Phoenix Just Humiliated the Defending Champs 99-66, and Golden State's About to Find Out Why

The Phoenix Mercury aren't messing around this season. One night after the Golden State Valkyries opened with a 91-80 win in Seattle on WNBA Opening Night, Phoenix absolutely demolished the Las Vegas Aces 99-66 on the defending champion's home court. Now the Mercury and Valkyries are about to run it back Sunday night in San Francisco, and Golden State is walking into a buzz saw.

Phoenix's Secret Weapon Just Showed Up

Here's what makes this Mercury squad dangerous: they brought in Jovana Nogic, a Serbian forward who'd been playing in Russia and suddenly became available thanks to the WNBA's new collective bargaining agreement that's actually paying players enough to make the move worth it. She dropped 19 points in the first half alone against the Aces. Alyssa Thomas chipped in 20, but Nogic set the tone on a victory lap that doubled as a ring ceremony crasher. Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts was pretty clear about what changed this offseason: "This is a player that hasn't come over, because maybe it wasn't worth it, right? A lot of these European players," he told media after the win. "She had an awesome start; I'm really happy for her."

Golden State's Injuries Are Piling Up Before the Rematch

The Valkyries are limping into Sunday. They're missing last year's top pick Juste Jocyte, who's still finishing her obligation to a Spanish League team, and key player Iliana Rupert, who is pregnant. Worse, starting guard Tiffany Hayes dislocated her pinkie finger and reserve Cecilia Zandalasini suffered a concussion. All four are ruled out Sunday. Coach Natalie Nakase, last season's WNBA Coach of the Year, knows her defense got exposed in Seattle. "My expectations are high for us defensively," she said after that win. "We just have to be smarter. There's a lot of corrections that we can make." The Valkyries allowed 24 and 27-point quarters in that opening game, which is not championship-level ball. Nakase acknowledged her team is still finding its rhythm with limited practice time together, but she's expecting a sharper performance this time around. Janelle Salaun scored 20 and Veronica Burton added 16 in the Seattle win, but that defense has to tighten up fast.

Sunday night in San Francisco is going to tell us a lot about both teams. Phoenix looks locked in. Golden State has work to do.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.