Phoenix Mercury vs Chicago Sky Players Stats and Box Scores for Aug. 15

After a month-long pause, the WNBA resumed action on Thursday with the Phoenix Mercury versus Chicago Sky matchup, which featured two teams vying for playoff positions. The game ended up being a blowout, with Phoenix registering an 85-65 win at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

The Mercury came out strong, dominating the first quarter and establishing a commanding 30-12 lead by the end of it.

Team USA star Brittney Griner set the tone from the outset, scoring the first points with a driving layup and converting a free throw to put Phoenix on the board. Griner continued her offensive onslaught throughout the quarter, consistently making field goals to keep the Mercury in control.

Diana Taurasi played a crucial role on both ends of the floor early on. She drained a 3-pointer and made a key block, helping to extend Phoenix's lead. Meanwhile, Chicago struggled to find their rhythm offensively, managing only a few successful plays, including a jumper from Angel Reese and a shot by Diamond DeShields.

In the final moments of the first quarter, Taurasi sank two free throws, while Dana Evans hit a 15-foot pull-up jumper for the Sky, but Phoenix still ended the quarter with an 18-point advantage.

The second quarter saw the home team attempting to chip away at the deficit, with Lindsay Allen and Moriah Jefferson contributing some much-needed points. However, Phoenix's defense, anchored by Griner's multiple blocks and rebounds, proved too tough to overcome.

Sophie Cunningham added to the Mercury's momentum by knocking down a 3-pointer, widening the gap even further. Chicago's struggles at the free-throw line continued, highlighted by Reese missing both attempts after being fouled by Mikiah Herbert Harrigan.

As the quarter wound down, Phoenix capitalized on their opportunities, with Griner making a layup and a mid-range jumper to maintain their lead. The Mercury closed out the first half with a dominant 50-28 advantage over the Sky.

The third quarter began with Reese scoring a quick layup, but the Mercury responded steadily, with Griner continuing her dominant performance.

The Sky's momentum was tempered by turnovers and missed opportunities. The quarter saw several technical fouls and a flurry of fouls, including a double technical on Michaela Onyenwere and Sophie Cunningham, along with a technical foul on Diana Taurasi.

Despite these disruptions, Phoenix’s offensive depth shone through, retaining a 17-point lead ahead of the final period. Kahleah Copper had a night with a game-high 29 points.

Phoenix continued to pull away in the fourth quarter to earn the 85-65 win.

Griner paced the Mercury with 23 points, nine rebounds, six assists and five blocks.

Reese scored 11 points on 4-for-14 shooting for the Sky, while Cardoso added 10.

As a team, the Sky shot 37.0% from the field, while the Mercury made 55.9% of their shots.

Phoenix Mercury vs Chicago Sky Player Stats and Box Scores

Phoenix Mercury Player Stats and Box Scores

Player	POS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	+/-	OFF	DEF	TOT	A	PF	STL	TO	BLK	PTS
B. Griner	C	32:04	10-12	1-1	2-3	19	2	7	9	6	1	2	1	5	23
K. Copper	F	35:03	12-19	3-5	2-4	18	0	2	2	3	3	0	1	0	29
S. Cunningham	F	33:48	3-6	2-5	0-0	15	1	6	7	4	2	1	1	1	8
D. Taurasi	G	30:32	3-8	3-5	2-2	14	0	2	2	4	1	1	3	2	11
N. Cloud	G	29:35	1-7	1-4	0-0	18	0	2	2	6	5	1	2	0	3
C. Taylor		17:08	2-4	2-3	0-0	9	0	1	1	2	0	0	1	1	6
N. Mack		12:37	1-2	0-0	1-2	6	2	6	8	1	5	0	2	1	3
M. Herbert Harrigan		9:13	1-1	0-0	0-0	1	0	3	3	0	1	0	1	0	2
R. Allen		DNP
S. Sutton		DNP
C. Osborne		DNP
Total		200:00	33-59	12-23	7-11		5	29	34	26	18	5	12	10	85

Chicago Sky Player Stats and Box Scores

Player	POS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	+/-	OFF	DEF	TOT	A	PF	STL	TO	BLK	PTS
K. Cardoso	C	24:38	5-8	0-0	0-0	-13	1	4	5	0	3	2	1	1	10
A. Reese	F	32:39	4-14	0-0	3-8	-14	8	7	15	1	3	2	1	1	11
M. Onyenwere	F	24:14	1-8	0-4	3-4	-17	1	1	2	2	3	1	2	1	5
R. Banham	G	26:39	3-10	1-6	0-1	-10	0	1	1	1	3	0	0	0	7
L. Allen	G	16:22	2-4	1-1	0-0	-11	1	1	2	6	2	0	0	0	5
D. Evans		23:38	6-10	2-4	0-0	-9	1	0	1	1	1	0	3	0	14
I. Harrison		17:30	2-5	0-0	1-1	-9	2	0	2	0	2	1	3	0	5
D. DeShields		16:31	3-10	0-3	0-0	-11	1	3	4	2	2	1	1	0	6
M. Jefferson		12:36	1-4	0-1	0-0	-2	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	2
B. Turner		5:13	0-0	0-0	0-0	-4	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
C. Carter		DNP
E. Williams		DNP
Total		200:00	27-73	4-19	7-14		15	18	33	14	20	7	11	3	65

About the author

John Ezekiel Hirro is an experienced NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda, with over five years in the field as a news correspondent, sports writer, and Editor-in-Chief. His sports writing career began in high school, where he garnered numerous accolades, including being named the national sports writing champion in 2016.

He earned his journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines in 2024 and served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Varsitarian, the university's official student publication, for four years—the longest in history.

A passionate basketball enthusiast, he became a fan of the OKC Thunder during the Russ-KD-Harden era. Russell Westbrook, his all-time favorite athlete, impressed him by stepping up as MVP after Kevin Durant's departure. His current favorite players include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who he believes are the future of the OKC franchise.

He excels in game analysis and rapid news story turnaround, drawing inspiration from the journalistic styles of Woj and Shams. He emphasizes thorough research to ensure accuracy in his articles. One of his most memorable moments is Russell Westbrook breaking Oscar Robertson's record with his 42nd triple-double and securing a 106-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Outside of writing, he enjoys listening to music and creating Spotify playlists.

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