Mercury’s Diana Taurasi, Natasha Cloud reach technical foul limit, will be suspended vs. Dream

Diana Taurasi and Natasha Cloud each picked up their seventh technical fouls of the season on Sunday during the Phoenix Mercury’s 97-79 loss to the defending champion Las Vegas Aces. Both players have now reached the technical foul limit for the season and will be suspended for Tuesday’s game against the Atlanta Dream unless the league rescinds the technicals. 

Under the current rules, once a player reaches seven technical fouls in a season, they will be suspended for one game. A player would then face another one-game suspension for every two technical fouls after that. 

Cloud was the first one to get in trouble on Sunday. In the middle of the second quarter, she was playing physical defense on Kelsey Plum and thought that the Aces guard got away with a push-off. After Plum passed the ball, Cloud voiced her displeasure with the officials and was quickly given a technical. There will be no debating that one. 

Late in the third quarter, Taurasi joined the club. As the Mercury were walking the ball up the floor, an officially suddenly blew her whistle and hit Taurasi with a technical, apparently for yelling something. An incensed Taurasi claimed she was talking to her teammates, not the ref, so we’ll see if she’s able to appeal that one and get it rescinded. 

It does not seem as though she’s too bothered, though. 

“No, I don’t really care about any of that,” Taurasi said. “I’m gonna go into every game the same way. That’s just life… If it’s a game off, it’s a game off. Whatever.” 

To little surprise, this is not the first time that Taurasi has been suspended for reaching the technical foul limit. She was suspended one game in 2018 and 2016 for reaching seven technicals, and two games in 2013, when she led the league with nine technicals. 

The Mercury’s defeat to the Aces was their third in a row, as their post-Olympic break slump continues. They are now 2-5 since the restart and 16-17 for the season, which has dropped them a full game behind the surging Indiana Fever in the race for the No. 6 seed.