SAN FRANCISCO – A chaotic pregame frenzy that saw two regular Valkyries starters listed as last-second scratches predated a chaotic barnburner against the high-powered Mercury.

Golden State, with only eight players available, lost to Phoenix 98-91 at Chase Center in the third matchup between the teams jockeying for playoff positioning. The Mercury, seeded fourth, have now won all three games against the seventh-seeded Valkyries.

Veronica Burton continued to stuff the stat sheet at point guard, putting up an efficient 24 points and 14 assists, while surprise starter Kate Martin put in 14 points. Janelle Salaun scored 13 and Carla Leite threw in 15. Kahleah Copper led the Mercury with 25 points, while Satou Sabally put up 17 points and triple-double machine Alyssa Thomas had 13 points, eig

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