Natasha Cloud made a memorable return to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday as the Phoenix Mercury secured a 96-87 victory over the Washington Mystics. Cloud, who spent the first eight years of her WNBA career with the Mystics, contributed 12 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds for the Mercury, narrowly missing a triple-double.
Cloud, a 2015 second-round draft pick, holds the franchise record for assists and ranks second in minutes played for the Mystics. She was a prominent voice and leader for the team before signing with Phoenix as a free agent during the offseason.
“Y’all were trying to get my thug tears today, and you definitely got some,” Cloud said, as reported by Kareen Copeland of The Washington Post. “Eight years here in a place that means the world to me. I will always call D.C. home. Even coming in two days ago and just kind of driving into practice, to [Entertainment and Sports Arena], you feel the nostalgia. I saw where I used to take my dogs. Where we lived. This is still considered home to me. So I always feel loved.”
Upon her return, Cloud was greeted by a banner featuring her rookie picture in a red No. 15 Mystics jersey, a reminder of her early days with the team.
The starting point guard on the Mystics’ 2019 championship team, Cloud was integral in leading the Mercury to a win. Her performance was complemented by contributions from teammates Diana Taurasi, who scored 18 points and made a crucial block in the final minute, and Brittney Griner, who posted 23 points and seven rebounds.
“She is a force to be reckoned with,” Taurasi said of Cloud. “Off the court. On the court. As a teammate. As a friend. As an advocate. She always puts other people before herself. And it’s just been really a pleasure to be around her, to be her teammate. She gives so much to our team. It’s unbelievable. And I knew this when I played against her, but being in the same locker room with her, it’s just really been a treat.”
The game was also notable for the return of Kristi Toliver, now the Mercury’s associate head coach. Toliver, a three-time All-Star and former Mystics player, is still rehabbing from a torn ACL sustained in her final season as a player.
Mystics lose composure against Mercury
The Mystics (6-19) led 46-44 at halftime but faltered in the third quarter. A strong start highlighted by Julie Vanloo’s trio of three-pointers was followed by a 15-point unanswered run from the Mercury, which saw the Mystics commit five of their 12 turnovers during that stretch.
“I thought we just lost our focus, lost our composure, I don’t know,” Mystics coach Eric Thibault said of the third-quarter lapse. “We fouled two three-point shooters in that quarter. We turned the ball over in the backcourt after a rebound. We had controlled the energy and hustle plays the whole first half. … I thought it was their bench group that turned the energy of the game. And then their starters obviously came back and played well.”
The Mystics’ lineup has been impacted by several injuries, with key players Shakira Austin, Brittney Sykes and Karlie Samuelson missing a combined 49 games. Despite these challenges, the team has managed to go 6-7 after a franchise-worst 0-12 start to the season.
“You start 0-12, it can’t go much more wrong than that,” Thibault said. “But the way it didn’t go wrong is we had good character in the locker room. Today, I was frustrated. I wanted to win today because we would have had a winning record since that 0-12 start. It shows a lot about the group we have that we dug ourselves out of that hole. … If we can get some people back and we can get a little better, a little smarter, keep jelling a little bit, we can be a really tough team to play against down the stretch of the season.”
As the WNBA heads into the Olympic break, the Mystics will take some time off before resuming practices July 29. They will have 15 games in 36 days once the season resumes Aug. 15. Several players, including Vanloo (Belgium), Aaliyah Edwards (Canada) and Jade Melbourne (Australia), will represent their countries at the Paris Games.
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