May 9, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Phoenix Mercury forward Natasha Mack (4) dribbles against Las Vegas Aces guard Jewell Loyd (24) in the third quarter of their game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images
The Phoenix Mercury will shift straight from a dominant victory to a tough road challenge Sunday night, completing a season-opening back-to-back with a visit to the Golden State Valkyries in San Francisco.
Just one day after the Valkyries traveled north to beat Seattle 91-80 on WNBA Opening Night, the Mercury stunned the Las Vegas Aces 99-66 on the defending champion’s home court. Both teams return to action Sunday evening.
Golden State, an expansion squad that snuck into the playoffs last year, struggled through a disjointed preseason. Coach Natalie Nakase scheduled only one exhibition game to allow time to re-acclimate her players. The Valkyries opened without last year’s top pick, Juste Jocyte (fulfilling a commitment to her Spanish League team), and key player Iliana Rupert (pregnant). They then lost starting guard Tiffany Hayes to a dislocated pinkie finger and reserve Cecilia Zandalasini to a concussion. All four are ruled out for Sunday’s game.
Despite the absences, Nakase—last season’s WNBA Coach of the Year—expects a sharper performance than in Seattle. “My expectations are high for us defensively,” Nakase said after the win, during which last year’s top defensive team statistically allowed 24- and 27-point quarters. “We just have to be smarter. There’s a lot of corrections we can make. They know it too—they know that’s not our best defensive effort. But I also believe we’re not even there yet as a team, because some of the players have only come to three or four practices. So I told them, ‘I’m going to give you guys a space to evolve in the next couple of days.'”
Janelle Salaun led the Valkyries with 20 points, and Veronica Burton added 16 in the win.
While Golden State focused on building chemistry, Phoenix zeroed in on its opponent. After losing to the Aces in the 2025 WNBA Finals, the Mercury had to endure Las Vegas’ ring ceremony before the nationally televised game. Alyssa Thomas led with 20 points, but Phoenix had a secret weapon: Jovana Nogic. The Serbian forward, who had been playing in Russia, erupted for 19 points—all in the first half—to set the tone for the ceremony-crashing effort.
Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts credited the league’s new, higher-paying collective bargaining agreement for attracting more top talent to the WNBA this season. “This is a player that hasn’t come over because maybe it wasn’t worth it, right? A lot of these European players,” Tibbetts told media after the win. “(Nogic has) been someone that our front office has talked about the last couple of years. She had an awesome start; I’m really happy for her.”
