Alyssa Thomas Imposes Her Dominance with a Historic Triple-Double
In a night full of records, Alyssa Thomas led the Phoenix Mercury to victory over the Los Angeles Sparks with a stellar performance. Thomas recorded her seventh triple-double of the season, setting a new milestone in the WNBA. Thomas finished the game with 12 points, 16 rebounds, and 15 assists, securing his 18th career triple-double. This achievement surpasses his own record of six triple-doubles in a season, set in 2023.In addition to her impressive performance, Thomas became the first player in WNBA history to record at least 10 points, 15 rebounds, and 15 assists in a single game. She is also the first in WNBA or NBA history to achieve at least 12 rebounds and 15 assists in consecutive games. Despite battling an illness, Thomas demonstrated his resilience and determination on the court. After a discreet first half, with only one point, Thomas recovered to lead his team to victory. In August, Thomas achieved his sixth triple-double, an unprecedented feat in the league. No other player in WNBA history has more than one triple-double in the same month, and none has achieved more than four in their entire career.“I think this has been my game throughout my career. A lot of credit to my teammates, who make their open shots. I can feel comfortable and play my game, make the reads that I see, and it was no different tonight,” Thomas stated.
Alyssa Thomas
With this victory, Phoenix (23-14) surpassed New York (23-15) and positioned itself in fourth place in the WNBA standings. Satou Sabally led the Mercury with 19 points, while Copper contributed 18. Sami Whitcomb made five of her first six three-pointers and finished with 17 points, and DeWanna Bonner added 14 points. The Mercury achieved 44% effectiveness in three-point shots, with nine three-pointers coming from the bench. Dearica Hamby scored 25 points, grabbed eight rebounds and stole five balls for Los Angeles (17-19). Rickea Jackson contributed 21 points and four three-pointers, and Kelsey Plum scored 20 points, reaching 700 points in the season for the third time in her career.“It’s too difficult to defend. She can score. You really want to take away her vision because she can pass. And then, it’s a matchup problem every night,” commented Kahleah Copper, Thomas’ teammate.
Kahleah Copper
