Playing its fourth home game out of the last five contests, the Mercury had a chance to move even closer toward clinching a playoff spot.

That moment will have to wait after Indiana made itself the rudest guest of the season, leading by more than 20 on the way to a 75-63 over Phoenix despite 12 points, six rebounds and three blocks from Brittney Griner and 12 points and seven rebounds from Candice Dupree. The loss is just the Mercury’s fourth at home over the past two seasons, and their first since a two-point setback against New York on July 18.

Here’s what we learned from #MercVsFever:

Merc Will Keep Shooting  

Phoenix Head Coach Sandy Brondello wasn’t about to frown on her team’s shot selection, not even when it produced zero three-pointers on 13 attempts.

“Those were some of the best shots we had tonight,” she said. “We’ve got to keep shooting them.”

For one night, the law of averages did not swing back into the Mercury’s favor. After shooting 35.0 percent from downtown on the season, Phoenix simply couldn’t find the bottom of the net from beyond the arc.

Offense Needs Realignment 

Early in the game, Brittney Griner appeared on her way to an All-Star performance after logging four points, four rebounds and a block in just over five minutes of play. She scored just eight more the rest of the way.

Brondello said the team got away from establishing Griner early in the offense. As a result, ball movement and the easy looks it creates were heavily diminished.

The final box score bears enough evidence; Phoenix shot just 38.3 percent nearly 17 assists per contest.

Energy Needs a Boost

As rough a night as Phoenix had on offense, Indiana was just as smooth in its own right. Only the tail end of the game kept their shooting percentage (44.3) from accurately reflecting the success they enjoyed most of the night.

Brondello labeled mental fatigue as a big reason behind the unusual defensive lapses, especially when it came to transition defense. Indiana (13) more than doubled the Mercury (six) in fast break points and, until the very end, held a significant advantage in bench points.