Record-setting techs: Phoenix Mercury likely lacking starters vs. Atlanta Dream

The Phoenix Mercury (16-17) are losing their offensive rhythm, composure, and starters because of technical fouls with seven games left before the playoffs begin on Sept. 22.

The Mercury, who are on a three-game skid, will be shorthanded without their starters Diana Taurasi and point guard Natasha Cloud against Atlanta Dream (11-21) at home on Tuesday. That will be the final of their four-game season series and fourth of Phoenix‘s five-game homestand.

Taurasi and Cloud received their seventh tech each in the Mercury’s 97-79 blowout loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday, which led to an automatic one-game suspension. The Mercury were already without their starting wing Bec Allen (right hamstring), who’s been out for all of their eight games in the season’s second half.

“I really don’t care about any of that. It’s every game the same way. That’s just life,” Taurasi said about herself not treading lightly toward officials while knowing she had six techs entering Sunday’s game. “If it’s a game off, it’s a game off. Whatever.”

The ninth-place Dream are in a similar predicament to the No. 7 Mercury in the playoff hunt.

Atlanta’s battling for one of the eight playoff spots as the No. 8 Chicago Sky have the same 11-21 record. The Dream ended their four-game skid in Los Angeles on Sunday. The Mercury are trying to catch the No. 6 Indiana Fever (17-16), which won their fourth straight Sunday at Dallas. If Phoenix loses to Atlanta, the Mercury will match their season-worst four-game skid.

Tibbetts said after the Mercury’s Sunday loss that he expects to give extra floor time against the Dream to their backup rookie point guard Celeste Taylor, Kahleah Copper (WNBA’s third-best 22.1 points per game) and Sophie Cunningham, who’s been solid scoring 11.3 points on 50% shooting during the last three games.

“We battled injuries earlier in the year, and we had different people step up,” Tibbetts said. “Obviously Celeste is gonna get a lot of minutes. Kah will probably have to play some point. Sophie has done it at times. So those are three that come to mind.”

Tibbetts is holding his team accountable for its struggles rather than scapegoating the officials.

“It’s just rhythm and timing and confidence. We’ve had a pretty good offense up until the last three games,” Tibbetts said. “We were the third-rated offense in the league. Obviously right now we are not that team, but just collectively as a group believing in what we’re doing and believing in each other.”

He also blamed themselves for sputtering in the first quarter and on defense.

During the Mercury’s five losses of eight games played in the WNBA season’s second half, they’re averaged just 11 points and accumulated a minus-58 point differential to their opponents in the first quarters of those losses. In Phoenix’s loss at Atlanta on Aug. 21, the Mercury scored their first-quarter lowest six points, and then scored just nine at home New York five days later, and never led during the opening period. The Mercury have a 23-point average largest deficit during their latest five losses.

In addition, the Mercury racking up technical fouls is stifling their offense.

Cloud yelled at one of the officials after a drive and didn’t receive a call early in the first quarter, and got a technical shortly after the second quarter’s midpoint as she continued to yell at them. She finished with five points on a poor 2-of-12 shooting with six assists.

Taurasi (nine points, seven assists), who matches Cloud with the most techs in the league, got T’d up in the third, and Copper (15 points, six assists) got one in the fourth. Copper has six techs this season, on the brink of sitting out one game if she gets called for another one.

“It looks like there’s been a lot of eyes on us this year,” Cunningham said. ” … but moving forward, (expletive), we’re grown women. Stop being so sensitive on both ends.”

The techs handed to Taurasi, Cloud, and Copper during the Vegas game added to Phoenix’s single-season league record 33, more than double the three-way tie by Chicago, Dallas, and Indiana for the league’s second-most 15 this season. Phoenix had already set the single-single most for techs 30 after their Wednesday loss to Minnesota, in which Phoenix received three, and that 30 mark broke the Mercury’s previous league record 27 set in 2013.

“You don’t want to see your players be frustrated,” Tibbetts said. “Obviously, we are frustrated right now. That’s just the reality of it. Yeah, we’re trying to find that confidence.”

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mercury’s technical foul record subtracts starters for Dream matchup