Mercury won’t ‘panic’ without Satou Sabally in WNBA Finals

PHOENIX ― The Phoenix Mercury will be without forward Satou Sabally when Game 4 of the WNBA Finals against the Las Vegas Aces tips off on Friday at Mortgage Market Center (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Sabally has been ruled out after being diagnosed with a concussion after hitting her head on Kierstan Bell’s knee while trying to corral an offensive rebound in the waning minutes of Game 3. Sabally spent several moments down on the court before being helped to her feet and back to the locker room. The Mercury, who are down 0-3 to the Aces, have an even steeper climb without the forward. However, they remain focused on what’s in front of them.

‘We’re still playing for something,’ Phoenix head coach Nate Tibbets said.

‘Unfortunately, we’ve kind of been through this early in the year. We’ve had different people step up at different times. Rotation’s gonna look a little bit different, but we’ve got people who have been on the side, waiting for an opportunity. You’re just not gonna replace Satou [Sabally] with one person. We’re gonna have to do it collectively.’

Tibbets says the team is taking the WNBA Finals one game at a time and liked the energy heading into Game 4. He said they will remain a group that fights and will keep competing. The Phoenix head coach did not reveal who would replace Sabally in the lineup, but said, ‘We’re gonna have to get into the bench more.’

Over the last several days, the team reached out to Sabally and tried to visit her in the hospital, but under the guidance of her medical staff, visitors and screen time has been limited. Tibbets confirmed Sabally is home and disappointed she can’t continue to compete with her team, but understands this is the best course of action given her injury. When USA TODAY spoke with players from the Mercury, they understood what they must do in her absence.

‘We’ve missed one or more of our big three. We’ve always risen to the occasion. We’ve always stepped up,’ guard Sami Whitcomb said. ‘Our season’s on the line, so there’s no better opportunity for us to come together and rise to the challenge. I’m sure you’ll see people stepping up in ways that maybe they haven’t yet in this series. So as much as you never wanna lose someone ― someone that plays such a large role ― that’s sports sometimes. You adjust.’

Veteran forward DeWanna Bonner stated the obvious: Phoenix has been behind in the win column all playoffs, but they can’t continue to do that against Las Vegas’ many weapons. Bonner says the team has been trying to ‘crack the code’ to get a win and build some confidence. She said despite the pressure on them to win on Friday, they aren’t overwhelmed.

‘When one man goes down, the other one just has to step up. All hands on deck. We have nothing to lose,’ Bonner said. ‘So, we’re going to come out and play hard and keep playing the way we know how to play. Definitely gonna miss Satou [Sabally] and her scoring, her lift, her rebounding everything, [but it’s] the next man up. We’re gonna continue to compete for this championship.’

Phoenix maintains it will ‘chip away’ at the path to a championship one play at a time and ‘throw it up again’ and get to the next matchup when Game 4 begins. The message, Bonner said, has been simple: ‘Don’t panic. We’ve seen crazier things. It’s the playoffs, so it’s always a chance to come back.’Starting guard Monique Akoa Makani was a bit more vulnerable with USA TODAY, sharing that despite Sabally’s injury not changing the Mercury’s preparation, it’s always tough to see a teammate struggling. Akoa Makani says Phoenix has tried to stay focused and will do its best to honor Sabally by putting it all on the line Friday.

‘It has never been a question of quitting or feeling sorry for ourselves,’ Akoa Makani said. ‘We know that some of the teams, especially on the NBA side, have been in this position before. We said we’re going to do one win (in a row) four times.’