Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi had a special performance on Thursday night against the Atlanta Dream. While in the process of becoming the first player in WNBA history with 10,000 points, Taurasi also secured a game-high 42 points.
Diana Taurasi was nothing short of brilliant against the Dream. While the 41-year-old is already viewed as one of the best scorers the league has ever seen, she put this on full display on Thursday night.
Coming into the game with a Mercury team on the back of four consecutive losses, Phoenix looked to their most experienced player to deliver. Needless to say, Taurasi rose to the occasion.
The guard came into the game only 18 points shy of the 10,000 career points milestone. She crushed this in the third quarter itself with a dominant game-high of 26 points. However, the last quarter of the game saw her elevate things to a whole new level.
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Although she only attempted four shots in the fourth, Taurasi managed to secure 16 more points with eight coming from the charity stripe. The dominant display saw the Mercury win the game by a 91-71 scoreline and saw Taurasi notch a 42-point performance in 30 minutes of action.
The scoring outburst also happens to be Taurasi's first 40+ point game since 2010. While considering her impressive career average of 19.2 points per game, Taurasi continues to amaze audiences with her offensive abilities.
Read: Watch: Diana Taurasi makes a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer to reach 10,000 career points
Diana Taurasi delivers a much-needed win for Phoenix
The Phoenix Mercury finally put an end to their horrendous losing streak with a win against the Atlanta Dream. However, the Mercury has little to rejoice over, considering that they have only improved to 7-19 for the season.
Taurasi's individual brilliance on Thursday night is certainly a cause for celebration. Her milestone accomplishment could also boost morale within the roster. But Phoenix is in a tough spot with regard to playoff contention.
Currently sitting at the bottom of the table in the West, the Mercury has a long way to go. With 2.5 games separating them from the eighth-placed Chicago Sky, however, Phoenix can still realistically make a push.
The Mercury will desperately need their team to get going. Their All-Star, Brittney Griner, who was only expected to miss two games, sat out for the game against the Dream as well.
Asking a veteran such as Taurasi to carry the team by herself seems unfair. However, at this stage, it is evident that the Mercury is in no position to take their foot off the gas.