Phoenix Mercury vs Atlanta Dream Player Stats and Box Scores for Aug. 21 | 2024 WNBA Season

Two teams battling for playoff positions faced off on Wednesday in the Phoenix Mercury versus Atlanta Dream game. The Dream pulled off a 72-63 victory, improving to 10-17 while pushing the Mercury to a 15-13 slate.

Both teams had a shaky start, but Jordin Canada scored four points in the first four minutes and assisted Naz Hillmon for a layup, giving the Atlanta Dream a 6-0 lead.

Phoenix finally scored with a pair of free throws from Kahleah Copper, followed by a Rhyne Howard 3-pointer, extending Atlanta's lead to 9-4. Phoenix's struggles persisted, with Diana Taurasi missing a driving layup and Brittney Griner missing a 14-foot jumper. Howard stayed hot, hitting a pull-up jumper and a free throw to push the lead to 14-4.

Tina Charles added a fadeaway jumper to make it 16-4, then followed up with another basket to increase the lead to 18-4.

The quarter ended with Taurasi missing a step-back 3-pointer, leaving the score at 19-6.

Phoenix began the second quarter with a cutting layup by Monique Billings, followed by a Copper pull-up jumper, cutting Atlanta's lead to 19-10.

Griner then contributed, sinking both free throws after drawing a foul and hitting a 10-foot turnaround hook shot. After a technical foul on Moriah Caldwell, Copper hit the free throw, and Nia Mack hit a floater to tie the game at 21-21 after a steal by Mikiah Herbert Harrigan.

However, Rhyne Howard quickly answered with a 3-pointer, putting Atlanta back on top 24-21. Phoenix kept fighting, with Copper hitting a pull-up jumper and Mack adding another basket.

Late in the quarter, Aari McDonald hit two crucial 3-pointers, and another 3-pointer from Howard extended the Dream’s lead, allowing them to finish the half ahead again, 34-25.

Copper caught fire, narrowing the deficit to 37-33 almost on her own until Nia Hillmon of Atlanta stopped her run with a layup. Phoenix then called a timeout, after which Aari McDonald hit a 3-pointer.

Phoenix responded with a 3-pointer from Monique Billings to make it 42-38. Howard extended Atlanta's lead with a driving layup, and Billings and Cloud had layups of their own to close the gap to 44-42.

With just over two minutes remaining, Howard scored a driving layup to extend Atlanta’s lead to 46-43, but Cloud tied the game at 46-46 with a pullup 3-pointer. In the final moments, Monique Billings made two free throws to put Atlanta ahead 48-46. Haley Jones responded with a floating jump shot for Phoenix, ending the quarter in a 48-48 tie and setting up an intense final period.

Tina Charles then hit a 3-pointer to break the tie, which moved her into second place on the all-time WNBA points scoring list.

Phoenix answered with a putback layup by Griner to cut the lead to 57-50, but Gray quickly responded with a driving layup.

Gray continued her strong play, hitting free throws to push Atlanta’s lead to 67-52. Taurasi made a 3-pointer for Phoenix, but Hillmon answered with a layup, making it 69-55.

In the closing minutes, Phoenix made a push with a 3-pointer from Copper, narrowing the score to 69-60. Howard responded with a 3-pointer of her own, extending Atlanta’s lead to 72-60.

Cunningham hit a 24-foot 3-pointer for Phoenix, cutting the deficit to 72-63, but that was all she wrote as Atlanta secured the victory.

Gray led the Dream with 21 points, and Howard added 19. Tina Charles scored 12 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, becoming the second all-time leading scorer in WNBA history with 7,491 points.

Copper scored 22 for the Mercury, while Griner added 14.

Phoenix Mercury vs Atlanta Dream Player Stats and Box Scores

---

Phoenix Mercury Player Stats and Box Scores

Player	MIN	FGM-A	FG%	3PM-A	3P%	FTM-A	FT%	+/-	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	PF	STL	TO	BS	PTS
Kahleah Copper	33:46	8-17	47.1	2-5	40.0	4-5	80.0	-6	0	6	6	2	3	0	2	0	22
Sophie Cunningham	24:40	1-6	16.7	1-6	16.7	0-0	0.0	-5	0	2	2	2	3	0	0	1	3
Brittney Griner	33:48	6-14	42.9	0-0	0.0	2-2	100.0	-4	2	6	8	3	3	1	1	1	14
Diana Taurasi	30:24	1-6	16.7	1-4	25.0	0-0	0.0	-16	0	0	0	4	2	1	3	0	3
Natasha Cloud	37:35	2-8	25.0	1-3	33.3	1-1	100.0	-12	0	8	8	2	1	1	2	0	6
Natasha Mack	13:07	2-2	100.0	0-0	0.0	0-0	0.0	-2	0	5	5	1	0	0	0	0	4
Monique Billings	17:29	3-7	42.9	1-1	100.0	2-2	100.0	-7	0	3	3	0	4	0	1	1	9
Mikiah Herbert Harrigan	9:11	1-1	100.0	0-0	0.0	0-0	0.0	7	1	0	1	1	0	1	2	0	2
Rebecca Allen	0:00	0-0	0.0	0-0	0.0	0-0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Charisma Osborne	0:00	0-0	0.0	0-0	0.0	0-0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

---

Atlanta Dream Player Stats and Box Scores

Player	MIN	FGM-A	FG%	3PM-A	3P%	FTM-A	FT%	+/-	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	PF	STL	TO	BS	PTS
Rhyne Howard	34:04	6-19	31.6	4-13	30.8	3-3	100.0	-1	0	2	2	3	0	1	1	0	19
Naz Hillmon	33:38	4-9	44.4	0-0	0.0	0-0	0.0	2	3	5	8	1	3	0	1	0	8
Tina Charles	33:07	4-12	33.3	2-4	50.0	2-3	66.7	14	2	15	17	3	2	0	0	0	12
Allisha Gray	33:06	6-14	42.9	3-8	37.5	6-6	100.0	17	2	1	3	2	3	0	1	0	21
Jordin Canada	28:31	1-7	14.3	0-3	0.0	2-2	100.0	-4	2	3	5	6	3	0	3	1	4
Haley Jones	11:23	1-3	33.3	0-0	0.0	0-0	0.0	14	0	3	3	0	1	0	2	0	2
Maya Caldwell	12:55	3-5	60.0	0-2	0.0	0-2	0.0	1	1	0	1	1	2	1	0	0	6
Nia Coffey	4:37	0-1	0.0	0-1	0.0	0-0	0.0	-2	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
Lorela Cubaj	8:37	0-3	0.0	0-0	0.0	0-0	0.0	4	6	0	6	1	1	1	0	0	0
Laeticia Amihere	0:00	0-0	0.0	0-0	0.0	0-0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cheyenne Parker-Tyus	0:00	0-0	0.0	0-0	0.0	0-0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Aerial Powers	0:00	0-0	0.0	0-0	0.0	0-0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0