At just the right moment, Satou Sabally is looking unicorn-like again.
Because the Phoenix Mercury will not advance beyond the first round of the WNBA playoffs for the first time since 2021 without Sabally playing close to her All-Star level from the first half of this season.
She mostly hasn’t been at that peak in the second half of the season since returning from an ankle injury that forced her to miss four games in July and the All-Star Game she was supposed to start. Then there was a game off for personal reasons Aug. 3, preceded by not playing in the second half two days before.
The good news for the Mercury, who play defending champion New York in a best-of-3 first-round series starting Sunday, is that Sabally found something in the last week that more closely matches her long-time nickname – unicorn – for the 6-4 forward’s diverse skill set.
On a two-game road trip, Sept. 4-6, Sabally hit a game-clinching 3-pointer out of a timeout with 50 seconds left vs. Washington. Then against Connecticut, she hit a trey with five seconds left, cutting a deficit to one that gave the Mercury a game-tying (though missed) opportunity at the buzzer.
Off those confidence-building clutch shots, Sabally put up 24 points in 24 minutes Tuesday against Los Angeles, her highest-scoring game since 26 on Aug. 15. Then in the regular-season finale Thursday at Dallas, she followed up with 14 points, nine of those in the first quarter before coach Nate Tibbetts began liberal subbing.
“I know it helps my team to create more pressure in the paint and it will also create more space out on the swing,” said Sabally, explaining her 9-of-14 overall shooting and 4-of-6 3-point success vs. LA. “Every game is a little different. I just take what they give me and today they were more susceptible to the drive.”
Also after the Sparks game, Tibbetts said, “We need her shot making. We’re going to need it in the playoffs. You need your best players to play at a high level. I was super happy for Sab to find her rhythm. As well as she played offensively, I thought she competed that much at the defensive end. We’re going to need that also. When she’s playing downhill with force, she’s a problem.”
The same can be said of WNBA MVP contender Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper, the Mercury’s foundational trio who played together in 27 of the Mercury’s 44 regular-season games including 21 of 22 since July 23.
Phoenix won eight of nine games, including six straight, from Aug. 17-Sept. 4. The most significant of those was 80-63 over New York on Aug. 30, clinching the season series over the Liberty and ultimately home-court advantage in the best-of-3 first round. Both teams were 27-17 in the regular season.
#Mercury Satou Sabally on #wnba playoffs starting Sunday pic.twitter.com/YjzzxAe48N
— jeffmetcalfe (@jeffmetcalfe) September 12, 2025
Sabally had 10 of her 13 20-point games before her ankle injury, a stretch where Copper and Thomas missed a combined 17 games due to injury.
She averaged 19.1 points and 7.7 rebounds in her first 18 games then dipped to 13.9/4.4 in her subsequent 21.
While the Mercury are at their best with more than the big three scoring in double figures – 13-0 when five reach that mark – they can’t rely on such balance against New York, with its size, length and experience. Phoenix might need a game from Sabally like 2023 when with Dallas she scored 32 in the playoffs vs. Atlanta.
“I came here to become a better player,” Sabally said. “I’ve been challenged so much by AT (Thomas), Kah. I’m really learning so much basketball IQ, how to compose myself and be a professional. I’m super happy I made that decision,” to request a trade.
The feeling is mutual for Mercury general manager Nick U’Ren and Tibbetts, who wanted the kind of versatility that Thomas and Sabally would bring in a post Diana Taurasi/Brittney Griner era.
Against the Liberty, Sabally will be competing against her former Oregon teammates Sabrina Ionescu and younger sister Nyara.
In 2020, Ionescu and Satou were leading the 31-2 Ducks toward a possible NCAA title when the COVID pandemic shut down the postseason. Now only one will advance beyond the WNBA playoffs opening round with the other forced to accept an early exit.
“I don’t think she doubts her talent and skill,” Tibbetts said of 27-year-old Sabally. “I hope she feels like any night she can go and get it. We want her to be confident. But she can impact the game in a lot of ways with her rebounding and defense.”
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