The Phoenix Mercury finished their five-game road trip, which included acquiring star Kelsey Plum at the trade deadline. Plum played four games before left calf tightness kept her out of the second half against the Washington Mystics on Aug. 9. Plum was out against the Los Angeles Sparks on Aug. 11, but the Mercury have had some downtime before their home game against the Portland Fire on Sunday, Aug. 16. However, Mercury fans hoping to see Plum in a Mercury jersey will have to wait a little longer. At practice on Friday, Aug. 14, coach Nate Tibbetts confirmed that Plum will be out with calf tightness. "We just feel like this a good time for our medical team to build with her," Tibbetts said.
The team had a blackout day on Thursday, Aug. 13, but Plum worked out at the facility. She also did light work on Aug. 14. Tibbetts added that Plum will be re-evaluated before the game, and "take that time for her to work through it." The Mercury won't play until Saturday, Aug. 22, at home, which gives her plenty of time to recover. Plum started in three of her four games with the Mercury, while averaging 17.3 points and 3.3 assists. "The first game (with Plum) went a little bit better than the other games, but we knew it was going to get clunky at times," Tibbetts said. "We had one shootaround with her, but she knows how to play and Kah and AT know how to play. It's unfortunate she hasn't played in the last couple of games, but it's part of the deal." Phoenix hasn't been mathematically eliminated but sits seven games out of a playoff spot with nine games remaining. Even with the team facing an early offseason, Kahleah Copper said the morale hasn't changed. "You approach it the same. I think it's about who you are deep inside," Copper said. "If you don't have pride, how do you play in the first place? What is your why? I think you never lose no matter what's ahead. For me, it's always pride and being a crazy competitor, and I think that's this group." The Mercury will face the Fire at 4 p.m. MST from Mortgage Matchup Center on Aug. 16. Diana Taurasi's jersey retirement ceremony will be at halftime. Reach the reporter or send tips for stories at jenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com, as well as @jennarortiz on X. Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don't miss a thing. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Will Kelsey Plum make her home Mercury debut on Sunday, Aug. 16?