Alyssa Thomas continues dominance on Sunday in Mercury win originally appeared on The Sporting News
The Phoenix Mercury leaned on Alyssa Thomas once again, and she delivered in a big way. Her latest triple-double, the fifth of her season, fueled an 85-82 victory over the Seattle Storm on Sunday night in Seattle. The win halted Phoenix’s two-game skid and spoiled the Storm’s celebration of Sue Bird, who was honored with a statue outside the arena earlier in the day.
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Thomas powers Phoenix to tight win in Seattle
Thomas piled up 19 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds, with much of that production coming during the decisive stretch. After Seattle briefly grabbed its only lead at 78-77, Thomas scored, dished, and grabbed a key rebound as part of a 6-0 Mercury surge. Even with a few late Phoenix turnovers, the Storm couldn’t capitalize, and the Mercury escaped with the win to stay tied with Las Vegas for fourth in the WNBA standings.
Seattle coach Noelle Quinn gave Thomas credit for her relentlessness. “She’s physical, she’s smart, and she makes timely plays,” Quinn said. “When someone plays that hard every possession, you can’t take her out of the game. She did everything at a high level tonight.”
Record-chasing numbers
Thomas has now recorded four triple-doubles in just seven August games. That matches the total for the rest of the league combined this season. No other player has posted more than one. She is also closing in on her own single-season record of six, set two years ago when she was with the Connecticut Sun.
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Asked about the milestone, Thomas brushed it off. “I don’t think about that,” she said. “For me, it’s about winning. We’ve been up and down lately, so I just try to set the tone.”
Teammate Sami Whitcomb, who started in place of the injured Monique Akoa Makani and scored 15 points, wasn’t so quick to downplay it. “No, you don’t ever get used to it,” she said, shaking her head. “Teams throw everything at her, and it still happens. That says everything about how she prepares and adjusts.”
Two of Whitcomb’s three triples came off passes from Thomas, who also climbed to seventh on the WNBA’s all-time assist leaderboard. Her 1,717 career assists move her past Becky Hammon and Skylar Diggins.
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