Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi returned to the Phoenix Mercury lineup on Saturday after each missed the past three games due to injury. But following a 97-74 loss at the Seattle Storm, Griner said she wasn't sure what was wrong with the Mercury, who are now 2-10 and have lost five in a row.
"I'm still trying to figure that out, honestly," Griner said about what the Mercury need to do next. "What's happening isn't going to cut it. It's the first time I've ever had a record like this. It's really frustrating.
"I don't know. I guess tear it down and rebuild it back up. I really don't get it. It's not going the way we want it to go. It's not the Phoenix Mercury basketball we all know."
This ties the worst start through 12 games in the history of the Mercury, one of the WNBA's inaugural franchises in 1997. Phoenix was also 2-10 in 2003 and finished that season 8-26. The Mercury drafted Taurasi with the No. 1 pick the next year.
Griner, who was returning from a hip injury, had 11 points, six rebounds and two blocks in 20 minutes. Taurasi (hamstring) had 13 points and four rebounds in 19 minutes. However, another starter, Sophie Cunningham, was limited to 14 minutes on Saturday after exiting due to a back injury. Moriah Jefferson came off the bench to lead Phoenix with 18 points.
"It seems pretty tough for us right now," Phoenix coach Vanessa Nygaard said. "I haven't gotten an update [on Cunningham]. Sophie's been really solid for us this season. She's been one of our leaders. So losing her hurt us, for sure.
"It was great to have [Griner and Taurasi] back. They're such dominant players. I thought they both did some really nice things."
It was Griner's first appearance in Seattle since 2021, when the Mercury faced the Storm in the playoffs. She received a loud ovation from the crowd at Climate Pledge Arena.
"Seattle has always been so warm and so nice," Griner said. "I could feel the love from everybody here."
Griner was limited to nine minutes when the Mercury last played Seattle, in Phoenix on June 13, which started the current losing streak. Griner said Saturday that her hip actually began to bother her on June 11, when the Mercury won at the Indiana Fever.
"It just wasn't feeling right," she said. "It wasn't like a certain move or hit or anything. And then in the Seattle game, it was really evident that something was wrong. So they pulled me to make sure we could figure it out.
"We figured it out, started rehab to get me to where I'm not going to put myself in a predicament to hurt myself [further]. The biggest thing with the hip is you're going to be shifting and could get in the trouble of hurting a knee or an ankle."
Griner said she was glad to return to action on Saturday, even though the result wasn't what she was hoping for.
"It felt good being back on court," Griner said. "I hate missing games. I hate being hurt or down with anything. I wish it was under better circumstances, but it was great being back."