Phoenix Mercury’s iconic No.3 Diana Taurasi has proven time and again why Kobe Bryant coined her as the “White Mamba” of women’s basketball. The WNBA’s all-time leading scorer has cemented her name into the legion of greats by garnering multiple records next to her name. Another such occasion graced her fans on Friday evening at the Footprint Center when the Mercury hosted the Sparks in a crucial home game.

The 14 thousand people in attendance became witness to a historic moment by their veteran shooting guard. Seemingly, with just 4:56 remaining in the third quarter, an assist by Brittney Griner resulted in a 25-foot three-point step-back jump shot by the 42-year-old which also happened to be her 5th for the night. However, this moment holds a tremendous significance as it is the 80th time in her career, she has registered 5+ three-pointers in a regular season encounter. In addition to this, there is a huge difference of 50 between her and former New York Liberty forward Katie Smith who occupies the second spot in this list.

What was interesting to note about the current outing of Taurasi was that she managed to connect 3 beyond the arc attempts in the opening quarter itself. Following this, one each in the subsequent quarters led the 6-foot-guard to script her name into the record books. Eventually, she finished the game by being 5 of 8 from the three-point range.

Anyhow, that is not the only contribution made by her that led Mercury to a 92-78 victory over the visitors.

Diana Taurasi orchestrates Mercury’s 9th win of the season

After trailing by 3 points in the opening quarter, a fierce comeback by Phoenix in the next 3 secured a 7th win at home for Diana Taurasi and Co. Moreover, the 2× WNBA Finals MVP turned out to be one of the driving forces behind this impressive exhibition. In the 30 minutes she spent on the hardwood, Taurasi became the second-highest scorer for the Mercury with a total of 20 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists next to her name. Further, she was 7 of 11 from the field and successfully converted 1 shot from the free throw line.

Apart from her, the team’s No.2 Kahleah Copper was the other catalyst behind the win. The guard scored 10 points in the initial minutes of the second quarter to clear the 3-point deficit and provide a lead for Mercury, who sailed on the momentum. She ended her night with 24 points with a 9 of 18 shooting night.

A successful endeavor by the Phoenix Mercury means that now they occupy the 4th spot in the Western Conference Standings. Be that as it may, a daunting task awaits them in the form of Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever next. It will be worth watching how the franchise approaches the aforementioned challenge on Sunday.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.