After a rough first half, the Phoenix Mercury tightened up their defense after the break and picked up a vital road win against the shorthanded Golden State Valkyries.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Kahleah Copper scored 25 points with five 3-pointers, Satou Sabally scored 10 of her 17 points after halftime, and the Phoenix Mercury came back to beat the short-handed Golden State Valkyries 98-91 on Tuesday night.

San Francisco Standard columnist Tim Kawakami went to Sunday’s Valkyries game and reported on the fan atmosphere at Chase Center, which he said was “thrumming” even in the team’s worst home loss of the season. But buried in his reporting were two paragraphs about a brewing scheduling conflict with the Laver Cup, an international tennis tournament:

This could result in scheduling conflicts between the WNBA postseason and the tennis tournament, according to a report by Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard. The Valkyries would likely have to maneuver around the Laver Cup in order to host games in the first two rounds of the playoffs, which begin on September 16.

Playing the last-place Connecticut Sun, the Valkyries got off to a sluggish start Monday night but caught fire in the third quarter to cruise to a 74-57 win. Golden State shot 10-of-22 from the 3-point line in the second half and made 13 3s overall in a dominant win.

It’s beginning to feel a lot like the postseason. The WNBA has less than one month before the start of the playoffs, and the intensity kicked up a notch last week. Whether it was teams recognizing how little time is left to solidify playoff positioning or the aided boost of Rivals Week matchups,

In the Phoenix Mercury's last game, a dramatic three-point victory in Seattle against the Storm, starting point guard Monique Akoa Makani had to sit out with a

Golden State Valkyries (16-15) and Washington Mystics (14-17) clash Wednesday in a pivotal WNBA matchup with major playoff implications at CareFirst Arena.

Golden State Valkyries Apologize to Kate Martin Before Chicago Sky Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Kate Martin and the Golden State Valkyries looked to close out their two-game road trip with a win, taking on the Angel Reese-less Chicago Sky on Friday night.