The streaky Phoenix Mercury is slumping again as it prepares to visit the Chicago Sky on Sunday at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill.
Phoenix (8-12) has lost two in a row and three of its last four. This latest stretch followed a three-game winning streak, which was preceded by a three-game losing streak.
The Mercury has fallen into fourth place in the WNBA's Western Conference, one game behind the third-place Dallas Wings and 10 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Sparks.
Chicago (7-11) has lost two in a row and four of its last five. The Sky has fallen to fifth in the Eastern Conference behind the New York Liberty, the Atlanta Dream, the Washington Mystics and the Indiana Fever.
Teams in the East are much more tightly grouped than they are out West, with only six games separating New York from Chicago.
Phoenix is coming off a 78-60 loss to the Indiana Fever. Diana Taurasi and Kelsey Bone had 13 points apiece in the loss. The Mercury shot 45.1 percent from the field but committed 26 turnovers.
The game marked the return of Marta Xargay, who was Phoenix's starting point guard for much of the 2015 season. The team announced that it had re-signed Xargay on Friday.
Xargay, who will represent Spain in the 2016 Summer Olympics, logged 23 minutes against Indiana, posting six points on 3-of-3 shooting with two assists and two turnovers.
Chicago is coming off an 88-85 loss to New York. Allie Quigley came off the bench to score a career-high 29 points. She made 6-of-9 shots from 3-point range.
Fellow backup Jamierra Faulkner added 18 points. Chicago was outrebounded 44-30 and the team's starters combined for only 33 points. Elena Delle Donne, who is second in the WNBA in scoring at 21 points per game, was held to 14 points.
