2024 Phoenix Mercury season

The 2024 Phoenix Mercury season was the 27th season for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association, and their first season under new general manager Nick U'Ren and head coach Nate Tibbetts. Prior to the season, interim coach Nikki Blue's contract was not renewed, and Tibbets was hired on October 18, 2023.

The season tipped off on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, against the Las Vegas Aces in Las Vegas. The Mercury would go on to lose that game 80–89. However, they would win the next three games, including a ten-point win at Las Vegas, and three-point wins over Atlanta and Washington. However, they lost their final four games of the month, including a game against Connecticut where they scored only 47 points. They ended May 3–5. They began June by defeating Los Angeles at home. They lost in Seattle before winning their next two games. They would lose to Las Vegas before winning their next two games. The Mercury lost two of their last three games in June to finish to month 6–4. They opened July with a loss before winning their next three matches, including two against Dallas. THe would lose two games, before winning the final game before the Olympic break against Washington. They finished July 4–3. Their up and down season continued after the Olympic break as they alternated wins and losses for the first five games of the month. They finished the month by losing two games to finish 3–4. They entered September in the hunt for a playoff spot and lost four of their first five games in the month. However, they defeated Chicago and Los Angeles before losing the final game of the season to Seattle. The Mercury finished the month 3–5 and the season 19–21.

Their record saw them finish seventh in the WNBA, which qualified them for the playoffs. They faced off against the second seeded Minnesota Lynx in the First Round of the playoffs. They lost both games in Minnesota to lose the series two games to zero. The first game was closer as it finished 95–102, while the second was 88–101. Their nineteen wins more than doubled their win total from a season ago. It was the second time they qualified for the playoffs and were swept in the First Round in the past three years.

Transactions

WNBA draft

Transactions

Roster changes

Additions

Subtractions

Roster

Depth

Schedule

Pre-season

|- | 1 | May 7 | @ Seattle | L 59–85 | Diana Taurasi (10) | Natasha Mack (7) | Brittney Griner (3) | Climate Pledge Arena<br> | 0–1 |- | 2 | May 10 | vs. Los Angeles | L 85–98 | Kahleah Copper (16) | Natasha Mack (4) | Sug Sutton (5) | Footprint Center<br>4,598 | 0–2

Regular season

|- | 1 | May 14 | @ Las Vegas | L 80–89 | Diana Taurasi (23) | Natasha Cloud (8) | Natasha Cloud (7) | Michelob Ultra Arena<br>10,419 | 0–1 |- | 2 | May 18 | Atlanta | W 88–85 | Kahleah Copper (38) | Natasha Mack (11) | Natasha Cloud (5) | Footprint Center<br>10,251 | 1–1 |- | 3 | May 21 | @ Las Vegas | W 98–88 | Kahleah Copper (37) | Sophie Cunningham (9) | Natasha Cloud (10) | Michelob Ultra Arena<br>10,374 | 2–1 |- | 4 | May 23 | Washington | W 83–80 | Copper, Taurasi (20) | Natasha Mack (9) | Natasha Cloud (10) | Footprint Center<br>7,474 | 3–1 |- | 5 | May 25 | Dallas | L 92–107 | Kahleah Copper (32) | Diana Taurasi (5) | Natasha Cloud (12) | Footprint Center<br>8,339 | 3–2 |- | 6 | May 28 | @ Connecticut | L 47–70 | Natasha Cloud (9) | Sophie Cunningham (9) | Kahleah Copper (4) | Mohegan Sun Arena<br>6,489 | 3–3 |- | 7 | May 29 | @ New York | L 78–81 | Kahleah Copper (20) | Kahleah Copper (9) | Sug Sutton (7) | Barclays Center<br>9,182 | 3–4 |- | 8 | May 31 | @ Minnesota | L 71–95 | Kahleah Copper (21) | Natasha Mack (10) | Natasha Cloud (7) | Target Center<br>7,035 | 3–5

|- | 9 | June 2 | Los Angeles | W 87–68 | Diana Taurasi (31) | Natasha Mack (12) | Natasha Cloud (12) | Footprint Center<br>10,207 | 4–5 |- | 10 | June 4 | @ Seattle | L 62–80 | Kahleah Copper (19) | Kahleah Copper (7) | Natasha Cloud (5) | Climate Pledge Arena<br>8,133 | 4–6 |- | 11 | June 7 | Minnesota | W 81–80 | Kahleah Copper (34) | Natasha Mack (7) | Natasha Cloud (10) | Footprint Center<br>9,052 | 5–6 |- | 12 | June 9 | @ Dallas | W 97–90 | Kahleah Copper (29) | Brittney Griner (7) | Cloud, Taurasi (7) | College Park Center<br>5,568 | 6–6 |- | 13 | June 13 | Las Vegas | L 99–103 | Brittney Griner (25) | Brittney Griner (9) | Cloud, Sutton (6) | Footprint Center<br>9,325 | 6–7 |- | 14 | June 16 | Seattle | W 87–78 | Kahleah Copper (30) | Brittney Griner (9) | Natasha Cloud (8) | Footprint Center<br>9,444 | 7–7 |- | 15 | June 18 | New York | W 99–93 | Griner, Taurasi (19) | Diana Taurasi (9) | Kahleah Copper (7) | Footprint Center<br>9,824 | 8–7 |- | 16 | June 22 | @ Minnesota | L 60–73 | Natasha Cloud (14) | Brittney Griner (7) | Natasha Cloud (5) | Target Center<br>8,769 | 8–8 |- | 17 | June 28 | Los Angeles | W 92–78 | Kahleah Copper (24) | Brittney Griner (11) | Natasha Cloud (7) | Footprint Center<br>14,363 | 9–8 |- | 18 | June 30 | Indiana | L 82–82 | Brittney Griner (24) | Rebecca Allen (9) | Natasha Cloud (7) | Footprint Center<br>17,071 | 9–9

|- | 19 | July 1 | Connecticut | L 72–83 | Copper, Griner (21) | Kahleah Copper (6) | Natasha Cloud (10) | Footprint Center<br>8,445 | 9–10 |- | 20 | July 3 | @ Dallas | W 104–96 | Kahleah Copper (34) | Brittney Griner (8) | Natasha Cloud (10) | College Park Center<br>6,129 | 10–10 |- | 21 | July 7 | @ Los Angeles | W 84–78 | Natasha Cloud (31) | Kahleah Copper (10) | Cloud, Copper (5) | Crypto.com Arena<br>11,618 | 11–10 |- | 22 | July 10 | Dallas | W 100–84 | Kahleah Copper (32) | Kahleah Copper (5) | Natasha Cloud (6) | Footprint Center<br>11,601 | 12–10 |- | 23 | July 12 | @ Indiana | L 86–95 | Kahleah Copper (36) | Natasha Mack (9) | Celeste Taylor (5) | Gainbridge Fieldhouse<br>17,274 | 12–11 |- | 24 | July 14 | @ Connecticut | L 69–96 | Kahleah Copper (17) | Brittney Griner (9) | Natasha Cloud (6) | Mohegan Sun Arena<br>8,910 | 12–12 |- | 25 | July 16 | @ Washington | W 96–87 | Brittney Griner (23) | Natasha Cloud (9) | Natasha Cloud (10) | Capital One Arena<br>12,586 | 13–12

|- | 26 | August 15 | @ Chicago | W 85–65 | Kahleah Copper (29) | Brittney Griner (9) | Cloud, Griner (6) | Wintrust Arena<br>9,025 | 14–12 |- | 27 | August 16 | @ Indiana | L 89–98 | Kahleah Copper (32) | Kahleah Copper (8) | Kahleah Copper (6) | Gainbridge Fieldhouse<br>17,274 | 14–13 |- | 28 | August 18 | Chicago | W 86–68 | Diana Taurasi (23) | Sophie Cunningham (10) | Diana Taurasi (5) | Footprint Center<br>14,267 | 15–13 |- | 29 | August 21 | @ Atlanta | L 63–72 | Kahleah Copper (22) | Cloud, Griner (8) | Diana Taurasi (4) | Gateway Center Arena<br>3,260 | 15–14 |- | 30 | August 23 | @ Atlanta | W 82–80 | Brittney Griner (22) | Sophie Cunningham (7) | Natasha Cloud (7) | Gateway Center Arena<br>3,260 | 16–14 |- | 31 | August 26 | New York | L 70–84 | Brittney Griner (22) | Cloud, Griner (6) | Natasha Cloud (7) | Footprint Center<br>10,299 | 16–15 |- | 32 | August 28 | Minnesota | L 76–89 | Cunningham, Taurasi (16) | Griner, Mack (7) | Natasha Cloud (8) | Footprint Center<br>9,482 | 16–16

|- | 33 | September 1 | Las Vegas | L 79–97 | Brittney Griner (24) | Kahleah Copper (6) | Diana Taurasi (7) | Footprint Center<br>13,981 | 16–17 |- | 34 | September 3 | Atlanta | W 74–66 | Kahleah Copper (28) | Brittney Griner (8) | Diana Taurasi (5) | Footprint Center<br>7,639 | 17–17 |- | 35 | September 5 | Washington | L 77–90 | Brittney Griner (15) | Natasha Mack (9) | Celeste Taylor (6) | Footprint Center<br>7,709 | 17–18 |- | 36 | September 7 | @ Seattle | L 66–90 | Diana Taurasi (18) | Brittney Griner (8) | Natasha Cloud (6) | Climate Pledge Arena<br>14,066 | 17–19 |- | 37 | September 13 | Connecticut | L 69–88 | Brittney Griner (26) | Brittney Griner (9) | Natasha Cloud (7) | Footprint Center<br>14,190 | 17–20 |- | 38 | September 15 | @ Chicago | W 93–88 | Brittney Griner (26) | Brittney Griner (10) | Natasha Cloud (11) | Wintrust Arena<br>8,577 | 18–20 |- | 39 | September 17 | @ Los Angeles | W 85–81 | Cunningham, Griner (14) | Celeste Taylor (5) | Natasha Cloud (12) | Crypto.com Arena<br>11,294 | 19–20 |- | 40 | September 19 | Seattle | L 70–89 | Brittney Griner (11) | Brittney Griner (8) | Copper, Taylor (5) | Footprint Center<br>11,333 | 19–21

Playoffs

|- | 1 | September 22 | rowspan=2| @ Minnesota | L 95–102 | Natasha Cloud (33) | Cloud, Griner (6) | rowspan=2| Natasha Cloud (10) | Target Center<br>8,524 | 0–1 |- | 2 | September 25 | L 88–101 | Brittney Griner (24) | 4 players (5) | Target Center<br>8,769 | 0–2

Standings

Playoffs

Statistics

Regular season

<br />^‡Waived/Released during the season <br />^â€ÂTraded during the season <br />^â‰ÂAcquired during the season

Playoffs

Awards and honors

References

External links