Kitija

Laksa

Bonner is out against the Wings so that she can rest before the Mercury take on the New York Liberty in the playoffs beginning on Sunday. Without Bonner in the Mercury’s main rotation, more minutes have come from Sami Whitcomb and Kitija Laksa on the wing.

With Monique Akoa Makani out dealing with a left knee injury, Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts turns to the next guard on the depth chart Sami Whitcomb to replace Makani in the starting lineup. Sunday’s game will be Whitcomb’s 19th start of the season for the Mercury. Expect Forward DeWanna Bonner to get more run off the bench in addition to some meaningful minutes for guards Lexie Held and Kitija Laksa who have gotten less opportunities in the most recent weeks.

During the Mercury’s pre-game press conference on Sunday, head coach Nate Tibbetts told reporters that Makani was dealing with a left knee injury and would be out against the Storm. In the Mercury’s last game against the Aces on Friday, Makani played in 32 minutes, scored eight points, had four rebounds and six assists. Without Makani, the Mercury will be more reliant upon bench guard Sami Whitcomb. Expect more minutes from Lexi Held and Kitija Laksa, two guards that have had reduced roles in the past few weeks.

With Satou Sabally also out, the Mercury will be without their top two scorers for Monday’s game. Regarding potential replacements for Copper, Sami Whitcomb began the season as a starter while the high-scoring guard recovered from preseason knee surgery. She’ll likely return to the starting lineup, with Kitija Laksa also in line to play more minutes.

Whitcomb continues to provide a scoring punch and secondary facilitation off the bench in addition to hitting three-pointers at a high clip this season, bringing her season percentage to 35.6%. Friday night’s performance was the fourth time in a row Whitcomb hit at least four three pointers in a game. Whitcomb also helped the Mercury keep the ball moving on Friday night, as she found Satou Sabally for one of her seven threes in addition to two field goals from Kitija Laksa.

Laksa continues to emerge as a player who will be a key connector for the Mercury on both sides of the ball. While what stands out is her 41.3 overall percentage from three on under five attempts, Laksa helps keep the ball moving in addition to providing invaluable team defense while using her 6'1 frame to help her do so. Against the Sky on Saturday afternoon, she found three of the Mercury’s post players inside the paint once the Sky defense began to closeout properly on the perimeter.

Held did not travel with the Mercury to Chicago after injuring her rib in the middle of third quarter on Thursday night in New York against the Liberty. Held got injured fighting for the ball on the ground with Liberty forward Breanna Stewart. Held’s production will be supplemented by having Kahleah Copper back in the startling lineup along with more minutes from shooters in Kitija Laksa, Sami Whitcomb and Monique Akoa Makani.

Whitcomb is available after sitting out Wednesday’s win over the Sun with elbow and knee injuries. The Mercury are without Kahleah Copper (knee) for Thursday night, so Whitcomb returns to the starting lineup. There will also be additional minutes available to Kitija Laksa off the bench. Joining Whitcomb in the lineup are Monique Akoa Makani, Alyssa Thomas, Satou Sabally and Kathryn Westbeld.

Whitcomb had started the first 11 games of the season for the Mercury before Kahleah Copper’s season debut on Sunday moved her to the reserve unit. In that game, Whitcomb shined, scoring a season-high 18 points and cashing in on four three-point attempts in the process. The veteran guard is enjoying a nice start to her ninth WNBA campaign, but will be in street clothes Wednesday. Rookies Kitija Laksa and Lexi Held could be in line for more minutes in Whitcomb’s absence.

Laksa provided the Mercury a huge boost off the bench on Wednesday, where she set a career-high in three-pointers and finished as one of Phoenix’s top scorers. The sharp-shooting rookie’s hot night from beyond the arc marked the fourth time this season she’s drained at least three triples in a game and the eighth time she’s made multiple threes. Her style of play has fit in perfectly thus far with the Phoenix offense that loves to run and shoot a lot of threes. Laksa could become a legitimate game-changer for the Mercury should she sustain this level of shooting moving forward.