Alyssa Thomas of the Phoenix Mercury nearly posted a triple-double on Sunday, while Minnesota Lynx rookie Olivia Miles dropped 21 points in her debut on Saturday, setting the stage for an exciting matchup in Phoenix’s home opener on Tuesday.
Thomas finished with 19 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds, but she also committed six of the Mercury’s 17 turnovers in a 95-79 road loss to the Golden State Valkyries. That defeat came just one day after Phoenix routed the defending champion Las Vegas Aces 99-66, marking the largest road win in franchise history. Natasha Mack grabbed 15 rebounds in that victory but managed only two on Sunday.
For Thomas, the win over Las Vegas better represents the Mercury’s identity than the loss to Golden State. “We’re already starting miles ahead of where we were last year with the group that’s back,” she said. “I am just seeing them play together. There’s a feel or a vibe that we didn’t have earlier in the year last season.”
Miles, the No. 2 overall pick in the WNBA draft, made an immediate impact in her debut, scoring 21 points with eight assists, two steals, and two blocked shots in a 91-90 loss to the visiting Atlanta Dream on Saturday. She avoided foul trouble and made all eight of her free-throw attempts.
With that performance, Miles became just the fifth player in league history to score 20 or more points with five or more assists in a debut, joining Cynthia Cooper, Tonya Edwards, Candace Parker, and Dawn Staley. “It’s pretty cool,” Miles said of joining such an elite group. “It’s a testament to my hard work and my mindset coming into the game. My team trusts me and they need me to do that. So just staying aggressive and the outcome will be the outcome, but it’s definitely cool to be in that group for sure.”
Miles will likely face Phoenix veteran guard Kahleah Copper, who has shifted toward a facilitating role this season. Copper is averaging three assists per game after posting 1.5 per game last year. Her scoring has dipped from 15.6 points per game last season to 12 points per game through two contests this year. The emergence of rookie Jovana Nogic, who is averaging 17.5 points per game, has taken over a significant portion of Copper’s perimeter scoring.
