Twenty by the break
Paige Bueckers had 20 points at half-time on Saturday in Arlington. She finished with 26, which tells you roughly how the second half went, and it did not end up mattering. Dallas beat Phoenix 87-82 for a sixth straight win.
Arike Ogunbowale supplied the rest of it. She scored 22 with six assists, and produced the play that effectively settled the game: fouled on a driving layup with 1:19 left, she completed the three-point play for 86-81. Aziaha James followed with a steal in the closing seconds, Bueckers was fouled with 9.7 on the clock and made one of two free throws.
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Sixth place, and still climbing
Dallas are 26-16 and have moved past New York and Washington into sixth in the WNBA standings. The run has not been a one-woman operation either. Awak Kuier added 11 points off the bench and Jessica Shepard finished with 10 points, six rebounds and five assists.
The first round of the playoffs begins on 27 September, best of three, with home court reserved for the top four seeds. Dallas are not in that group yet, but they are close enough that the last week of the regular season carries real weight for them.
Thomas keeps filling the sheet
Phoenix lost, and Alyssa Thomas still produced the line of the night: 19 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists. That is the 23rd triple-double of her career and her fourth this season. She remains the most dependable route the Mercury have to anything resembling offence.
Lexi Held scored 21 with four three-pointers and Natasha Mack added 16. Phoenix were within five inside the final 90 seconds and could not shave it any further.
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