Phoenix Mercury celebrates Diana Taurasi’s career in team’s final regular-season home game

PHOENIX – Diana Taurasi’s Phoenix Mercury teammates wore her No. 3 jersey, indicating that this was likely the final home game of the 20-year career of a player widely considered the greatest player of all time.

If this was her last match, Taurasi didn’t act like it at all.

Despite the deafening roar that erupted during the team’s introductions, Taurasi treated Thursday’s game against Seattle like any other, patting her teammates on the hands before running onto the court.

Taurasi did not hide his decision to retire, he did not want to commit to anything specific, although he hinted that it was just around the corner.

Mercury fueled the retirement debate on social media last week with a tweet in which he said:If this is it” and another early Thursday which included reading the letter by her wife, former Mercury player Penny Taylor.

When Taurasi decides to hang up her basketball shoes, her place in women’s basketball history will be secured.

Taurasi won three straight national championships at UConn and continued to win after the Mercury selected her No. 1 overall in the 2004 WNBA draft. She was named WNBA Rookie of the Year and won the first of three WNBA titles in 2007.

The Glendale, California native is one of four players to win multiple WNBA Finals MVP awards (2009, 2014) and was the league’s MVP in 2009. She has won six EuroLeague championships, playing year-round for most of her career, and won her sixth Olympic gold medal at this year’s Paris Olympics. She is the WNBA’s all-time points leader — about 3,000 more than second-place Tina Charles — the all-time playoff scorer and has made the most 3-pointers in league history.

Taurasi was also named to the All-WNBA First Team 10 times and was named to the WNBA All-Star Team 11 times this season.

She hasn’t lost any of her edge at 42, averaging 15.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists while leading the Mercury to the playoffs.

What happened in the game

Nneka Ogwumike scored 17 points and Seattle Storm spoiled what could have been their final home game Taurasi’s 20-year career on Thursday night, defeating the Phoenix Mercury 89-70.

Taurasi scored nine points on 3-of-9 shooting in 18 minutes, coming back after the crowd began chanting “We want a TD!” in the final minutes. She returned less than a minute later to chants of something else — “One more year!” — and addressed the crowd after a video tribute.

Brittney Griner led the Mercury with 11 points.

The Storm (25-15) were already assured of a fifth spot in the WNBA playoffs and will start the first round on Sunday in the Las Vegas Aces match, played in a best-of-three series.

Phoenix (19-21) secured the No. 7 seed and will play No. 2 Minnesota in a best-of-five first-round series starting Sunday, but there’s no guarantee Taurasi will be back for another game in the desert. The Lynx could end Taurasi’s career — if that happens — by winning their first two games.

The Storm looked to ruin Taurasi’s night by scoring the first 10 points of the game. Taurasi — of course — finished the series with a 3-pointer, but that didn’t stop the Storm from attacking.

Seattle shot 15 of 22 in the first quarter to lead 35-14 as the Mercury struggled to get into an offensive flow. Phoenix had almost as many turnovers (five) as field goals (six) and looked spread thin for most of the quarter.

The Mercury were better in the second quarter, opening the second quarter with a 7-0 run to cut the advantage to 43-31 at halftime. Ogwumike scored 14 points.

The Storm surged again in the third quarter, while the Mercury stumbled again, extending their lead to 68-49. Phoenix tried to claw back in the fourth quarter, but Seattle responded each time to clinch a road victory in what could be Taurasi’s final home game.