Alyssa Thomas added another triple-double to her WNBA MVP résumé Friday while setting the single-game Phoenix Mercury assist record.
Her 16 assists helped facilitate an 81-72 victory over the Golden State Valkyries on a back-to-back, which doubled as the team's fifth game in the past eight days.
"I’m just impressed with her focus, her desire, her want to each and every night," head coach Nate Tibbetts said, per The Arizona Republic. "I’m happy she finally got the franchise [record] because I think she’s got 15 assists two or three times.
"What she does for us, it’s special and I’m glad she took a chance coming here to Phoenix.”
Thomas is in her first season with the Mercury after an illustrious, 11-season run with the Connecticut Sun. Phoenix acquired the now-six-time All-Star and six-time WNBA All-Defensive Team selection in a trade with the Sun this past offseason.
The 33-year-old, 6-foot-2 forward is a big reason why the Mercury are currently in fourth place of the league standings with a 22-14 record. She's averaging a career-high 16.0 points and 9.2 assists per game, along with 8.8 rebounds per contest.
After Friday night's performance, Thomas has six triple-doubles this season, including five in the last nine games, and 17 in her career.
She's making a serious push for her first WNBA MVP award, competing with Minnesota's Napheesa Collier and Las Vegas' A'ja Wilson for the league's top individual honor.
Thomas' Mercury fell to Wilson's surging Aces — who entered Saturday riding a nine-game win streak — but bounced back a day later versus the Valkyries.
Phoenix's flight home from Vegas was delayed several hours after the team's plane refused to start and had a door that wouldn't lock, according to The Arizona Republic, which reported that the Mercury didn't land back home until 3 a.m.
Despite the wacky night, Tibbetts' squad bounced back against Golden State.
“I’m just proud of our group. We played five games in eight nights and that’s not easy to do,” Tibbetts said, via The Arizona Republic. “We finished on a back-to-back and got in at 3 a.m. and I’m sure some people didn’t go to bed until 5 or 5:30. For us, to come out and compete the way we did, I thought we were extremely disciplined defensively for 40 minutes."
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