteristics that defines a team led by Alyssa Thomas is a strong defense.
After six games, the Phoenix Mercury (2-4) haven’t matched the intensity needed and were once again exposed in a 97-88 loss against the Los Angeles Sparks on May 21.
“Teams are coming in and getting anything and everything they want against us,” Thomas said. “For us, we got to decide if we want to defend. As you see, if you’re not going to defend, you’re not going to play.”
The Sparks came in as one of three WNBA teams with one win, but looked elite in catching the Mercury’s defense flat-footed.
“The biggest thing is people have been comfortable,” coach Nate Tibbetts said. “That’s the most disappointing thing.”
Tibbetts said the defensive struggles began when Sparks guard Kelsey Plum shot a walk-in 3-pointer at 8:19 from a “bad” pick-up point from the Mercury. From there, the Sparks didn’t have trouble seeing their shots fall and posted 60 points in the first half.
“We’re not doing a good enough job of getting to their shooters and that’s disappointing,” Tibbetts said.
Plum and guard Ariel Atkins took advantage of multiple open looks on the perimeter, combining to hit 7-of-17. The Sparks shot 46.9% from 3, accounting for 45 points.
Sparks forward Dearica Hamby outworked the Mercury in crashing the glass in the first half, grabbing eight of her team’s 16 rebounds. Hamby also found ways to score at all levels, including hitting an open 3 when Plum weaved into traffic and found her. She finished with 27 points and 15 rebounds.
“I think it starts with Plum, Atkins and (Erica) Wheeler getting too far into the paint and then they’re able to get easy shots off of that,” Thomas said. “We just have to do a better job at the point of attack and a better job of guarding all around.”
The Mercury showed promise in the third quarter, which saw them outscore the Sparks by five points. The Sparks were still exploiting spacing issues with open 3s, but the Mercury’s 9-0 scoring run proved that the team could get stops.
Chemistry issues have been a focal point, as Tibbetts has experimented with his lineups throughout the first six games.
He activated developmental forward Marta Suarez for her WNBA debut with hopes of adding more physicality.
However, Suarez’s impact was limited; she fouled out in 8:56 minutes of play.
“She’s just getting used to the calls that are being called right now, but I thought it was a good first opportunity to get out there, and we’ll see how the rotation goes moving forward,” Tibbetts said.
The team has also cited point guard Monique Akoa Makani’s absence as an issue. Akoa Makani played a pivotal role on defense in her rookie season in 2025.
Tibbetts said the team is “definitely getting closer” to seeing Akoa Makani return following her overseas season in France, but she isn’t cleared to play yet.
“I don’t know if we have a date yet, just because we haven’t had the opportunity to sit down and talk with her, but we’re excited to get her back,” Tibbetts said.
The Mercury will go on a crucial three-game road trip that begins with the Atlanta Dream on Sunday, May 24, and extends to the New York Liberty on May 27 and 29. Both teams have winning records.
“It’s going to be a tough road trip for us. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves,” Thomas said. “We can watch the video and see how we can adjust and how we can get better. The next team coming at us and they’re watching these games and knowing how they can attack us.
“At some point, we got to do something better.”
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: Mercury outworked in loss to Los Angeles Sparks