Griner scores 22, Mercury beat Fever 85-63 to snap their six-game losing streak

Jun 30, 2023, 05:15 am

PHOENIX -- — Brittney Griner scored 22 points, Diana Taurasi had 17 points and six assists, and the Phoenix Mercury beat the Indiana Fever 85-63 on Thursday night to snap a six-game losing streak.

It was the first win for interim coach Nikki Blue, who took over after Phoenix fired Vanessa Nygaard on Sunday. The Mercury only scored 62 points against Dallas on Tuesday in Blue's debut.

Brianna Turner added a season-high 11 points for Phoenix (3-11). The Mercury had a season-high 28 assists on 34 made field goals. Sophie Cunningham (concussion evaluation) and Moriah Jefferson (ankle) did not play in the fourth quarter.

Phoenix led 31-23 after its highest-scoring first quarter of the season, and it was 52-35 at the break behind Griner's 15 points.

Taurasi made a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions late in the third quarter to help the Mercury lead 72-51 entering the fourth.

Kelsey Mitchell scored 15 points for Indiana (5-10), which lost its third straight after back-to-back losses against Las Vegas. NaLyssa Smith had 10 points and nine rebounds, and rookie Aliyah Boston added six points and nine rebounds.

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