WNBA: Taurasi nets 1,000th 3-pointer as Mercury top Wings
Phoenix guard Diana Taurasi scored 26 points, including her 1,000th career 3-pointer, and DeWanna Bonner had 17 points and 12 rebounds as the Phoenix Mercury spoiled Dallas center Liz Cambage's return in an 86-78 victory over the Wings in the season opener for both at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix on Friday. Taurasi, the WNBA career leading scorer entering her 14th season, made five 3-pointers, giving her 1,001 for her career. Her fifth three with 2:13 remaining gave the Mercury an 81-72 lead after Dallas had closed to within four. Bonner missed the 2017 season after giving birth to twins. Cambage had 18 points and nine rebounds and Skylar Diggins-Smith had 18 points and nine assists for the Wings. Cambage, 6-foot-8, spent the last five seasons playing overseas after spending two seasons with Tulsa. Phoenix 6-foot-9 center Brittney Griner, who led the league with a 21.7 scoring average in 2017, was limited by early foul trouble and finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots. Glory Johnson had 12 points and Kaela Davis had 10 for Dallas. Diggins-Smith, who had 11 points in the fourth quarter, made two free throws to trim a 14-point deficit to 74-70 with 3:36 remaining before the Mercury responded. Briann January and Leilani Mitchell had 10 points for Phoenix. Cambage needed only 29 seconds to score in here first game in the WNBA since 2013. A native of Australia, she averaged 23.1 points and 10.5 rebounds while leading the Deakin Melbourne Boomers to the league finals. Taurasi scored 14 points in the second quarter to give the Mercury a 44-42 lead at half, and Bonner scored five straight late in the third period for 61-53 lead entering the fourth. --Field Level Media
