Phoenix Mercury beat Chicago 91-83

The Phoenix Mercury beat the Chicago Sky 91-83 on Friday, May 15, at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, handing Chicago its first loss of the 2026 season. Chicago fell to 2-1 after opening with two road wins, while Phoenix moved to 2-2. Jovana Nogic led the Mercury with 27 points, and Rickea Jackson scored 29 for the Sky. (herhoopstats.com) The game turned twice. Phoenix built a 17-point second-half lead, then watched Chicago rally and briefly go ahead 80-79 with 3:49 remaining, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. (cbssports.com) The Mercury closed the final minutes better and finished with a 91-83 win. (sky.wnba.com) ### How did Phoenix hold on after Chicago took the lead? Chicago’s late push was driven by Jackson, who scored 29 points in 32:29 and hit four 3-pointers, according to the box score. The Sky trailed by 17 before taking that one-point lead late in the fourth quarter. (herhoopstats.com) Phoenix answered with balanced scoring and free throws. Kahleah Copper scored 17 points and went 10-for-10 at the line, while Alyssa Thomas added 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Nogic’s 27 points came on 6-of-11 shooting overall, including 5-of-8 from three and 10-of-11 at the foul line. (chicago.suntimes.com) ### Which numbers mattered most in the box score? Nogic’s 27 points were Phoenix’s top scoring line, but the Mercury also got 10 points from Natasha Mack and eight from DeWanna Bonner. Valeriane Ayayi added eight points in 12:12 off the bench. (herhoopstats.com) Phoenix shot well enough across its main rotation to survive Chicago’s fourth-quarter surge. Jackson’s 29 points were the game high. Gabriela Jaquez scored 13 for Chicago, and the Sky also got eight points each from Jacy Sheldon and Aicha Coulibaly. Kamilla Cardoso finished with seven points and eight rebounds, while Skylar Diggins did not score in 11:32. (herhoopstats.com) ### How short-handed was Chicago? The Her Hoop Stats box score listed Courtney Vandersloot, DiJonai Carrington and Azurá Stevens at 0:00 for Chicago on Friday. The Sky used 10 players, with Jackson carrying the heaviest scoring load. (herhoopstats.com) Tyler Marsh told the Sun-Times that Chicago kept feeding Jackson as she heated up. “We were communicating with her to stick with it, we’re going to keep finding you the ball because that’s what her ability commands,” Marsh said, according to the newspaper. (herhoopstats.com) ### What does this leave on each team’s early-season schedule? Chicago’s official schedule lists its next game for Sunday, May 17, at the Minnesota Lynx at Target Center in Minneapolis. The Sky then return home to face the Dallas Wings on Wednesday, May 20, at Wintrust Arena. (herhoopstats.com) Phoenix’s next game is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, against Toronto at Mortgage Matchup Center, according to ESPN’s team schedule page. The Mercury then host the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday, May 21. (espn.com) (sky.wnba.com) (chicago.suntimes.com)