Mercury’s Diggins-Smith named Western Conference Player of the Week
Aug 30, 2021, 11:31 AM
Phoenix guard Skylar Diggins-Smith (4) claps after a defensive stop during the WNBA game between the Phoenix Mercury and the Atlanta Dream on August 21st, 2021 at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
For the second consecutive week, a Phoenix Mercury player was named the WNBA’s Western Conference Player of the Week, this time awarded to guard Skylar Diggins-Smith.
Leading the Mercury to a 2-0 record on the week, Diggins-Smith averaged 27 points a game with six assists and 2.5 steals. She did so while shooting at a high efficiency, making 53.1% from the field while going 6-of-11 from beyond the arc.
This marks the fifth time in Diggins-Smith’s career she’s earned player of the week honors and the second time doing so as a member of the Mercury.
Phoenix was in New York for two games against the Liberty this past week and were winners in both. The Mercury have now won six straight games since the WNBA returned to competition from the Olympic break.
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On Wednesday, Diggins-Smith led all scorers with 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting as the Mercury coasted to victory, 106-79. She added five assists and knocked down a season-high four three-pointers.
Then on Friday, she followed that up with another 27-point performance against the Liberty. In the 80-64 win, Diggins-Smith added seven assists and a season-high four steals while shooting a perfect 11-for-11 from the charity stripe.
It became just the second time in league history a player recorded 27-plus points, seven-plus assists, four-plus steals and one block, joining Epiphanny Prince, who did so as a member of the Chicago Sky in 2014.
Up next, the Mercury host the Sky on Tuesday night as they look to extend the winning streak to seven games.
