Mercury defeat Sky 86-78, Diana Taurasi still shy of WNBA record

On Friday night, Diana Taurasi moved a bit closer to WNBA history. The Phoenix Mercury player needed 29 points to become the WNBA's all-time points leader. However, Taurasi fell short of that goal, scoring just 15 for the night. Luckily, her league-leading teammate Britney Griner was there to pick up the slack with a near double-double in the Mercury's 86-78 win. Here's how Phoenix picked up the victory over the Chicago Sky on Friday.

How the Mercury won

The Mercury were able to pick up the latest win by building a 45-32 lead at the half and not allowing Chicago to get closer than five points down the stretch. A three-pointer in the final minute by Jessica Breland cut the lead to five points. Phoenix finished with a 44.3 percentage shooting rate from the floor and had just nine turnovers compared to 15 for the visitors. The Sky managed to win the battle of the boards but with a 36-31 margin.

Brittney Griner led all Mercury players with her 27 points, nine rebounds, and three blocked shots. Not only that, but the current leading scorer in the WNBA scored her 2,000th career point making for a major milestone.

Teammate Diana Taurasi scored 15 points on just 2-for-10 shooting. Both of her made field goals were three-pointers, while she also made nine free throws in the game. Taurasi will need another 14 points on Sunday to take over the WNBA record from Tina Thompson.

For the losing side, Allie Quigley led her team with 19 points on 7-for1-2 shooting. She also dished out six assists and snatched five rebounds in the loss. Jessica Breland added 18 points, while Cappie Pondexter scored 13 points. Ironically, Pondexter is No. 5 on the WNBA all-time scoring list, trailing Taurasi by about 1,000 points or so. She was ejected from this game after fouling Taurasi on a shot and earning two technical fouls.

Standing & what's next?

With the win, the Phoenix Mercury have now moved to a record of 6-4 overall and 3-3 at home. Phoenix is currently third-best in the 2017 Western Division standings for the WNBA, and about a game behind the Los Angeles Sparks for second place. They'll play those Sparks on Sunday night in Los Angeles, with game time scheduled for 5 p.m. Eastern Time. There may be live coverage on ESPN's website or ESPN3 channels.

The Chicago Sky drop to 2-8 for their season with the loss. They still sit in last place in the WNBA's Eastern Division. The Sky will take on the Indiana Fever at home on Sunday night beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern Time.