Mercury cautious with injured Pondexter

An injury guard Cappie Pondexter suffered two months ago in Turkey has become a cause for concern for the Mercury, and the Olympian may end up in street clothes tonight for a second straight game.

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Pondexter, who will be a game-time decision, took a metal knee brace squarely to her thigh during a playoff game overseas. The collision caused internal bleeding, which drained down to her knee, resulting in swelling.

After just a few days of treatment, though, Pondexter, known for being a highly driven competitor, returned to the court and eventually lead her team to the championship.

The next day, May 16, Pondexter was on a flight back to the States and on May 17 was in uniform for the Mercury’s opener. Despite a large bruise on her thigh for six weeks, Pondexter played through the pain and didn’t miss a game until Tuesday at winless Atlanta.

“If it was a playoff game, I definitely would have played, but it was a regular-season game, end of a road trip,” Pondexter said. “It’s all about being smart. We’ve got a back-to-back coming up. That’s more important. …

“I’ve got the Olympics coming up, the rest of July to make a playoff run. … It’s just preventive right now.”

While the injury has had little effect on Pondexter’s game, she’s second in the league in scoring (23.6), she hasn’t had enough rest to allow her thigh to fully heal.

Head athletic trainer Tamara Poole said she saw signs that Pondexter’s body was starting to break down during Phoenix’s road trip, so she made the call to sit her in Atlanta to prevent possible further injury.

Pondexter, who last played Sunday at Connecticut, sat out much of the last two practices but has kept up her conditioning. If she doesn’t play tonight, she will again be a game-time decision Sunday at Los Angeles.

4,000-POINT CLUB

Center Tangela Smith surpassed the 4,000-point mark Tuesday. Smith, who has 4,005 points, is the seventh player in league history to reach the plateau.

She joins Lisa Leslie, Tina Thompson, Katie Smith, Sheryl Swoopes, Lauren Jackson and Yolanda Griffith.

BONUS SHOT

Pondexter is among the players featured in the WNBA’s latest round of “Expect Great” commercials. There is a link to her commercial at WNBA.com.

Liberty at Mercury
When: 7 p.m. today
Where: US Airways Center
TV: None
Live audio: www.phoenixmercury.com
Records: New York 8-8, Phoenix 8-7
Series history: Phoenix suffered its worst lost of the year in the season’s first meeting, 105-72 at New York. The Mercury trail 9-15 all time but lead 8-3 at home.
Scouting report: Liberty — New York is coming off an 84-71 loss at Seattle on Thursday. Center Janel McCarville, the team’s second-leading scorer (12.7), injured a finger in the first half of that game and played only eight minutes. The Liberty have alternated wins and losses each of their past eight games. Tonight’s game is the fourth stop of a five-game trip.
Mercury — This is the first of back-to-back games for Phoenix, which plays Sunday at Los Angeles. The Mercury, playing their first home game in two weeks, are the hottest team in the league, having won four straight and six of seven. When they left on their recent road trip, they were two games under .500, sixth in the West and 3 1/2 games out of first. As they take the floor tonight, they are one game over .500, tied for fourth and just two games out of first, one game out in the loss column. Diana Taurasi, who is averaging 24.9 points per game, is 48 from 3,000 for her career.