Latest news with #tripledouble
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Phoenix Mercury vs Atlanta Dream: Injury report, where to watch
The Phoenix Mercury (19-11) and the Atlanta Dream (19-11) will face off against each other at PHX Arena on Aug. 10. The Mercury currently sit at fourth overall in the WNBA standings behind the Dream due to the Dream winning the season series. The Mercury have won their last three games, in which forward Alyssa Thomas recorded a triple-double in all three. Thomas's third consecutive triple-double against the Indiana Fever on Aug. 7 was the first time in WNBA history that a player had recorded the milestone in three consecutive games. Thomas leads the league with 9.2 assists. The Dream have won their last four games and are 2-0 against the Mercury. The Dream handed the Mercury their worst loss on Aug. 1, winning 95-72. Former Mercury center Brittney Griner is questionable with a neck injury, while guard Rhyne Howard is questionable with a left knee injury. The Mercury did not have any injuries to report. The game will be shown locally on Arizona's Family 3TV at 3 p.m. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Mercury vs Atlanta Dream: Injury report, TV channel
Forbes
3 days ago
- Sport
- Forbes
Alyssa Thomas Makes WNBA History With Third Straight Triple Double
Alyssa Thomas still has work to do while polishing an MVP résumé and solidifying a top seed for the Phoenix Mercury. Part of that journey, though, is consistently raising the bar and making it harder for contemporaries to match her greatness. Thomas made history – yet again – Thursday night, becoming the only player to log a triple double in three consecutive games. Before that instance, there was only one player to achieve it in two straight games: Alyssa Thomas, numerous times with the Connecticut Sun. She is now making a habit out of the 'joining herself' stat-lines. The latest performance was similar to her entire 2025 campaign: Sublime, efficient, and selfless. She finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, while continuing to build on her career-high True Shooting mark (56.9%). She's shooting 66.9% at the rim, also the best of her 12-year career. As the fourth quarter was winding down Thursday, her teammates were visibly amped to lift her into the record books. They weren't going to let her get subbed out with nine assists. Every pass she threw, whether in a halfcourt or transition setting, was met with an immediate shot attempt. Everyone knew the assignment. The Mercury cruised to a 35-point blowout, the team's third-highest margin of victory in franchise history. Phoenix is currently three wins ahead of last year's pace after 30 games. With Thomas leading the way, there's more cohesion on the court, fewer defensive mistakes, more accountability, and simply better vibes. This is the first year Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts has been able to spend time with Thomas, which includes watching her lead every day. After a few months around her, the only thing that surprises Tibbetts is how underrated she remains in the grand scheme of WNBA discourse. 'AT is an unbelievable player,' Tibbetts said after the win. 'She would probably be the first to tell you, or wouldn't want to talk about it … but I think she's been overlooked her whole career on how great she is. Just the way that she plays is special. She competes on each and every possession defensively. She wants to see her teammates succeed with the way she passes the ball.' Thomas now has 19 triple doubles throughout her career – 15 with Connecticut and four with Phoenix. Not only is that more than quadruple the next player on the list, Sabrina Ionescu, but it's more than players 2-8 combined. In some ways, are triple doubles an arbitrary achievement? Sure. After all, sports audiences are infatuated by round numbers and triple doubles don't always correlate with impact. Like anything else, the proper context should be applied. Thomas could still be squarely in the MVP hunt if she routinely delivered 25-point performances with seven rebounds and six assists. But that's not the type of player she is. The phrase 'one of one' is a descriptor of Thomas, and not only because she's accumulating unprecedented box scores. It's because of her uncanny ability to control a game without attempting more than 12 shots. She doesn't try to rack up triple doubles – it's her natural cadence and personality that allows her to walk casually into each one. And if she did chase them for fun? It shouldn't matter, as long as the Mercury are fulfilling their primary goal of winning. Sitting at 19-11, only a half-game out of second place in the standings, I'd say they're in solid shape on that front. During a five-month season, which can feel like a grind, you need joy and entertainment. You need measurable targets, both on the individual and team level. But most importantly, players need realistic, achievable benchmarks to celebrate with their teammates. Without the triple double excitement, we probably don't hear the thunderous ovation in PHX Arena Thursday night, with MVP chants reverberating through the lower bowl. We also probably don't get Thomas' teammates losing their minds on the bench when history was made, capped by Kahleah Copper passionately shouting into the microphone who her MVP vote would be. By the time she hangs up the sneakers and walks away from the sport, which won't be any time soon, Thomas will become synonymous with the triple double – the same way someone uttering the words 'Caitlin Clark' automatically gives you a visualization of her launching 30-foot bombs. Excluding Thomas, we've seen 1,130 players appear in at least one game throughout WNBA history. That's over the course of 29 seasons. In the last week alone, Thomas has registered more triple doubles than 1,127 of those players logged in their careers. That's not just impressive. It's proof that she's brought a unique style to the league since being drafted in 2014, and she will be an inspiration to future stars who still want to leave a major imprint on the game without being a top-tier scorer. With only 345 career games under her belt, Thomas is already eighth on the all-time leaderboard in assists (on the verge of becoming seventh), and 12th in total rebounds. She will stand out as the statistical anomaly of this era, valuing the other components of the game instead of high-volume scoring. Still only 33 years old, she will inevitably put herself in elite conversations if she opts to play another five to seven years. Nicknames are often silly in sports, and not exactly reflective of the player's identity or tendencies. Thomas doesn't fall into that category. Billed as 'The Engine," it's a direct representation of what she provides for the Mercury. It's also what allows her to stand out and separate herself from the pack in a league surging in popularity. She is the WNBA's version of Nikola Jokic, reading the floor and dictating the terms of every possession to generate the best possible outcome. She can also be a version of Giannis Antetokounmpo, gobbling rebounds and operating as the de facto point guard in those grab-and-go scenarios while creating easy transition points. But let's be honest. Future Hall-of-Famers would rather carve their own path, in their own league. She's the WNBA's Alyssa Thomas. Just like the statistical feats we witness every week … the only comparison she needs is herself.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mercury's Alyssa Thomas makes WNBA history after recording 3rd straight triple-double
Alyssa Thomas of the Phoenix Mercury made WNBA history on Thursday night by becoming the first player in league history to record three consecutive triple-doubles. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] The nine-year veteran had 18 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists during the Mercury's 95-60 win over the Indiana Fever — Phoenix's third straight win. Thomas set the record late in the fourth quarter with an assist on DeWanna Bonner's 3-pointer. The triple-double was the 19th of Thomas' career. She's been so dominant in that specific statistic that the next closest in WNBA history are the four achieved by Sabrina Ionescu. "Just a huge honor," Thomas said afterward. "A lot of credit to my teammates. They helped me get this one tonight. But to be first ever, not a lot of people can say that about anything." Thomas, who is in her first season with the Mercury after spending the first eight years of her WNBA career with the Connecticut Sun, has achieved at least a double-double in the her last seven games. The 33-year-old Maryland alum is averaging 15.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and 9.2 assists through 25 games this season. The Mercury are tied for third place through 30 games with a 19-11 record and remain six games behind the league-leading Minnesota Lynx. They've already matched their win total of last season. "Just leaning into each other," Thomas said of what's changed this season within the team. "We've had a lot of adversity this season, injuries and things of that nature. I think we're just starting to hit our second wind."
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Alyssa Thomas records third straight triple-double in Phoenix's 95-60 win over Indiana
PHOENIX (AP) — Alyssa Thomas had 18 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to become the first WNBA player with three straight triple-doubles, and the Phoenix Mercury beat the Indiana Fever 95-60 on Thursday night for their third consecutive victory. Thomas secured her 19th career triple-double with 3:47 left on a pass to the corner for DeWanna Bonner's 3-pointer. Thomas has 41 points, 33 rebounds and 32 assists in her last three games. Bonner finished with a season-high 23 points. Satou Sabally had 15 points and eight rebounds, and Kahleah Copper scored 11 for Phoenix (19-11). Sophie Cunningham scored 18 points and shot 5 of 8 on 3-pointers for Indiana (17-14). Kelsey Mitchell added 12 points. Caitlin Clark (right groin) missed her ninth straight game. Phoenix had its lead trimmed to 53-44 early in the third quarter after Cunningham made a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions. But the Mercury answered with a 14-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Sami Whitcomb, for a 23-point lead with 2:39 left in the third. Indiana went four-plus minutes without scoring in the third and finished the quarter with just 11 points. DREAM 86, SKY 65 CHICAGO (AP) — Allisha Gray scored 25 points, Jordin Canada had 17 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Atlanta controlled the second half and beat Chicago for its fourth straight victory. Atlanta trailed 34-28 at halftime before scoring the first 10 points of the third quarter to take its first lead of the game. The Dream outscored the Sky 32-18 in the third to take a 60-52 lead. Jordin Canada gave Atlanta the first double-digit lead of the game at 74-63 with 5:47 left in the fourth. Te-Hina Paopao added 12 points and Nia Coffey scored 10 off the bench for Atlanta (19-11). Naz Hillmon grabbed 11 rebounds to become the second Dream player this season to record back-to-back games with 10-plus boards. Gray and Paopao each made three of the Dream's nine 3-pointers. Rachel Banham led Chicago (8-22) with 18 points. Kamilla Cardoso had 12 points, six rebounds and five assists. Angel Reese (back) did not play for the seventh time in the last nine games. SPARKS 102, SUN 91 LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dearica Hamby scored 21 points, Rickea Jackson added 20 points and Kelsey Plum had 18, and Los Angeles beat Connecticut for its eighth win in nine games. Los Angeles (14-15) scored 100-plus points for the fifth time in the last six games behind six players with double-digit scoring. Cameron Brink scored all 11 of her points in the second half, and Azura Stevens and Julie Allemand each had 10. Allemand secured her first career triple-double on a layup with 1:11 left in the fourth quarter. She also had 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Tina Charles and Marina Mabrey each scored 19 points for Connecticut (5-24). Bria Hartley added 16 points and Leila Lacan had 10 points and seven assists. Connecticut made 7 of 14 3-pointers in the first half to help build a 51-49 lead. Plum did not make her first field goal of the game until the 2:41 mark of the third quarter when her 3-pointer gave Los Angeles a 69-64 lead. Plum made Los Angeles' 10th 3-pointer with 3:58 left in the fourth — on Julie Allemand's 10th assist — for an 89-78 lead.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Alyssa Thomas becomes first WNBA player with 3 straight triple-doubles in Mercury's win over Fever
PHOENIX (AP) — Alyssa Thomas had 18 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to become the first WNBA player with three straight triple-doubles, and the Phoenix Mercury beat the Indiana Fever 95-60 on Thursday night for their third consecutive victory. Thomas secured her 19th career triple-double with 3:47 left on a pass to the corner for DeWanna Bonner's 3-pointer. Thomas has 41 points, 33 rebounds and 32 assists in her last three games. Bonner finished with a season-high 23 points. Satou Sabally had 15 points and eight rebounds, and Kahleah Copper scored 11 for Phoenix (19-11). Sophie Cunningham scored 18 points and shot 5 of 8 on 3-pointers for Indiana (17-14). Kelsey Mitchell added 12 points. Caitlin Clark (right groin) missed her ninth straight game. Phoenix had its lead trimmed to 53-44 early in the third quarter after Cunningham made a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions. But the Mercury answered with a 14-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Sami Whitcomb, for a 23-point lead with 2:39 left in the third. Indiana went four-plus minutes without scoring in the third and finished the quarter with just 11 points. The season series is tied 1-all, with the final regular-season meeting on Sept. 2 in Phoenix. ___ AP WNBA:
