The Phoenix Mercury got their first win of the 2023 WNBA season on Thursday with a 90-81 win against the Minnesota Lynx. It was the first game for the Mercury that felt somewhat normal this season as their first two games marked the return of franchise star Brittney Griner. The Mercury's first game of the season was Griner's first game back on the court. Their second game of the season was Griner's first home game. Those games were understandably emotionally charged so Thursday's game against the Lynx was a little more subdued. It was Diana Taurasi though who led the way for the Mercury against the Lynx. Taurasi became the oldest player in WNBA history to score 20 points in a game as per ESPN's Stats&Info page.

In a throwback effort, Diana Taurasi led the Mercury with 23 points, ten assists, three rebounds and one steal. She shot 5-12 from the field, 4-9 from three-point range and 9-10 from the free-throw line. Taurasi is the oldest player in the WNBA this season at 40-years-old. She opted to return for at least one more season.

Through the first three games of this year, Taurasi has been averaging 18 points per game, 3.7 rebounds and 7.0 assists with splits of 31.8 percent shooting from the field, 25.9 percent shooting from the three-point line and 90.5 percent shooting from the free-throw line. Her efficiency has dropped in recent seasons and she is averaging a career-high 5.0 turnovers.

She can still be effective though as evidenced by her performance against the Lynx. It will probably be more in spurts though than consistently throughout the entire season.