Quick Three: Mercury 107 Sky 86
Perimeter lapses and third-quarter collapse doom Chicago in latest defeat.
Facing a Mercury team that entered the day third in the WNBA standings—trailing only last year’s finalists—the Sky were always up against it. But what unfolded was an emphatic win for Phoenix, with Chicago clearly a step behind in several key areas. Let’s break down what went wrong on both ends—and spotlight one player who’s quietly trending upward.
1. Phoenix Punishes Passive Sky Perimeter Defense
It’s no secret that the Mercury under Nate Tibbetts are a three-point-happy team. After pushing toward a near-historic pace last season, Phoenix entered this afternoon’s game ranked fourth in the WNBA in three-point attempts per game (29.4)—and ended up launching even more than that (35). Granted, that’s somewhat expected with the return of Kahleah Copper (6 3PA), who finished 12th in the league in total threes attempted last season.
For Chicago, the bigger concern wasn’t just the volume—it was how efficiently Phoenix hit from deep. The Mercury came in shooting 32.1% from three but finished 17/35 (48.6%) today. Every team runs into a hot-shooting opponent now and then, but watching the tape, it’s hard not to feel that Chicago’s defensive apathy at the perimeter played a substantial role in inflating that number.
Just take a look at a few clips from the opening half:
Defensive lapses happen over the course of any game, but these were just a handful of many outright breakdowns by the Sky. In his early third-quarter interview with the ABC broadcast team, Tyler Marsh admitted that, regardless of his team’s offense, their biggest problem was an inability to match up defensively. In the process of him fielding that interview, the Sky gave up another wide-open three—as multiple defenders left their matchups at the arc to collapse on an Alyssa Thomas drive.
Of course, managing Thomas’ drives is a challenge every opponent will grapple with this season. But that doesn’t excuse the other breakdowns—routine screens that took Chicago defenders completely out of the play. And when your head coach calls out a defensive issue at halftime only for the same problem to resurface moments later, it’s more than a system flaw—it’s a warning sign. There’s a difference between a team unaware of its problems and a team incapable of addressing them. The Sky’s issues today were rooted more in effort and awareness than technical skill.
Phoenix has the firepower to punish even well-executed defense. But Chicago made things far too easy. If the Sky can’t identify and correct obvious flaws—especially on a team that already struggles to generate early offense (they ranked 10th in first-quarter scoring entering today)—then fighting back into games will remain a rare occurrence.
2. Chicago’s Offense Still Searching for an Identity
I’ve written recently about how, when defenses tighten up in crunch time, Chicago often struggles because their “go-to” option—Ariel Atkins—is too easily taken out of the action by high-pressure perimeter defense. Today, Tibbetts’ team didn’t wait for crunch time. They worked to neutralize Atkins from the opening minutes, applying aggressive full-court pressure that completely disrupted Chicago’s early rhythm.
As the lead ball handler, Atkins had a rough start—not just struggling to create her own shot or find teammates, but to initiate the offense at all. She committed a team-high five turnovers—all in the first quarter—marking her eighth multi-turnover game in 12 outings this season.
That sluggish start rippled across the team. Chicago turned it over eight times in the first quarter, squandering a promising early effort to establish Kamilla Cardoso in the halfcourt (she scored 17 first-half points). And just as we’ve seen late in games, the Sky—when Atkins is under heavy pressure—have little in the way of reliable offensive actions beyond forcing the ball to Cardoso.
Angel Reese had a few nice off-the-dribble moments following up her strong game against the Mystics, but she was mostly held in check by Alyssa Thomas and the Mercury defense (9 pts, 1/1 FG). Meanwhile, the other two starters combined for just four made field goals—three of which came in garbage time, as Kia Nurse hit a trio of late shots after returning with 5:42 left and the Sky down 31.
In fairness, the bench chipped in with a solid scoring effort (35 points), consistent with their league-best production entering the day (25.7 bench PPG). But much of that came as a byproduct of increased minutes, with Marsh scrambling to find a lineup that could stop the bleeding during Phoenix’s explosive third quarter (34–15).
And that speaks to a larger issue since Courtney Vandersloot’s injury: Chicago often feels like a team grasping for anything to kickstart their offense. That desperation doesn’t just stem from one or two players having a bad game. It stems from a roster where the third, fourth, or fifth scoring options aren’t reliably impactful. In truth, the Sky’s impressive bench scoring is as much a reflection of their top-to-bottom inconsistency as it is a sign of bench strength.
The more tape there is of teams throwing early pressure at Atkins and stalling the Sky’s offense, the more often that defensive approach will show up. And unless someone in addition to Cardoso can deliver a truly explosive outing—20+ points or more—it’s hard to see the difficult offensive trend (12th in offensive rating since the Vandersloot injury) reversing anytime soon.
3. Onyenwere Finding Her Way Once Again
It’s been tough to find bright spots for the Sky lately, but Michaela Onyenwere has quietly emerged as one. On a team struggling defensively, her effort and activity—true to what she’s shown in past seasons—have stood out. She’s generated easy looks in transition with her quick hands and athleticism, helping spark an upward trend in her scoring: 8.0 PPG over her last five games, up from just 2.1 PPG through the first seven. That steady production has earned her a more consistent place in the rotation, and she’s made the most of it on both ends.
Her outside shot still hasn’t come around (4/15 from three this season), but the rest of her game is clicking. If she continues to bring value defensively, she’ll maintain that role—and create opportunities to score in other ways. Today’s 6-of-9 shooting performance raised her season-long field goal percentage from 42.5% to 46.9%, and the increased three-point volume (1/4 3PT today) gives her a chance to build rhythm.
The Sky may be searching for answers across the board, but Onyenwere—after a patient start to 2024—eventually carved out a role and looks to be on her way to doing the same in 2025. If her shot starts falling again, as it did last season, she could become a much-needed stabilizing presence as the season wears on.