Diana Taurasi, Becca Allen return to help spark Mercury in win over Dallas Wings

The Phoenix Mercury (10-10) returned to full strength with starters Diana Taurasi and Becca Allen in the lineup for Wednesday’s 104-96 win at the Dallas Wings (4-16). The win snapped a two-game losing skid.

Kahleah Copper found her rhythm and led the Mercury with 34 points on 14-of-20 shooting. Wings forward Natasha Howard led all scorers with 36 points and 11 rebounds.

Taurasi and Allen dealt with back issues and missed Monday’s loss to the Connecticut Sun. Allen revived the 3-point shooting game and went 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. She finished with 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting. The Mercury shot 11-for-23 (47.8%) from the 3-point line.

Taurasi scored 16 points, while going 10-for-11 from the free throw line.

After grabbing just two rebounds on Monday, Brittney Griner bounced back along the boards with eight rebounds. She added 24 points as all five starters were in double figures.

The Mercury led by as many as 18 points in the game, but the Wings were within three points as late as 1:54 in the fourth quarter. The Mercury then made several key defensive stops and were helped by a big 3-pointer from Copper with 23.1 seconds left to grab a 102-96 lead.

The Mercury took advantage of free throws and were 21-for-23 (91.9%), including four in the fourth quarter that helped the Mercury outscore the Wings by one point.

The Mercury will continue the road trip against the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday at 4 p.m.