2019 Phoenix Mercury season

The 2019 WNBA season was the 23rd season for the Phoenix Mercury franchise of the WNBA. The season tipped off on May 25, 2019 versus the Seattle Storm.[1]

2019 Phoenix Mercury season
Coach	Sandy Brondello
Arena	Talking Stick Resort Arena
Attendance	10,193 per game
Results
Record	15–19 (.441)
Place	5th (Western)
Playoff finish	8th seed; Lost in 1st Round to Chicago
Team Leaders
Points	Brittney Griner – 20.7 ppg
Rebounds	DeWanna Bonner – 6.5 rpg
Assists	Diana Taurasi – 5.3 apg
Media
Television	Fox Sports Arizona (FS-A)
← 2018 season 2020 season →

The Mercury's season started with the news that star Diana Taurasi would miss a significant part of the season due to a back procedure.[2] The team started out the season 5–5 by the end of June. This record included a three game losing streak immediately followed by a three game winning streak. July proved more of the same as the team posted a 5–4 record. A two game losing streak split five wins. In August, the team went 5–6, but did secure a playoff spot. Taurasi returned for six games during the season. However, the team finished on a four game losing streak to end the season 15–19. This record earned them the eighth seed in the playoffs.

As the eight seed, the Mercury traveled to the Chicago Sky in the first round. The Mercury are the only eighth seed to win since the WNBA switched to its current playoff format in 2016. However, they could not repeat the feat this season when they lost by 29 points.

The Mercury did well at the end of season awards with Brittney Griner leading the WNBA in scoring, Brianna Turner making the WNBA All-Rookie Team, and Leilani Mitchell winning the WNBA Most Improved Player Award.

Transactions

WNBA Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Nationality	School/Team/Country
1	8	Alanna Smith	Australia	Stanford
2	13	Sophie Cunningham	United States	Missouri
3	32	Arica Carter	United States	Louisville

Trades/Roster Changes

Date	Details
February 1, 2019	Re-Signed G Briann January[3][4]
	Re-Signed G Yvonne Turner[5][6]
February 6, 2019	Signed G/F Essence Carson[7][4]
March 21, 2019	Re-Signed F Sancho Lyttle[8]
March 22, 2019	Re-Signed G/F DeWanna Bonner[9]
April 10, 2019	Traded C Marie Gülich to Atlanta for F Brianna Turner[10]
May 21, 2019	Traded G Stephanie Talbot to Minnesota in exchange for Minnesota's second round pick in the 2020 WNBA draft[11]

Current roster

Phoenix Mercury roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. # Nat. Name Height Weight DOB From Yrs F 24 Bonner, DeWanna 6' 4" (1.93m) 143 lb (65kg) 08-21-1987 Auburn 9 G 17 Carson, Essence 6' 0" (1.83m) 163 lb (74kg) 07-28-1986 Rutgers 11 G 9 Cunningham, Sophie 6' 1" (1.85m) 170 lb (77kg) 08-16-1996 Missouri R C 42 Griner, Brittney 6' 9" (2.06m) 205 lb (93kg) 10-18-1990 Baylor 6 G 12 January, Briann 5' 8" (1.73m) 144 lb (65kg) 01-11-1987 Arizona State 10 F 20 Little, Camille 6' 2" (1.88m) 180 lb (82kg) 01-18-1985 North Carolina 12 F 31 Lyttle, Sancho 6' 5" (1.96m) 175 lb (79kg) 09-20-1983 Houston 14 G 5 Mitchell, Leilani 5' 5" (1.65m) 138 lb (63kg) 06-15-1985 Utah 11 F 11 Smith, Alanna 6' 4" (1.93m) 180 lb (82kg) 11-10-1996 Stanford R G/F 3 Taurasi, Diana  6' 0" (1.83m) 163 lb (74kg) 06-11-1982 Connecticut 14 F 21 Turner, Brianna 6' 3" (1.91m) 170 lb (77kg) 07-05-1996 Notre Dame R G 6 Turner, Yvonne 5' 10" (1.78m) 131 lb (59kg) 10-13-1987 Nebraska 2 East: ATL • CHI • CON • IND • NY • WAS | West: DAL • LV • LA • MIN • PHO • SEA

Head coach Sandy Brondello (Western Sydney) Assistant coaches Julie Hairgrove (Arizona) Penny Taylor Athletic trainer Alicia Yamamoto Indiana Strength and conditioning coach Jonathan Mak (Illinois State) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured WNBA roster page

Game Log

Pre-Season

2019 pre-season game log
May: 2–0 (Home: 1–0; Road: 1–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 May 11 Los Angeles Sparks W 82–75 Bonner (20) Bonner (8) Smith (5) Talking Stick Resort Arena 3,751 1–0 2 May 15 @ Seattle Storm W 87–84 Tied (15) Griner (6) Tied (3) Angel of the Winds Arena 3,076 2–0
2019 pre-season schedule

Regular Season

2019 game log Total: 15–19 (Home: 9–8; Road: 6–11)
May: 1–2 (Home: 1–1; Road: 0–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 May 25 @ Seattle Storm L 68–77 Bonner (31) Tied (8) Tied (4) Angel of the Winds Arena 8,500 0–1 2 May 31 Las Vegas Aces W 86–84 Carson (20) Bonner (12) Y. Turner (10) Talking Stick Resort Arena 14,090 1–1
June : 4–3 (Home: 2–0; Road: 2–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 3 June 6 @ Minnesota Lynx L 56–58 Bonner (25) Bonner (8) 3 tied (2) Target Center 8,001 1–2 4 June 9 @ Indiana Fever W 94–87 Griner (26) Bonner (7) Mitchell (6) Bankers Life Fieldhouse 3,336 2–2 5 June 11 @ Chicago Sky L 75–82 Bonner (28) Bonner (12) Bonner (6) Wintrust Arena 4,212 2–3 6 June 14 Los Angeles Sparks L 68–85 Griner (24) Griner (13) January (5) Talking Stick Resort Arena 10,381 2–4 7 June 20 @ Dallas Wings L 54–69 Mitchell (12) Bonner (8) January (3) College Park Center 4,626 2–5 8 June 23 Los Angeles Sparks W 82–72 Mitchell (22) Griner (9) Mitchell (6) Talking Stick Resort Arena 10,132 3–5 9 June 28 Indiana Fever W 91–69 Griner (23) 3 tied (5) Mitchell (11) Talking Stick Resort Arena 9,435 4–5 10 June 30 @ Seattle Storm W 69–67 Tied (20) Tied (7) Mitchell (4) Alaska Airlines Arena 8,002 5–5
July : 5–4 (Home: 3–1; Road: 2–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 11 July 5 New York Liberty L 76–80 Griner (30) Griner (8) Mitchell (4) Talking Stick Resort Arena 9,560 5–6 12 July 7 Atlanta Dream W 65–63 Griner (31) Bonner (14) Mitchell (4) Talking Stick Resort Arena 9,850 6–6 13 July 10 @ Washington Mystics W 91–68 Griner (25) Griner (8) January (6) Capital One Arena 15,377 7–6 14 July 12 @ Connecticut Sun L 64–79 Bonner (20) Bonner (8) January (5) Mohegan Sun Arena 6,864 7–7 15 July 14 @ Minnesota Lynx L 62–75 Bonner (27) Bonner (7) Mitchell (5) Target Center 8,801 7–8 16 July 17 Dallas Wings W 69–64 Griner (23) Bonner (8) January (5) Talking Stick Resort Arena 10,143 8–8 17 July 20 @ Dallas Wings W 70–66 Griner (17) Griner (8) January (4) College Park Center 5,471 9–8 18 July 23 Indiana Fever W 95–77 Tied (22) Griner (7) January (7) Talking Stick Resort Arena 8,528 10–8 19 July 30 @ Washington Mystics L 93–99 Griner (30) Griner (9) Mitchell (8) St. Elizabeth's East Arena 3,819 10–9
August : 5–6 (Home: 3–3; Road: 2–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 20 August 1 @ Connecticut Sun L 62–68 Bonner (20) Bonner (10) Bonner (4) Mohegan Sun Arena 6,014 10–10 21 August 4 Washington Mystics W 103–82 Griner (26) Griner (9) Griner (8) Talking Stick Resort Arena 9,025 11–10 22 August 8 @ Los Angeles Sparks L 74–84 Griner (27) B. Turner (14) Tied (5) Staples Center 10,345 11–11 23 August 10 Dallas Wings L 77–80 Mitchell (23) B. Turner (11) Tied (3) Talking Stick Resort Arena 9,717 11–12 24 August 14 Connecticut Sun L 71–78 Bonner (17) B. Turner (8) Y. Turner (4) Talking Stick Resort Arena 8,734 11–13 25 August 16 Atlanta Dream W 77–68 Bonner (27) Bonner (14) Mitchell (5) Talking Stick Resort Arena 8,480 12–13 26 August 18 New York Liberty W 78–72 Bonner (30) Bonner (10) January (3) Talking Stick Resort Arena 9,145 13–13 27 August 20 @ Las Vegas Aces L 79–84 (OT) Tied (24) B. Turner (11) January (6) Mandalay Bay Events Center 5,032 13–14 28 August 25 Chicago Sky L 86–94 Griner (34) Bonner (11) Bonner (5) Talking Stick Resort Arena 12,054 13–15 29 August 27 @ New York Liberty W 95–82 Tied (29) Griner (10) Taurasi (10) Westchester County Center 1,693 14–15 30 August 29 @ Atlanta Dream W 65–58 Griner (21) Tied (8) Taurasi (8) State Farm Arena 3,727 15–15
September : 0–4 (Home: 0–3; Road: 0–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 31 September 1 @ Chicago Sky L 78–105 Griner (26) Bonner (12) Mitchell (6) Wintrust Arena 8,845 15–16 32 September 3 Seattle Storm L 70–82 Griner (22) Griner (7) Tied (4) Talking Stick Resort Arena 8,724 15–17 33 September 6 Minnesota Lynx L 69–83 Griner (16) Griner (7) Mitchell (4) Talking Stick Resort Arena 12,140 15–18 34 September 8 Las Vegas Aces L 89–98 Griner (24) Bonner (8) 3 tied (3) Talking Stick Resort Arena 13,135 15–19
2019 season schedule

Playoffs

2019 playoff game log Total: 0–1 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–1)
First Round: 0–1 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 September 11 @ Chicago Sky L 76–105 Bonner (21) Bonner (6) 3 tied (3) Wintrust Arena 6,042 0–1
2019 playoff schedule

Standings

#	Western Conference	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Conf.
1	Los Angeles Sparks (3)	22	12	.647	–	15–2	7–10	10–6
2	Las Vegas Aces (4)	21	13	.618	1	13–4	8–9	11–5
3	Seattle Storm (6)	18	16	.529	4	11–6	7–10	10–6
4	Minnesota Lynx (7)	18	16	.529	4	11–6	7–10	7–9
5	Phoenix Mercury (8)	15	19	.441	7	9–8	6–11	5–11
6	e – Dallas Wings	10	24	.294	12	8–9	2–15	5–11

Playoffs

	First round: Single elimination (Sept. 11)				Second round: Single elimination (Sept. 15)				Semifinals: Best-of-five (Sept. 17 – Sept. 24)				WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Sept. 29 – Oct. 10)
									1 Washington Mystics	3
									4 Las Vegas Aces	1
					4 Las Vegas Aces	93
					5 Chicago Sky	92
	5 Chicago Sky	105
	8 Phoenix Mercury	76
													1 Washington Mystics	3
													2 Connecticut Sun	2
	6 Seattle Storm	84
	7 Minnesota Lynx	74
					3 Los Angeles Sparks	92
					6 Seattle Storm	69
									2 Connecticut Sun	3
									3 Los Angeles Sparks	0

Note: Teams re-seeded after each round.

Semifinals

Team	1	2	3	4
1 Washington Mystics	97	103	75	94
4 Las Vegas Aces	95	91	92	90

Team	1	2	3
2 Connecticut Sun	84	94	78
3 Los Angeles Sparks	75	68	56

WNBA Finals

Team	1	2	3	4	5
1 Washington Mystics	95	87	94	86	89
2 Connecticut Sun	86	99	81	90	78

Statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game	RPG	Rebounds per game
APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game	BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage	TO	Turnovers per game
PF	Fouls per game		Team leader		League leader

Regular season

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Brittney Griner	31	31	32.8	46.4	33.3	80.8	7.2	2.4	0.7	2.0	20.7
DeWanna Bonner	34	34	32.9	37.7	27.2	91.6	7.6	2.7	1.3	0.6	17.2
Leilani Mitchell	32	27	30.3	44.1	43.0	82.9	3.0	4.0	0.9	0.3	12.8
Briann January	32	26	26.6	39.0	37.8	83.7	1.3	3.3	0.8	0.1	6.5
Yvonne Turner	29	14	20.5	34.3	32.9	87.8	2.8	2.3	0.6	0.1	6.4
Essence Carson	23	13	18.5	35.2	34.1	78.4	2.2	1.5	0.5	0.3	5.8
Diana Taurasi	6	6	21.5	10.3	4.2	94.4	3.2	5.3	0.3	0.2	4.3
Brianna Turner	29	12	15.9	53.8	0	73.1	4.1	0.5	0.2	0.7	4.0
Camille Little	29	0	14.7	43.5	33.3	80.6	2.4	0.8	0.4	0.3	3.9
Sophie Cunningham	32	5	12.2	35.4	30.4	88.2	1.4	0.8	0.3	0.1	3.1
Sancho Lyttle	20	2	12.5	41.9	25.0	62.5	2.9	0.3	0.6	0.3	2.9
Alanna Smith	18	0	7.4	19.5	11.1	50.0	1.9	0.2	0.3	0.3	1.1

Awards and honors

Recipient	Award	Date awarded	Ref.
DeWanna Bonner	WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week	June 10, 2019	[12]
Briann January	WNBA Community Assist Award - May	June 27, 2019	[13]
Brittney Griner	WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week	July 8, 2019	[14]
DeWanna Bonner	WNBA All-Star Selection	July 15, 2019	[15]
Brittney Griner
Brittney Griner	WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week	September 3, 2019	[16]
	WNBA Western Conference Player of the Month - August	September 4, 2019	[17]
	Peak Performer: Points	September 9, 2019	[18]
Brianna Turner	WNBA All-Rookie Team	September 16, 2019	[19]
Leilani Mitchell	Most Improved Player Award	September 18, 2019	[20]

References

1. "2019 Phoenix Mercury Schedule". mercury.wnba.com. Women's National Basketball Association. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
2. Doss, Kim (April 25, 2019). "Diana Taurasi out for 10-12 weeks after undergoing back procedure". highposthoops.com. Fansided. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
3. "Mercury Re-Signs Briann January to Multi-Year Contract". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
4. Metcalfe, Jeff (February 15, 2019). "Briann January: On re-signing with Mercury, addition of Essence Carson, 2018 shoulder injury". azcentral.com. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
5. "Mercury Re-Signs Guard Yvonne Turner". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
6. Metcalfe, Jeff (February 1, 2019). "Phoenix Mercury sign Odyssey Sims to offer sheet, re-sign Briann January, Yvonne Turner". azcentral.com. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
7. "Mercury Signs Free Agent Wing Essence Carson". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. February 6, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
8. Doss, Kim (March 21, 2019). "Sancho Lyttle re-signs with the Phoenix Mercury". highposthoops.com. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
9. "Mercury Re-Signs Two-Time WNBA Champion Dewanna Bonner". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. March 22, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
10. Russo, Kelsey (April 10, 2019). "Atlanta Dream draft, trade Brianna Turner". ajc.com. Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
11. "Mercury Acquire 2020 Second-Round Pick From Minnesota". wnba.com. WNBA. May 21, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
12. "Jonquel Jones, DeWanna Bonner Player Of The Week Highlights". wnba.com. WNBA. June 10, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
13. "Briann January Receives May Community Assist Award". wnba.com. WNBA. June 27, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
14. "Tina Charles, Brittney Griner Earn Players Of The Week". wnba.com. WNBA. July 8, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
15. "Seven-Time Selection Charles, Dupree, Highlight Reserves For All-Star". wnba.com. WNBA. July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
16. "Connecticut's Williams, Phoenix's Griner Win Players of the Week". wnba.com. WNBA. September 3, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
17. "Delle Donne, Griner Named Players Of The Month". wnba.com. WNBA. September 4, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
18. "Phoenix's Griner, Connecticut's Jones and Chicago's Vandersloot Earn 2019 WNBA Peak Performer Awards". wnba.com. WNBA. September 9, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
19. "Rookie of the Year Collier Headlines 2019 All-Rookie Team". wnba.com. WNBA. September 16, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
20. "Leilani Mitchell Named 2019 WNBA Most Improved Player". wnba.com. WNBA. September 18, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.

External links

• The Official Site of the Phoenix Mercury