Alyssa Thomas sent a stern warning to the Las Vegas Aces ahead of Game 3. After losing back-to-back games, Thomas stated how winning a championship fulfills the list of accolades for a player. And thus, she will not stop and will strive to clinch the championship this season. Unfortunately, as Game 3 came to a close, it was the same old story for the Mercury. And now, as Phoenix faces a near-impossible task of drawing level, Thomas does not look happy at all.
Surely, the Mercury looked pretty solid in Game 3. They almost pulled off a victory by stunning the Aces. However, in the end, according to Thomas, there was one thing that ultimately cost them the game.
Alyssa Thomas Blames Poor Defense After Game 3 Loss
The Las Vegas Aces almost lost the game. But courtesy of an excellent showing from A’ja Wilson, the Aces managed to snatch a 90-88 victory. Following the game, Thomas looked quite livid with how things had turned out defensively. Speaking about the one mistake the team made, the Mercury star pointed towards the dismal defense as the root cause.
“It’s no revenge and no elimination. We’ve had plenty of opportunities to go out there and get a win. At some point, we have to take it upon ourselves. Like I said, our first half was unacceptable, especially with the opportunity to play on your home court and go out there and get a win,” said Thomas.
Safe to say that Alyssa Thomas thought the Mercury’s first-half defense was what costed them Game 3.
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“Like I said, our first half play was unacceptable, especially with an opportunity to play on your home court.”
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Thomas also added that while the road might look pretty stiff, the team needs to come together. The Phoenix star urged her team to come out all guns blazing in Game 4 and go for the kill right away. Now then, the 33-year-old was spot on with the defense. Mercury allowed a shocking 55 points to the Aces in the first half, which pretty much ruined the chances of a comeback. However, despite the grim situation, Mercury head coach is still banking on Thomas.
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Nate Tibbetts Keeps His Faith In Alyssa Thomas
Thomas had been one of the best defenders in the league this year. The 33-year-old has been the engine of the team and was briefly in the MVP talks. Owing to her extreme physical play, Becky Hammon recently compared Thomas to football players. And despite so much talk about Thomas’ foul surge, head coach Nate Tibbetts is still putting his faith in the 33-year-old. After all, it was for Thomas’ experienced defense that the Mercury was able to see off a powerhouse like the Minnesota Lynx.
“There is no holding back AT. She is who she is. That’s why we love her, and she’s the player that she is. The thing that I get disappointed in hearing is our officials say she’s hard to officiate because she plays so physical. AT is going to be AT when we want her to be,” Tibbetts said.
Surely, it is evident that the Phoenix Mercury faces an uphill battle ahead. Now, it remains to be seen how things will pan out in the coming days. Whether Phoenix can pull off a miracle and stun the Las Vegas Aces will be the big question.