# 2021 Phoenix Mercury season

The 2021 WNBA season was the 24th season for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association. The season tipped off on May 14, 2021, at the Minnesota Lynx.
The team returned to the newly renovated Phoenix Suns Arena this season. Originally the team had planned to be elsewhere for the 2021 season, but renovations were finished ahead of schedule.
The start to the season was a mixed bag for the Mercury. They went 3–3 during the first month of the season. June was a streaky month for the team as they won the first two games, but then went on a four game losing streak. The streak was broken by two wins, but followed by a loss to finish the month 4–5. The Mercury lost the first game of July, won the middle two, and lost the last game before the Olympic break. They went into the Olympic break with a 9–10 overall record. The Mercury had a spectacular return from the Olympic break, winning all seven of their games in August. Of the seven games only three were against playoff teams, and two of those three were against the eventual eight seed, New York Liberty. The Mercury extended their winning streak into September, and won their first three games of the month. However, their last three games of the season were against the eventual first, second, and fourth seeded playoff teams, and the Mercury lost all three games to finish the month 3–3. They finished with an overall record of 19–13 and secured the fifth overall seed in the playoffs.
As the fifth seed in the playoffs, the Mercury did not receive a bye played in the First Round. They defeated eight seed New York 83–82 in a close game. As the higher remaining seed in the second round, they traveled to Seattle to face off against the fourth seeded Storm. The Mercury advanced in a thrilling overtime game, 85–80. As the highest seed to advance from the second round, the Mercury played the second seeded Las Vegas Aces in the Semifinals. In a back and forth series the Mercury won games two, three, and five to win the series 3–2 and advance to the Finals. In the Finals, the team faced the Chicago Sky. The Mercury had home court advantage, meaning the first two games were played in Phoenix. The Mercury split those games 1–1 and the series advanced to Chicago. The Sky won both the games at home, and the series 3–1.

## Transactions
### WNBA draft

| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | School/Team/Country |
| 3 | 32 | Ciera Johnson | United States | Texas A&M |

### Trades/Roster Changes

| Date | Details |
| January 6, 2021 | Extended Qualifying Offers to G Marta Xargay, G Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, G Sonja Petrovic, G Shey Peddy, F Nia Coffey, and C Angel Robinson |
| January 12, 2021 | Re-Signed G Shey Peddy to a Training Camp Contract |
| January 23, 2021 | Re-Signed F Nia Coffey to a Training Camp Contract |
| February 1, 2021 | Re-Signed G Diana Taurasi |
| February 5, 2021 | Signed C Kia Vaughn |
| February 5, 2021 | Rescinded Qualifying Offer to G Shatori Walker-Kimbrough |
| February 10, 2021 | Traded the 6th Overall Pick in the 2021 WNBA draft and a 1st Round Pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft to New York in exchange for G Kia Nurse and F Megan Walker |
| February 10, 2021 | Waived F Nia Coffey |
| February 13, 2021 | Traded G Yvonne Turner to Atlanta for a 3rd Round Pick in 2022 |
| March 22, 2021 | Signed F Sara Blicavs and G Marta Xargay |
| April 16, 2021 | Signed G Tiana Mangakahia, C Avery Warley-Talbert, and C Akela Maize to Training Camp Contracts |
| April 16, 2021 | Signed F Cierra Burdick to a Training Camp Contract |
| April 25, 2021 | Signed C Ciera Johnson to a Rookie Scale Contract |
| May 8, 2021 | Waived G Marta Xargay, C Akela Maize, and C Avery Warley-Talbert |
| May 10, 2021 | Waived F Cierra Burdick |
| May 12, 2021 | Waived G Tiana Mangakahia, F Sara Blicavs, and C Ciera Johnson |
| May 13, 2021 | Temporarily Suspend C Kia Vaughn due to Overseas Commitments |
| May 14, 2021 | Sign F Cierra Burdick to a Hardship Contract |
| May 26, 2021 | Activate C Kia Vaughn from Temporary Suspension List |
| May 26, 2021 | Release F Cierra Burdick from Hardship Contract |
| May 27, 2021 | Signed G Haley Gorecki to a Hardship Contract |
| May 27, 2021 | Released G Haley Gorecki from the Hardship Contract |

## Game log
### Preseason

2021 pre-season game log :
May: 0–2 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
May 8
Seattle
L 71–88
Kia Nurse (12)
Alanna Smith (8)
Nurse Taurasi (3)
Phoenix Suns Arena 1,985
0–1
2
May 10
@ Seattle
L 93–103
Kia Nurse (26)
Brittney Griner (6)
Cierra Burdick (6)
Angel of the Winds Arena
0–2 :
2021 pre-season schedule :

### Regular season

2020 game log Total: 19–13 (Home: 7–9; Road: 12–4) :
May: 3–3 (Home: 0–2; Road: 3–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
May 14
@ Minnesota
W 77–75
Skylar Diggins-Smith (18)
Brittney Griner (12)
Taurasi Diggins-Smith (5)
Target Center 2,021
1–0
2
May 16
@ Connecticut
L 78–86
Diana Taurasi (19)
Brianna Turner (8)
Diana Taurasi (5)
Mohegan Sun Arena 2,042
1–1
3
May 18
@ Washington
W 91–70
Diana Taurasi (17)
Brianna Turner (14)
Shey Peddy (6)
Entertainment and Sports Arena 1,050
2–1
4
May 21
Connecticut
L 67–84
Skylar Diggins-Smith (20)
Griner Turner (5)
Diana Taurasi (4)
Phoenix Suns Arena 4,101
2–2
5
May 26
Las Vegas
L 79–85
Brittney Griner (27)
Brittney Griner (11)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (11)
Phoenix Suns Arena 4,082
2–3
6
May 29
@ Dallas
W 89–85
Brittney Griner (27)
Brittney Griner (16)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (7)
College Park Center 1,717
3–3 :
June
: 4–5 (Home: 2–4; Road: 2–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
7
June 1
@ Chicago
W 84–83
Skylar Diggins-Smith (24)
Nurse Turner (8)
Shey Peddy (6)
Wintrust Arena 1,217
4–3
8
June 3
Chicago
W 77–74
Skylar Diggins-Smith (28)
Brittney Griner (12)
Brianna Turner (6)
Phoenix Suns Arena 3,819
5–3
9
June 9
Dallas
L 81–85
Brittney Griner (27)
Brittney Griner (16)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (5)
Phoenix Suns Arena 3,618
5–4
10
June 11
Dallas
L 59–77
Brittney Griner (19)
Brittney Griner (6)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (5)
Phoenix Suns Arena 4,261
5–5
11
June 13
New York
L 83–85
Brittney Griner (29)
Brittney Griner (14)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (5)
Phoenix Suns Arena 4,476
5–6
12
June 16
@ Los Angeles
L 80–85
Brittney Griner (30)
Brianna Turner (12)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (10)
Los Angeles Convention Center 514
5–7
13
June 18
@ Los Angeles
W 80–66
Skylar Diggins-Smith (21)
Griner Turner (8)
Diggins-Smith Nurse (4)
Los Angeles Convention Center 520
6–7
14
June 27
Los Angeles
W 88–79
Diana Taurasi (25)
Brianna Turner (15)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (4)
Phoenix Suns Arena 7,304
7–7
15
June 30
Minnesota
L 76–82
Brittney Griner (28)
Brittney Griner (7)
Diana Taurasi (7)
Phoenix Suns Arena 4,122
7–8 :
July
: 2–2 (Home: 1–1; Road: 1–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
16
July 3
Minnesota
L 68–99
Skylar Diggins-Smith (12)
Brianna Turner (6)
Kia Vaughn (4)
Phoenix Suns Arena 8,182
7–9
17
July 7
@ Las Vegas
W 99–90 (OT)
Brittney Griner (33)
Brittney Griner (12)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (8)
Michelob Ultra Arena 3,013
8–9
18
July 9
Seattle
W 85–77
Brittney Griner (29)
Brittney Griner (15)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (6)
Phoenix Suns Arena 7,554
9–9
19
July 11
@ Seattle
L 75–82
Kia Nurse (28)
Brittney Griner (9)
Shey Peddy (7)
Angel of the Winds Arena 5,110
9–10 :
August
: 7–0 (Home: 4–0; Road: 3–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
20
August 15
Atlanta
W 92–81
Skylar Diggins-Smith (19)
Brianna Turner (17)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (7)
Footprint Center 7,491
10–10
21
August 17
Indiana
W 84–80
Brittney Griner (25)
Brianna Turner (11)
Diana Taurasi (7)
Footprint Center 4,089
11–10
22
August 19
Washington
W 77–64
Brittney Griner (30)
Brianna Turner (14)
Brittney Griner (5)
Footprint Center 5,113
12–10
23
August 21
@ Atlanta
W 84–69
Skylar Diggins-Smith (25)
Brittney Griner (12)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (7)
Gateway Center Arena 2,073
13–10
24
August 25
@ New York
W 106–79
Skylar Diggins-Smith (27)
Brianna Turner (15)
Diana Taurasi (7)
Barclays Center 1,872
14–10
25
August 27
@ New York
W 80–64
Skylar Diggins-Smith (27)
Kia Vaughn (11)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (7)
Barclays Center 2,315
15–10
26
August 31
Chicago
W 103–83
Kia Nurse (21)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (8)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (10)
Footprint Center 5,838
16–10 :
September
: 3–3 (Home: 0–1; Road: 3–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
27
September 4
@ Indiana
W 87–65
Brittney Griner (22)
Brianna Turner (11)
Diana Taurasi (7)
Indiana Farmers Coliseum N/A
17–10
28
September 6
@ Indiana
W 86–81
Brittney Griner (21)
Brittney Griner (10)
Diana Taurasi (6)
Indiana Farmers Coliseum N/A
18–10
29
September 8
@ Atlanta
W 76–75
Shey Peddy (18)
Brianna Turner (15)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (5)
Gateway Center Arena 1,215
19–10
30
September 11
Connecticut
L 67–76
Brittney Griner (25)
Brittney Griner (12)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (5)
Footprint Center 9,811
19–11
31
September 17
@ Seattle
L 85–94
Brittney Griner (26)
Brittney Griner (13)
Brittney Griner (5)
Angel of the Winds Arena 6,000
19–12
32
September 19
Las Vegas
L 83–84
Skylar Diggins-Smith (17)
Brianna Turner (8)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (7)
Phoenix Suns Arena 9,724
19–13 :
2021 season schedule :

### Playoffs

2021 playoff game log Total: 6–5 :
First round
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
September 23
New York
W 83–82
Skylar Diggins-Smith (22)
Brittney Griner (10)
Brittney Griner (6)
Grand Canyon University Arena 5,827
1–0 :
Second round
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
September 26
@ Seattle
W 85–80 (OT)
Brittney Griner (23)
Brittney Griner (16)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (6)
Angel of the Winds Arena 5,375
1–0 :
Semifinals
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
September 28
@ Las Vegas
L 90–96
Brittney Griner (24)
Brianna Turner (8)
Griner Taurasi (6)
Michelob Ultra Arena 7,009
0–1
2
September 30
@ Las Vegas
W 117–91
Diana Taurasi (37)
Brianna Turner (8)
Diggins-Smith Griner Vaughn (5)
Michelob Ultra Arena 6,432
1–1
3
October 3
Las Vegas
W 87–60
Brianna Turner (23)
Brianna Turner (17)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (9)
Desert Financial Arena 7,090
2–1
4
October 6
Las Vegas
L 76–93
Diggins-Smith Taurasi (14)
Brittney Griner (8)
Taurasi Turner (4)
Footprint Center 11,255
2–2
5
October 8
@ Las Vegas
87–84
Brittney Griner (28)
Brianna Turner (11)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (8)
Michelob Ultra Arena 9,680
3–2 :
Finals
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
October 10
Chicago
L 77–91
Brittney Griner (20)
Brianna Turner (9)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (4)
Footprint Center 10,191
0–1
2
October 13
Chicago
W 91–86 (OT)
Brittney Griner (29)
Griner Turner (9)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (12)
Footprint Center 13,685
1–1
3
October 15
@ Chicago
L 50–86
Brittney Griner (16)
Brianna Turner (7)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (3)
Wintrust Arena 10,378
1–2
4
October 17
@ Chicago
L 74–80
Brittney Griner (28)
Brianna Turner (12)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (8)
Wintrust Arena 10,378
1–3 :
2021 playoff schedule :

## Standings

| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Conf. | Home | Road | Cup |
| 1 | x – Connecticut Sun | 26 | 6 | .813 | – | 12–3 | 15–1 | 11–5 | 9–1 |
| 2 | x – Las Vegas Aces | 24 | 8 | .750 | 2 | 11–4 | 13–3 | 11–5 | 6–4 |
| 3 | x – Minnesota Lynx | 22 | 10 | .688 | 4 | 10–5 | 13–3 | 9–7 | 7–3 |
| 4 | x – Seattle Storm | 21 | 11 | .656 | 5 | 9–6 | 11–5 | 10–6 | 8–2 |
| 5 | x – Phoenix Mercury | 19 | 13 | .594 | 7 | 6–9 | 7–9 | 12–4 | 5–5 |
| 6 | x – Chicago Sky | 16 | 16 | .500 | 10 | 10–5 | 6–10 | 10–6 | 6–4 |
| 7 | x – Dallas Wings | 14 | 18 | .438 | 12 | 7–8 | 7–9 | 7–9 | 3–7 |
| 8 | x – New York Liberty | 12 | 20 | .375 | 14 | 6–9 | 7–9 | 5–11 | 5–5 |
| 9 | e – Washington Mystics | 12 | 20 | .375 | 14 | 7–8 | 8–8 | 4–12 | 4–6 |
| 10 | e – Los Angeles Sparks | 12 | 20 | .375 | 14 | 2–13 | 8–8 | 4–12 | 1–9 |
| 11 | e – Atlanta Dream | 8 | 24 | .250 | 18 | 6–9 | 4–12 | 4–12 | 4–6 |
| 12 | e – Indiana Fever | 6 | 26 | .188 | 20 | 4–11 | 4–12 | 2–14 | 2–8 |
* v
* t
* e
Notes
    (#) – League Standing
    x – Clinched playoff berth
    e – Eliminated from playoff contention
    Source: Overall standings and Commissioner's Cup Standings

## Playoffs

| First round Single elimination Sept. 23 | First round Single elimination Sept. 23 | First round Single elimination Sept. 23 | Second round Single elimination Sept. 26 | Second round Single elimination Sept. 26 | Second round Single elimination Sept. 26 | Semifinals Best-of-five Sept. 28 – Oct. 8 | Semifinals Best-of-five Sept. 28 – Oct. 8 | Semifinals Best-of-five Sept. 28 – Oct. 8 | Semifinals Best-of-five Sept. 28 – Oct. 8 | Semifinals Best-of-five Sept. 28 – Oct. 8 | Semifinals Best-of-five Sept. 28 – Oct. 8 | Semifinals Best-of-five Sept. 28 – Oct. 8 | WNBA Finals Best-of-five Oct. 10 – Oct. 17 | WNBA Finals Best-of-five Oct. 10 – Oct. 17 | WNBA Finals Best-of-five Oct. 10 – Oct. 17 | WNBA Finals Best-of-five Oct. 10 – Oct. 17 | WNBA Finals Best-of-five Oct. 10 – Oct. 17 | WNBA Finals Best-of-five Oct. 10 – Oct. 17 | WNBA Finals Best-of-five Oct. 10 – Oct. 17 |
| | | | | | | 2 | Las Vegas Aces | 96 | 91 | 60 | 93 | 84 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 4 | Seattle Storm | 80 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 90 | 117 | 87 | 76 | 87 | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 83 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 85$^{OT}$ | | | | | | | | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 77 | 91$^{OT}$ | 50 | 74 | – |
| 8 | New York Liberty | 82 | | | | | | | | | | | 6 | Chicago Sky | 91 | 86 | 86 | 80 | – |
| | | | | | | 1 | Connecticut Sun | 95 | 79 | 83 | 69 | – | | | | | | | |
| | | | 3 | Minnesota Lynx | 76 | 6 | Chicago Sky | 101$^{2OT}$ | 68 | 86 | 79 | – | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Chicago Sky | 81 | 6 | Chicago Sky | 89 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Dallas Wings | 64 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Note: Teams re-seeded after each round.

## Statistics

Source:

### Regular season

| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Brittney Griner | 30 | 30 | 32.8 | 57.5 | 44.4 | 84.6 | 9.5 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 20.5 |
| Skylar Diggins-Smith | 32 | 32 | 32.5 | 45.2 | 37.0 | 81.8 | 3.2 | 5.3 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 17.5 |
| Diana Taurasi | 16 | 16 | 28.4 | 36.5 | 33.9 | 86.1 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 15.2 |
| Kia Nurse | 32 | 32 | 26.1 | 35.9 | 35.3 | 79.0 | 3.5 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 9.5 |
| Brianna Turner | 32 | 32 | 31.1 | 55.4 | 0.0 | 71.7 | 9.4 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 7.8 |
| Sophie Cunningham | 30 | 4 | 17.5 | 43.7 | 41.0 | 70.4 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 5.6 |
| Shey Peddy | 32 | 5 | 17.5 | 41.2 | 33.3 | 92.0 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 5.4 |
| Kia Vaughn | 28 | 2 | 15.8 | 44.4 | 0.0 | 60.0 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 4.6 |
| Megan Walker | 29 | 7 | 14.7 | 31.1 | 62.7 | 63.3 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 4.5 |
| Bria Hartley | 6 | 0 | 8.5 | 56.3 | 57.1 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 3.7 |
| Alanna Smith | 18 | 0 | 6.5 | 23.5 | 19.0 | 25.0 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.2 |

## Awards and Milestones

| Recipient | Award/Milestone | Date awarded |
| Brittney Griner | Western Conference Player of the Week | June 1 |
| Diana Taurasi | First WNBA player to reach 9,000 career points | June 27 vs. Los Angeles Sparks |
| Skylar Diggins-Smith | WNBA All-Star Selection | June 30 |
| Brittney Griner | WNBA All-Star Selection | June 30 |
| Diana Taurasi | WNBA All-Star Selection | June 30 |
| Brittney Griner | Western Conference Player of the Week | July 12 |
| Brittney Griner | Western Conference Player of the Week | August 23 |
| Skylar Diggins-Smith | Western Conference Player of the Week | August 30 |
| Brittney Griner | Western Conference Player of the Week | September 6 |
| Brittney Griner | Western Conference Player of the Week | September 13 |
| Brianna Turner | WNBA All-Defensive First Team | September 26 |
| Brittney Griner | WNBA All-Defensive Second Team | September 26 |
| Skylar Diggins-Smith | All-WNBA First Team | October 15 |
| Brittney Griner | All-WNBA First Team | October 15 |