Valkyries flying high while Mercury try to leave hard times behind

The Golden State Valkyries and the host Phoenix Mercury, both coming off unexpected first halves, will meet Wednesday in their first game after the WNBA All-Star break.

The Valkyries (19-8) look to continue a rollicking start that included a nine-game winning streak, the best defensive numbers in the league and the emergence of forward Gabby Williams.

The Mercury (10-18) seek to regain relevance a year removed from the WNBA Finals.

"I'm really proud of the way we've showed up," said Golden State guard Veronica Burton, who averages 11.9 points and a team-high 5.5 assists. "We've competed at home, on the road. We've gotten close. We've stuck together."

The host Mercury won their final two before the break and will try to build on Alyssa Thomas' first triple-double of the season to make a belated playoff push.

Thomas had 19 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds in an 86-82 victory over the host Los Angeles Sparks on July 22. She had eight triple-doubles a season ago.

"We've just been waiting for some momentum," Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said. "The last two games we've played with better energy, better belief, better trust."

The Mercury were five games behind eighth-place Washington (14-12) when league play resumed Tuesday, bunched with Portland, Toronto and Los Angeles in a fight to gain ground. The top eight teams make the playoffs.

"It's going to be a tough road to get to the eighth spot," Tibbetts said. "There are four or five other teams battling for that same thing. We feel if we play good basketball, we'll put ourselves in position to do that, and we've got to do it every night."

Golden State has won 13 of 16 and is firmly positioned for a postseason berth with the second-best record in the league.

Golden State has held opponents to a league-low 76.4 points per game. Williams, an eight-year veteran who serves as the team's top wing defender, has averaged a career-high 14.8 points in her first season with the Valkyries.

The Valkyries were in position to extend their franchise-record winning streak to 10 entering the break, but they lost a nine-point lead in the final 4:44 of a 90-82 home loss to Washington on July 20.

"We're going to bounce back and we're going to be ready," said reserve guard Kaitlyn Chen, who scored a career-high 20 points in the loss to the Mystics.

The Valkyries play 12 of their final 17 games against teams ninth or lower in the standings at the break.

The Mercury's schedule is more daunting. They play 10 of their final 16 against teams in the top eight of the standings, but at least they get three chances to beat eighth-place Washington.

"We definitely know we're fighting for something," Mercury guard Kahleah Copper said. "We want to grow and build on every game."

--Field Level Media