2013 Phoenix Mercury season

The 2013 WNBA season is the 17th season for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association.

There were high hopes for the Mercury after they drafted Brittney Griner first overall in the 2013 WNBA draft. However, the Mercury got off to a slow start, and ultimately fired coach Corey Gaines on August 8, 2013, replacing him with Russ Pennell. Amber Cox, the Mercury President and CEO, took over Gaines' GM duties. Pennell helped turn things around, securing the third seed in the 2013 WNBA Playoffs. The Mercury earned a spot in the Western Conference finals against the Minnesota Lynx.

WNBA draft
The following are the Mercury's selections in the 2013 WNBA draft.

Transaction log

 * February 8: re-signed Krystal Thomas and Lynetta Kizer.
 * March 7: signed Ify Ibekwe and Jalana Childs.
 * April 11: re-signed DeWanna Bonner.

Preseason
| 1 		 | May 19 | Japan | 		 | Brittney Griner (18) | Dupree & Kizer (9) | Samantha Prahalis (8) | US Airways Center 4021 | 1–0
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Regular season
| 1 		 | May 27 | Chicago | 		 | Diana Taurasi (18) | Brittney Griner (8) | Samantha Prahalis (5) | US Airways Center 10200 | 0–1
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| 2 		 | June 2 | @ Seattle | 		 | Candice Dupree (18) | Brittney Griner (7) | Charde Houston (6) | Key Arena 9686 | 0–2		 | 3 		 | June 6 | @ Minnesota | 		 | Diana Taurasi (21) | DeWanna Bonner (7) | Samantha Prahalis (5) | Target Center 8511 | 0–3		 | 4 		 | June 8 | @ Indiana | 		 | Diana Taurasi (26) | DeWanna Bonner (11) | Bonner, Dupree, & Taurasi (5) | Bankers Life Fieldhouse 8672 | 1–3		 | 5 		 | June 14 | Los Angeles | 		 | Diana Taurasi (34) | DeWanna Bonner (12) | Diana Taurasi (7) | US Airways Center 13065 | 2–3		 | 6 		 | June 16 | @ Tulsa | 		 | Diana Taurasi (29) | Candice Dupree (10) | Diana Taurasi (9) | BOK Center 4206 | 3–3		 | 7 		 | June 19 | Minnesota | 		 | Diana Taurasi (28) | Brittney Griner (7) | DeWanna Bonner (5) | US Airways Center 8464 | 3–4		 | 8 		 | June 21 | Washington | 		 | Diana Taurasi (31) | DeWanna Bonner (9) | Diana Taurasi (5) | US Airways Center 9636 | 4–4		 | 9 		 | June 25 | @ San Antonio | 		 | Brittney Griner (26) | Candice Dupree (12) | Diana Taurasi (8) | AT&amp;T Center 9007 | 5–4		 | 10 		 | June 27 | @ Washington | 		 | Diana Taurasi (26) | Candice Dupree (11) | Diana Taurasi (8) | Verizon Center 7950 | 6–4		 | 11 		 | June 29 | @ Connecticut | 		 | Bonner & Taurasi (19) | DeWanna Bonner (8) | Diana Taurasi (5) | Mohegan Sun Arena 9110 | 7–4
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| 12 		 | July 2 | NY Liberty | 		 | Bonner & Dupree (20) | Bonner & Dupree (7) | Diana Taurasi (10) | US Airways Center 7636 | 8–4		 | 13 		 | July 7 | @ Minnesota | 		 | Candice Dupree (12) | Brittney Griner (11) | Diana Taurasi (7) | Target Center 9104 | 8–5		 | 14 		 | July 10 | San Antonio | 		 | Candice Dupree (22) | Krystal Thomas (6) | Diana Taurasi (5) | US Airways Center 8707 | 8–6		 | 15 		 | July 14 | Los Angeles | 		 | Diana Taurasi (23) | Candice Dupree (8) | Diana Taurasi (5) | US Airways Center 8233 | 8–7		 | 16 		 | July 18 | @ Los Angeles | 		 | Diana Taurasi (32) | DeWanna Bonner (11) | Diana Taurasi (6) | Staples Center 11105 | 9–7		 | 17 		 | July 21 | Minnesota | 		 | Diana Taurasi (26) | DeWanna Bonner (10) | Diana Taurasi (6) | US Airways Center 9806 | 9–8		 | 18 		 | July 24 | @ Minnesota | 		 | Candice Dupree (17) | Krystal Thomas (10) | Alexis Hornbuckle (4) | Target Center 16404 | 9–9
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| 19 		 | August 1 | @ Seattle | 		 | DeWanna Bonner (19) | Candice Dupree (10) | DeWanna Bonner (7) | Key Arena 6457 | 9–10		 | 20 		 | August 3 | Atlanta | 		 | Diana Taurasi (28) | DeWanna Bonner (6) | Bonner, Dupree, & Taurasi (4) | US Airways Center 8138 | 10–10		 | 21 		 | August 6 | Seattle | 		 | Candice Dupree (18) | Candice Dupree (8) | Diana Taurasi (5) | US Airways Center 6877 | 10–11		 | 22 		 | August 9 | Tulsa | 		 | Diana Taurasi (23) | Candice Dupree (9) | Taurasi & Hornbuckle (4) | US Airways Center 8547 | 11–11		 | 23 		 | August 11 | Tulsa | 		 | DeWanna Bonner (21) | Candice Dupree (7) | Diana Taurasi (7) | US Airways Center 5972 | 12–11		 | 24 		 | August 14 | Indiana | 		 | Candice Dupree (16) | Brittney Griner (8) | Diana Taurasi (11) | US Airways Center 6135 | 13–11		 | 25 		 | August 17 | @ San Antonio | 		 | Diana Taurasi (23) | Briana Gilbreath (6) | Diana Taurasi (7) | AT&amp;T Center 10906 | 13–12		 | 26 		 | August 20 | @ Tulsa | 		 | Diana Taurasi (28) | Dupree & Griner (10) | Diana Taurasi (10) | BOK Center 4261 | 14–12		 | 27 		 | August 23 | Seattle | 		 | DeWanna Bonner (20) | Bonner & Griner (5) | Diana Taurasi (7) | US Airways Center 8026 | 14–13		 | 28 		 | August 31 | Connecticut | 		 | Bonner & Dupree (22) | Candice Dupree (9) | Diana Taurasi (8) | US Airways Center 8119 | 15–13
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 * colspan="9" bgcolor="#bbcaff"|All-Star Break
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| 29 		 | September 6 | San Antonio | 		 | Diana Taurasi (21) | Brittney Griner (14) | Diana Taurasi (7) | US Airways Center 9006 | 16–13		 | 30 		 | September 8 | @ Atlanta | 		 | Diana Taurasi (25) | Brittney Griner (11) | Diana Taurasi (6) | Philips Arena 9740 | 17–13		 | 31 		 | September 10 | @ NY Liberty | 		 | Bonner & Dupree (18) | Dupree & Taurasi (6) | Diana Taurasi (9) | Prudential Center 8127 | 18–13		 | 32 		 | September 11 | @ Chicago | 		 | Candice Dupree (15) | Dupree & Gilbreath (6) | Jasmine James (5) | Allstate Arena 6409 | 18–14		 | 33 		 | September 13 | San Antonio | 		 | Diana Taurasi (20) | Krystal Thomas (8) | Diana Taurasi (10) | US Airways Center 8899 | 19–14		 | 34 		 | September 15 | @ Los Angeles | 		 | Griner & James (9) | Krystal Thomas (8) | Jasmine James (4) | Staples Center 12311 | 19–15
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Playoffs
| 1 		 | September 19 | @ Los Angeles | 		 | Diana Taurasi (30) | Candice Dupree (7) | Diana Taurasi (7) | Staples Center 8500 | 1–0		 | 2 		 | September 21 | Los Angeles | 		 | Diana Taurasi (20) | Candice Dupree (9) | Diana Taurasi (5) | US Airways Center 11110 | 1–1		 | 3 		 | September 23 | @ Los Angeles | 		 | Candice Dupree (22) | Bonner & Gilbreath (6) | Diana Taurasi (10) | Staples Center 9321 | 2–1
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| 1 		 | September 26 | @ Minnesota | 		 | Diana Taurasi (15) | Brittney Griner (6) | Bonner & Dupree (3) | Target Center 9013 | 0–1		 | 2 		 | September 29 | Minnesota | 		 | Diana Taurasi (21) | Brittney Griner (10) | Diana Taurasi (6) | US Airways Center 8020 | 0–2
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