Brittney Griner leads Dream past Mercury 90–79 in Phoenix homecoming

Allisha Gray poured in 28 points and Brittney Griner added 17 points and eight rebounds in her emotional return to Phoenix, lifting the Atlanta Dream to a 90–79 victory over the Mercury on Wednesday night.

Griner, who spent 11 seasons with the Mercury and helped lead them to a WNBA title in 2014 and a Finals appearance in 2021, was honored with a tribute video before tipoff. Longtime teammate Diana Taurasi was in attendance, watching courtside.

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Gray led Atlanta (14–10) with an efficient 10-of-16 shooting performance, posting her 10th 20-point game of the season. Jordin Canada added 14 points and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough chipped in 11, as the Dream won for just the second time in their last five games. Rhyne Howard, the team’s second-leading scorer, sat out the contest.


Phoenix (15–8) welcomed back starters Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper from injuries, with Sabally scoring 13 and Copper finishing with 10. DeWanna Bonner led the Mercury with 18 points, while Alyssa Thomas flirted with a triple-double (seven points, 11 rebounds, nine assists).


The Dream took a 39-34 halftime lead as Phoenix struggled from the field, shooting just 29.7% and 3-of-15 from deep. Despite their shooting woes, the Mercury stayed close thanks to a perfect 9-for-9 showing from the free-throw line.


Gray’s bucket with just over three minutes left extended Atlanta’s lead to 84–71, but back-to-back threes from Sami Whitcomb cut the deficit to seven. Griner responded with a clutch basket in the lane to halt the momentum and seal the win for the Dream.