Nate Tibbetts shares honest admission amid Mercury’s offensive slump
The Phoenix Mercury dropped their second-straight contest at home, 89-76 against the Minnesota Lynx. The offensive woes continued, as Phoenix shot a combined 38.2% from the field. Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts shared his honest admission as to why his team is struggling to score amid an offensive slump.
“We’ll have them here over the next few days, we’re going to watch film and try to improve,” Tibbetts said. “This is the most we’ve struggled offensively all year. You tell them to take care of the ball and focus on our spacing. I don’t think there’s anything too earth-shattering, but just trying to find our rhythm.”
The Mercury tried any means to get into a rhythm or find some kind of spark. Center Brittney Griner missed routine shots, along with guards Kahleah Copper and Natasha Cloud. Even with the missed shots, turnovers were without a doubt the biggest factor. In the first quarter alone, Phoenix allowed ten turnovers that led to 18 Minnesota points. Although the turnovers cooled for the rest of the game, it still is alarming. Not to mention, the Lynx scored 18 fast break points with help of those Phoenix mistakes.
Was there an end to the Mercury’s offensive slump?
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Forward Sophie Cunningham came off the bench, with Monique Billings entering the starting lineup for more size. Although Cunningham scored a team-high 16 points, there still wasn’t that will that the Mercury usually have. They needed a spark of some kind. As a result, Tibbetts argued with the officials over consecutive missed calls and received a technical foul at the 1:43 mark in the third quarter.
When the fourth quarter approached, Cunningham abruptly received a technical foul after arguing with the official. Next play, she scored an and-one and confronted Lynx forward Napheesa Collier and both players received a technical. Since that Cunningham’s second, she garnered her first career ejection. She had a simple, yet elaborate answer as to what the Mercury need while in an offensive slump.
The Phoenix crowd letting the refs hear it after Sophie Cunningham's ejection.#WNBA #ValleyTogether pic.twitter.com/yEjqm33XbX— Hayden Cilley (@HaydenCilley) August 29, 2024
“Practice,” Cunningham said. “I think with just some of the injuries we have had, we have kind of an older roster, sometimes you want to protect that, but sometimes you just have to roll your sleeves up and go to work. That is exactly what we are going to do… It really is just practicing. We haven’t had a legit practice in a really long time. I think everyone is pretty much looking forward to Friday.”
Cunningham is speaking the truth about the practice. Tibbetts also mentioned postgame that the team hasn’t had an official practice since the all-star break. That, combined with the frequency of games has equated to the Phoenix offensive slump. The schedule hasn’t helped their case to fully prepare for games.
Phoenix is still missing forward Rebecca Allen with a right hamstring issue and Charisma Osborne with a left lower leg injury. Because of this, they went out and signed Monique Billings to the rest of the season as they wait for her to come back. While Tibbetts said Allen is roughly a week away from playing, they’ll need to adjust to close out the final three games of the home-stand on a positive note.
Change can happen overnight, or within a day. Phoenix’s schedule doesn’t get easier, as they take on the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday. One can wonder if that Friday practice Cunningham mentioned could clean up the Mercury’s offensive slump.
The post Nate Tibbetts shares honest admission amid Mercury’s offensive slump appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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