Alyssa Thomas scored 20 points and the Phoenix Mercury walloped the Las Vegas Aces 99-66, on Saturday night making sure the only celebration for the reigning WNBA champions would be their pregame ring ceremony.

The win was a measure of revenge for the Mercury, who were swept by the Aces in last season's WNBA Finals.

This was the Mercury’s largest margin of victory since defeating Indiana 95-60 on Aug. 7, and it's the Aces' worst defeat since a 111-58 loss to Minnesota on Aug. 3. Las Vegas then finished the regular season with 16 consecutive wins.

Mercury rookie Jovana Nogic, who most recently played in Russia and is on the Serbian national team, scored all of her 19 points in the first half. She was one of six Mercury players to score in double figures. Natasha Mack had 10 points and 15 rebounds.

Four-time MVP A'ja Wilson led the Aces with 19 points, Jackie Young scored 12 and NaLyssa Smith 11.

they got 99 problems and phoenix is 1-0 pic.twitter.com/QWrxqXlyzE

— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) May 10, 2026

Wings outscore Fever in Fudd's debut

Paige Bueckers and Odyssey Sims each scored 20 points, Jessica Shepard came up just short of a triple-double, and the new-look Dallas Wings beat the Indiana Fever 107-104 as No. 1 pick Azzi Fudd made her WNBA debut.

Bueckers, last season’s Rookie of the Year, was 8 for 10 from the field while Sims shot 8 for 11.

Dallas started red-hot in the season opener for both teams, making 10 first-half 3-pointers and shooting nearly 60% for a 60-51 halftime lead.

Indiana stormed back to take the lead early in the fourth quarter, but Dallas shot 10 of 14 in the final frame to put the game away.

Shepard, a free-agent acquisition last offseason, was brilliant throughout, finishing with 13 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

Fudd’s debut was mostly unremarkable as she finished with three points, one rebound and one steal in over 17 minutes.

Kelsey Mitchell scored a team-high 30 points for the Fever, while Caitlin Clark had 20 points and seven assists. Aliyah Boston added 23 points.

Sky spoil Fire’s return

Kamilla Cardoso had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and the Chicago Sky rallied to spoil the expansion Portland Fire's WNBA opener with a 98-83 victory.

Carla Leite had 18 points for the Fire, whose fans at Moda Center celebrated the league's return to the city for the first time in 24 years.

The Fire trailed by 17 points in the first half before rallying to tie it at 70 on Bridget Carleton's 3-pointer with 8:39 left. But Chicago regained control from there.

Skylar Diggins finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Sky, who made sweeping changes after finishing 10-24 last season. Just four players from that squad remain on the roster. Angel Reese was traded to Atlanta for first-round draft picks in 2027 and 2028.