Kelsey Plum makes home debut, Mercury fall to Washington Mystics

Although Plum was warmly received, she turned the ball over on her first possession when she inbounded the ball off Mystics center Shakira Austin and Lauren Betts stole the ball. Plum said she hoped she'd get the ball to bounce off Austin and return it for a shot.

"The ball didn't go the way I thought it would. It's kind of like the whole game, to be honest," Plum said.

Prior to Tuesday, Plum played four games during the Mercury's road trip from Aug. 3-9, before aggravating her left calf injury against the Mystics. In the lead-up to the game, she had practiced with the team a few times before being activated again.

The 32-year-old guard played in four-minute intervals and took some time to acclimate, but then found her chemistry with Alyssa Thomas and finished with 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting in 16 minutes. 

"These are part of the steps, part of the progression," coach Nate Tibbetts said. "I thought in the second half, she looked a lot more comfortable in those minutes, both for herself and with the team."

The Phoenix Mercury just couldn't do much on the defensive end to stop the Washington Mystics from rolling to a 94-84 win at Mortgage Matchup Center. The two teams will face each other in the latter of the two-game set on Thursday in Phoenix.

"We were soft on the ball," Tibbetts said. "We weren't as competitive as they were on the ball and they made it tough for us."

The Mercury (13-24) were eliminated from the playoffs on Aug. 22, but will use the remaining games to determine what the team's future will look like.

Mercury general manager Nick U'Ren has been adamant that Plum is part of his vision for the team if she signs with Phoenix in the offseason.

Plum has had an uncharacteristic season, with injuries shortening it to 17 games. In her five games with the Mercury, she averaged 15.8 points and 2.8 assists.  

"Everyone has been playing a lot of basketball and I got some catching up to do," Plum said. "I've been working really hard to get ready for this moment, so if anything, I'm just going to enjoy it. It's been a tough season, but it's been a blessing to be able to play and to play here."

The remaining six games on the Mercury's schedule serve as an individual season for Plum, who is still learning the Mercury's system with Thomas and Kahleah Copper.

The rotation was once again updated after DeWanna Bonner took a contract buyout on Monday. The Mercury returned to starting Natasha Mack at center, a position she's started 20 games previously.  

Mack looked like the player she was before being injured in late June, being "everywhere all the time," and was limiting second-chance shots and finding open shots against a big and physical Mystics' frontcourt.

"The last couple of games, I've been off, so I decided, what the hell," Mack said. "I might as well do what I can and hope for the best."

Mack reached a career-high 19 points, matching Copper as the Mercury's top scorer. Her nine field goals and three blocked shots led the team.

"Her conditioning was really good," Tibbetts said. "The touch around the basket was great. I'm really happy for her that she came out and performed the way she did tonight against a really good team."

The Mercury explored other post players, including Kyara Linskens, who hadn't played since Aug. 9, and Maddy Westbeld, who was acquired on Aug. 18.

Westbeld didn't see as much time on the floor, as she's still learning the system, but she showed early promise in her matchup with Austin in the second quarter, where she forced a jump ball.

The teams face each other again on Thursday. In that one-day break, the Mercury will likely review the defensive lapses that caused Washington to shoot nine 3-pointers and outrebound Phoenix by nine.