Diggins-Smith has 25 points, leads Mercury past Dream 84-69

ATLANTA -- — Skylar Diggins-Smith had 25 points and seven assists, Diana Taurasi added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and the Phoenix Mercury beat the Atlanta Dream 84-69 on Saturday for their fourth straight win.

Phoenix (13-10) led 60-57 entering the fourth quarter and closed it out behind Diggins-Smith, who had 11 points in the period as the Mercury outscored the Dream 24-12 in handing them their eighth straight loss.

A driving layup and a pair of free throws by Diggins-Smith boosted the margin to 68-59, and her 3-pointer midway through the period gave Phoenix a 73-61 lead.

Brittney Griner had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Mercury, who finished with a 47-24 edge on the boards and had 22 assists, compared to 11 for the Dream (6-17).

Odyssey Sims led Atlanta with 16 points. Monique Billings had 15, and Aari McDonald and Crystal Bradford each had 13.

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