2019_Phoenix_Mercury_season
2019 Phoenix Mercury season
WNBA team 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]
Quick Facts Phoenix Mercury season, Coach ...
| 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) |
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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.
WNBA draft
See also: 2019 WNBA draft
More information Round, Pick ...
| 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 |
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Trades/Roster Changes
More information Date, Details ...
| 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] | |
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More information Players, Coaches ...
| 2019 Phoenix Mercury roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Alicia Yamamoto Indiana
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Preseason
More information Game, Date ...
| 2019 pre-season game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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May: 2–0 (Home: 1–0; Road: 1–0)
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| 2019 pre-season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Regular season
More information 2019 game log Total: 15–19 (Home: 9–8; Road: 6–11), Game ...
| 2019 game log Total: 15–19 (Home: 9–8; Road: 6–11) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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May: 1–2 (Home: 1–1; Road: 0–1)
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June
: 4–3 (Home: 2–0; Road: 2–3)
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July
: 5–4 (Home: 3–1; Road: 2–3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
August
: 5–6 (Home: 3–3; Road: 2–3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
September
: 0–4 (Home: 0–3; Road: 0–1)
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| 2019 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Playoffs
More information 2019 playoff game log Total: 0–1 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–1), Game ...
| 2019 playoff game log Total: 0–1 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–1) | ||||||||||||||||||
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First Round: 0–1 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–1)
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| 2019 playoff schedule | ||||||||||||||||||
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More information #, W ...
| # | 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 |
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Main article: 2019 WNBA 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 | 97 | 103 | 75 | 94 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Las Vegas Aces | 93 | 4 | Las Vegas Aces | 95 | 91 | 92 | 90 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Chicago Sky | 105 | 5 | Chicago Sky | 92 | 1 | Washington Mystics | 95 | 87 | 94 | 86 | 89 | |||||||||||||
| 8 | Phoenix Mercury | 76 | 2 | Connecticut Sun | 86 | 99 | 81 | 90 | 78 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Connecticut Sun | 84 | 94 | 78 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Los Angeles Sparks | 92 | 3 | Los Angeles Sparks | 75 | 68 | 56 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Seattle Storm | 84 | 6 | Seattle Storm | 69 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Minnesota Lynx | 74 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Note: Teams re-seeded after each round.
More information Legend ...
| 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 | ||||
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Regular season
More information Player, GP ...
| 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 |
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More information Recipient, Award ...
| 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] |
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- "2019 Phoenix Mercury Schedule". mercury.wnba.com. Women's National Basketball Association. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- Doss, Kim (April 25, 2019). "Diana Taurasi out for 10-12 weeks after undergoing back procedure". highposthoops.com. Fansided. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
- "Mercury Re-Signs Briann January to Multi-Year Contract". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- 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.
- "Mercury Re-Signs Guard Yvonne Turner". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- 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.
- "Mercury Signs Free Agent Wing Essence Carson". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. February 6, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- Doss, Kim (March 21, 2019). "Sancho Lyttle re-signs with the Phoenix Mercury". highposthoops.com. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- "Mercury Re-Signs Two-Time WNBA Champion Dewanna Bonner". mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. March 22, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
- Russo, Kelsey (April 10, 2019). "Atlanta Dream draft, trade Brianna Turner". ajc.com. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- "Mercury Acquire 2020 Second-Round Pick From Minnesota". wnba.com. WNBA. May 21, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
- "Jonquel Jones, DeWanna Bonner Player Of The Week Highlights". wnba.com. WNBA. June 10, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
- "Briann January Receives May Community Assist Award". wnba.com. WNBA. June 27, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
- "Tina Charles, Brittney Griner Earn Players Of The Week". wnba.com. WNBA. July 8, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
- "Seven-Time Selection Charles, Dupree, Highlight Reserves For All-Star". wnba.com. WNBA. July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
- "Connecticut's Williams, Phoenix's Griner Win Players of the Week". wnba.com. WNBA. September 3, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- "Delle Donne, Griner Named Players Of The Month". wnba.com. WNBA. September 4, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
- "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.
- "Rookie of the Year Collier Headlines 2019 All-Rookie Team". wnba.com. WNBA. September 16, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
- "Leilani Mitchell Named 2019 WNBA Most Improved Player". wnba.com. WNBA. September 18, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.