Kathryn

Westbeld

Sabally left Wednesday night’s Game 3 of the WNBA Finals with 4:26 left in the fourth quarter. Her head collided with the leg of Aces forward Kiersten Bell as Sabally and Aces guard Jackie Young were fighting for a rebound. Young was assessed a personal foul for tangling up Sabally’s arm, but Bell’s contact with Sabally’s head was accidental. After Sabally was down for around 10 minutes on the ground following the collision, she left the floor with some help from teammate Kalani Brown and a member of the Mercury’s training staff. The injury is a major blow for the Mercury as they will enter Game 4 on Friday down 3-0 in an elimination game of best of seven series without one of their stars available to play. With Sabally out for Game 4, expect DeWanna Bonner to start in her place and for stretch big Kathryn Westbeld to get some more run off the bench.

Brown had her most productive evening scoring the basketball since July 16 when the Mercury played the Lynx and lost 79-66 and she scored 11 points in over 19 minutes of play. All of Brown’s five field goals were assisted as four different players found her. Her former Dallas Wings teammate Satou Sabally executed pick-and-roll actions with Brown in addition to Alyssa Thomas and Kianna Williams finding Brown near the rim. Kathryn Westbeld kicked the ball out to Brown for a three-pointer, Brown’s third made three-pointer of the season.

Sabally led the Mercury in scoring in a game her team had little motivation to win. She scored at all three levels on Thursday night including two deep threes on assists from Alyssa Thomas and Monique Akoa Makani. Sabally also hit a 12-foot jumper on one foot over Paige Bueckers in addition to scoring the basketball as a driver. Sabally also had five assists in her final regular season game, her highest amount since she had six on August 19 against the Valkyries. She found Kahleah Copper for a bunch of three-pointers in addition to acting like the point forward while Alyssa Thomas wasn’t on the floor when she was able to find Kathryn Westbeld and Kalani Brown rolling to the basket.

Following Friday’s blowout loss to the Dream, Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts has made two changes to his starting lineup. Whitcomb and Brown are in, with Kathryn Westbeld moving to the bench and Satou Sabally out for personal reasons. Of the two starters, Whitcomb offers a far higher streaming ceiling in this matchup.

Westbeld was a late scratch on Friday night in the Mercury’s game in New York against the Liberty. Pregame Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts said that the Mercury were going to see how she feels during warmups. Westbeld was replaced in the starting lineup for the second straight game by center Natasha Mack, a more defensive minded complement in the Mercury’s front court.

The Mercury made a late change to their starting lineup, with Mack stepping in for Kathryn Westbeld. During the game, it was announced that Westbeld was dealing with an illness and would be an “emergency option” if needed. Mack only played 18 minutes despite starting, but she offered solid value as a scorer and defender. Westbeld’s absence also impacted DeWanna Bonner (9/4/2/1 with two three-pointers) and Satou Sabally (6/5/3), as the Mercury went with a smaller lineup whenever Mack was not on the floor. Phoenix visits Washington on Sunday, and another start could be in the cards for Mack if Westbeld is unavailable.

Westbeld came up big in Phoenix’s third straight win, setting a career-high in three-point makes and finishing as one of three Mercury players to score in double figures. Monday marked the second time the rookie has netted 14 points in the past three games, which have each come in the absence of Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper. Naturally, a three-point shooter like Westbeld will benefit from playing with a dynamic passer like Alyssa Thomas. But especially with two major scorers out, she’ll be counted on to knock her open looks down.

While the move was expected almost as soon as Bonner and the Fever agreed to a mutual parting of ways, it did not become official until Wednesday afternoon. Not long after waiving Murjanatu Musa to free up a roster spot, the Mercury added the versatile Bonner. The fifth overall pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft, Bonner played her first 10 seasons in Phoenix, earning Sixth Player of the Year honors in each of the first three. While a reserve role may be in the cards for her in the short term, there may come a point when Bonner moves into the starting five. If so, Kathryn Westbeld may be the one who’s moved to the bench.

Yet to appear in a game this season due to a back injury, Mack resumed basketball activities on Thursday ahead of the Mercury’s home win over the Valkyries. At the time of her injury, the veteran forward was given a recovery timeline of 2-3 weeks. With Alyssa Thomas (calf) and Kahleah Copper (knee) also out, the Mercury can use an infusion of frontcourt depth. Mack’s absence has resulted in more playing time for Kathryn Westbeld and Kalani Brown, with the former being part of the starting lineup.

While Westbeld did not do much scoring in Thursday’s comeback victory, she did fill the stat sheet for the Mercury. Rostered in 21.5 percent of ESPN leagues, the rookie forward has scored at least 25 fantasy points in three of her last five appearances. Due to her ability to space the floor, Westbeld has been a good fit in the Mercury starting lineup and is worthy of streaming consideration, especially with Alyssa Thomas (calf) unavailable. However, Saturday’s game against the Storm stands to be a bit more challenging due to Seattle’s frontcourt depth.