Balanced effort helps Mercury hold off Dream

Field Level Media|published: Fri 23rd August, 22:07 2024

May 19, 2023; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; a view of the ball in the second half of the game between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Brittney Griner scored 22 points and Diana Taurasi made two critical baskets down the stretch as the visiting Phoenix Mercury held off the Atlanta Dream 82-80 on Friday night.

Taurasi finished with 18 points and Kahleah Copper scored 16 for the Mercury (16-14).

Allisha Gray scored 22 points, Rhyne Howard had 16, Tina Charles added 14 points and 13 rebounds and Jordin Canada scored 13 to lead the Dream (10-18).

Atlanta scored the first four points of the third quarter to get within 48-45. The Dream trimmed their deficit to three a second time before Griner's field goal and Taurasi's 3-pointer pushed the Mercury's lead to 57-49.

Canada's 3-pointer pulled the Dream within four points before Natasha Cloud's jumper left the Mercury with a 65-59 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Phoenix's Celeste Taylor made a 3-pointer to start the fourth-quarter scoring before Gray and Howard each made a 3-pointer to pull Atlanta within 69-67.

Griner scored the Mercury's next six points to increase the lead to 75-69 with 5:17 left, but Gray scored the next five points to get the Dream within one point. Taurasi made a jumper and a 3-pointer to give Phoenix an 80-74 lead with 2:04 remaining.

Gray made a 3-pointer and Howard added two free throws to get the Dream within one with 13.4 seconds left. Copper answered with a basket, Howard missed a 3-pointer and Charles made one of two free throws with 0.6 left.

The Mercury needed a little more than two minutes to surpass their first-quarter scoring total in a 72-63 loss at Atlanta on Wednesday. After falling behind 19-6 in the opening period Wednesday, Phoenix took a quick 7-4 lead with 7:54 left in the first before Canada's 3-pointer tied the score.

But the Dream never took the lead and Griner's three-point play broke the tie. The Mercury led by as many as eight points before holding a 24-17 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Howard's 3-pointer started the second-quarter scoring, but Taurasi scored five points to help Phoenix open an 11-point lead. Atlanta got as close as five points before Copper scored five points to help rebuild the lead to 44-33.

Maya Caldwell and Gray each made a 3-pointer and the Dream trimmed the deficit to 48-41 at halftime.

--Field Level Media

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