Fast-starting Mercury look for another win vs. Sparks

After a smashing debut to the 2025 season, it's time for the Phoenix Mercury to author an encore.

They'll work on that Wednesday night when they host the Los Angeles Sparks.

Phoenix walloped visiting Seattle 81-59 on Sunday in its season opener, getting a combined 47 points from their biggest offseason acquisitions -- Sebou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas. Sabally scored a game-high 27, a franchise record in a player's debut game, while Thomas did her usual stat-sheet stuffing with 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

But second-year coach Nate Tibbetts was most impressed with what his team did when it didn't have the ball. The Mercury allowed Seattle to can just 33.3 percent from the field and earned a 38-29 advantage on the boards.

"I thought our defense was fantastic," Tibbetts said. "Our on-ball defense, our pick-and-roll coverage, our toughness, our grit ... you can't be a good defense without finishing possessions. So we did that and that's important."

Even more encouraging for Phoenix was that it did those things without Kahleah Copper (knee), its leading scorer last year who's out four to six weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles (1-1) didn't have quite as good a follow-up to its season opener as the Mercury hope to author. After spoiling Golden State's first game with an 84-67 decision Friday night, the Sparks dropped their home opener Sunday night to Minnesota 89-75.

First-year coach Lynne Roberts said Los Angeles simply has to get tougher. It trailed the Lynx just 46-45 at halftime but coughed up an 8-0 run that gave Minnesota separation.

"We looked visibly frustrated, and not only is that not going to help you as a player, but the other (team), believed me, they noticed that, too," she said. "They see some cracks, they're going to step on your throat."

Offseason acquisition Kelsey Plum is averaging 27.5 points per game, while Dearica Hamby is contributing 17 points and 10 rebounds per outing.

Phoenix won all four meetings of the teams last year by an average of 10.8 points per game.

--Field Level Media