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Phoenix Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard said the team will make travel adjustments to upcoming road games after center Brittney Griner was confronted by a YouTube personality on Saturday at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

However, Nygaard declined to reveal details, citing safety concerns.

The situation is a hot topic after Alex Stein, a Dallas-area YouTube personality, filmed Griner at the airport and attempted to ask her questions.

On Saturday, Stein posted a photo on Twitter, saying “I just met my favorite WNBA player Brittney Griner. Video coming soon,” and later posted an 11-second video of him shouting toward Griner as she walked through the concourse.

“Do you still want to boycott America, Britney?” Stein asks Griner as she walks by. Some security officials get physical with Stein at this point before he asks, “What about the merchant of death, Brit?”

Griner spent 10 months in a Russian jail after being detained for marijuana possession in February 2022. In December, she was released in a deal in which the United States agreed to release imprisoned Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Stein, 36, aired the entire 93-second video on YouTube on Sunday.

“Was it a fair trade for the merchant of death?” Stein asked Griner multiple times.

Nygaard didn’t like what transpired at the airport as the Mercury were leaving Dallas to get to Sunday’s road game against the Indiana Fever.

“No one should be a victim of targeted harassment,” Nygaard said before the game. “I’m grateful that our team and our staff are physically OK. Most of all, I’m grateful that BG has been back here in the United States for 185 days now. If her being home makes some people mad, I think that obviously says more about them than it does about her.”

The Mercury traveling party was eventually escorted into a room at the airport to get away from the heckling.

“That’s obviously nothing no one wants to deal with, especially on a business trip for work,” Phoenix center Brianna Turner said. “We’re representing the league, we’re representing the city of Phoenix, our organization and in times like that we don’t want to cause a big scene.

“We don’t to like throw phones or say some things. I guess the lesson is you live and learn but I don’t know what you do if it happens again.”

While the WNBA said it has been working to keep Griner and all the players safe, the players union said Saturday that the league needs to do a better job of providing charter flights.

New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart, who is a member of the union’s executive committee, is all for Griner flying however she wants.

“I think that, you know, that there needs to be extra precautionary measures taken and you know, I don’t think anyone is against BG having charter flights whenever she wants, so that she can be herself and travel and be comfortable and be safe,” Stewart said. “Because that’s the last thing we want is what happened yesterday.”

Griner scored 29 points as the Mercury posted an 85-82 win over the Fever on Sunday.

–Field Level Media

Bridget Carleton hit consecutive 3-pointers to give the Minnesota Lynx the lead for good as they rattled off 17 unanswered points in a three-minute stretch of the fourth quarter on Sunday night to stun the Los Angeles Sparks 91-86 in Minneapolis.

Carleton connected with 1:10 remaining to put Minnesota (2-7) ahead at 84-83, then canned another trey with 32 seconds left for a four-point lead. Teammate Tiffany Mitchell added four straight free throws around a 3-pointer from Los Angeles’ Nneka Ogwumike to seal the outcome.

Napheesa Collier scored 24 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out six assists for the Lynx. Mitchell added 17 points, while Kayla McBride tallied 13 and reserve Nikolina Milic hit for 10 points.

Ogwumike fired in a game-high 27 points for the Sparks (4-4), while Lexie Brown scored 21 and Jordin Canada contributed 18 points and eight assists. Brown’s 3-pointer with 3:38 left gave Los Angeles an 83-72 advantage but it committed four turnovers during the game-changing run.

Minnesota earned a 38-26 rebounding advantage, ceding only two offensive boards, and canned 24 of 25 free-throw attempts.

On the night Minnesota retired the No. 34 of Sylvia Fowles, the Lynx played like she was still on the floor, at least early. They established a 13-4 lead just over five minutes into the game before Los Angeles finally found a rhythm and cut its deficit to 22-20 after a quarter.

Minnesota maintained the lead most of the second quarter, pushing it up to six on multiple occasions, before the Sparks wiped it out in the final two minutes of the half. Ogwumike sank a free throw with 24.1 seconds left to tie the score at 43 at intermission.

A 12-2 spurt midway through the third quarter gave Los Angeles its biggest lead of the period at 58-53 on a 3-pointer by Canada. The Lynx responded with a late surge, getting a runner from McBride in the last minute to draw within 64-62 going into the fourth.

–Field Level Media

Brittney Griner poured in 29 points and was clutch down the stretch as the visiting Phoenix Mercury pulled out an 85-82 victory against the Indiana Fever on Sunday in Indianapolis.

Diana Taurasi provided 18 points and seven assists and Sophie Cunningham made all three of her 3-point baskets in the second half on the way to 13 points for the Mercury (2-5), who snapped a three-game losing streak. Michaela Onyenwere’s 11 points and 12 rebounds and Sug Sutton’s 10 points and seven assists also helped the Phoenix cause.

NaLyssa Smith cranked in 29 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for the Fever (2-6). Erica Wheeler supplied 17 points and eight assists and Kelsey Mitchell posted 12 points as Indiana failed to capture its second close-margin victory in three days.

It was a struggle for Fever rookie forward Aliyah Boston, the No. 1 overall pick in this spring’s draft, as she was limited to four points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes.

Griner’s two free throws put the Mercury ahead 80-79 with 2:06 to play. Her basket in the lane provided Phoenix an 82-80 edge on the team’s next possession, and Cunningham’s 3-pointer with 50 seconds left gave the Mercury some breathing room.

Smith scored off an offensive rebound to keep the Fever in it. The Mercury milked the clock before Taurasi missed a jumper. The Fever’s bid to tie failed on Wheeler’s missed 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

The Fever surged to a 10-point lead in the third quarter and led 67-59 going to the fourth. But Cunningham hit two 3-pointers during an 8-0 run in the first 56 seconds of the fourth quarter as the Mercury pulled even at 67-67 to set up a tight finish.

The Mercury went up by nine points in the first quarter but briefly trailed during a back-and-forth final few minutes of the first half. Phoenix held a 43-42 edge at the break, boosted by Griner’s 14 points. Smith had 15 for Indiana in the first half.

–Field Level Media

Brionna Jones scored nine of her 18 points in the fourth quarter as the visiting Connecticut Sun took control in the final period and pulled away for an 89-77 victory over the Atlanta Dream Sunday afternoon in College Park, Ga.

The Sun (8-2) won for the fifth time in six games and earned their second straight double-digit win by using a 13-0 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters.

Alyssa Thomas nearly posted a triple-double for the Sun by contributing 17 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists while also overcoming seven turnovers. DeWanna Bonner followed up her franchise-record 41-point showing from Thursday against Las Vegas by chipping in 15.

Tyasha Harris contributed a season-high 15, including a pair of baskets in the final seconds of the second and third quarters. The Sun shot 43.8 percent, survived missing 11 of 15 3-point tries and withstood 16 turnovers.

Cheyenne Parker scored 20 points to lead all scorers but Atlanta (2-5) lost its third straight game. Allisha Gray added 18 points and Rhyne Howard contributed 16 for the Dream, who shot 41.9 percent and missed 14 of 19 3-point tries.

Thomas scored 10 points as the Sun overcame an early 10-point deficit for a 25-24 lead after the opening quarter.

Bonner’s jumper gave the Sun a 46-40 lead with 49.2 seconds left and Connecticut took a 48-44 lead into halftime on a jumper by Harris right before the buzzer.

A layup by Natisha Hiedeman staked the Sun to a 52-44 lead less than two minutes into the third quarter, and a basket by Jones made it 55-48 with 5:03 left. AD Durr hit two buckets in a span of 49 seconds to get Atlanta within 60-58 before Parker’s putback forged a 60-60 tie with 99 seconds left.

But the Sun took a 65-60 lead into the fourth after Harris hit a 3-pointer with two seconds left. The Sun extended their run to 13 when Jones converted a three-point play for a 73-60 lead with 8:02 left in the game.

Atlanta got within 77-68 on a 3-pointer by Nia Coffey with 5:18, but a jumper and a 3-pointer by Bonner pushed the lead to 84-70 with 2:36 left to essentially finish it off.

–Field Level Media

Los Angeles Sparks guard Layshia Clarendon sustained a partial tear of the plantar fascia in her right foot and will miss approximately four to six weeks, the team said Sunday.

Clarendon was apparently injured during Friday’s 77-62 victory over the Chicago Sky when she played a season-low 10 minutes.

Clarendon, 32, is averaging 7.8 points and 3.7 assists in six games (all starts) in her first campaign with Los Angeles.

Clarendon has averages of 7.6 points, 3.2 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 245 games (133 starts) over 10 seasons with six teams. She was an All-Star in 2017 when she was a member of the Atlanta Dream.

The Sparks visit the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday night.

–Field Level Media

Natasha Cloud scored 19 points as the visiting Washington Mystics spoiled Sue Bird’s jersey retirement ceremony by recording a 71-65 victory over the Seattle Storm on Sunday.

Cloud made 4 of 6 shot attempts from 3-point range for the Mystics (5-3), who quickly built a 28-point lead before seeing the Storm (1-6) nearly make a spirited comeback. Seattle scored 17 straight points to begin the fourth quarter and whittled its deficit to three with 2:48 remaining.

Ariel Atkins made a technical free throw to put Washington up 69-65 after the Storm’s Kia Nurse was whistled for a hostile foul.

Cloud added two more from the charity stripe to send Washington to its second victory over Seattle in the last three days. The Mystics recorded a 73-66 win over the Storm on Friday.

Atkins finished with 12 points and Shakira Austin collected 11 points and nine rebounds for the Mystics, who played without former WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne (neck tightness).

Seattle’s Jewell Loyd scored 16 points in her return from a one-game absence due to a foot injury.

Ezi Magbegor scored 13 points, Nurse had 12 and Jordan Horston added 10 for the Storm, who retired Bird’s No. 10 jersey after the game. The 13-time All-Star and four-time WNBA champion joined Lauren Jackson — who was in attendance — as the lone players to see their respective jersey numbers retired by the franchise.

Loyd drained a 3-pointer to trim Washington’s lead to 12-10 with 4:44 remaining in the first quarter before Atkins answered from beyond the arc to ignite a 30-4 run. Cloud sank all three of her 3-point attempts in the first quarter to finish with 11 points.

The Mystics kept their foot on the gas to seize a 42-14 lead in the second quarter.

The Storm made a modest run to trim Washington’s advantage to 46-21 at halftime.

–Field Level Media

A’ja Wilson scored a game-high 21 points to lead five Aces in double figures as Las Vegas cruised to a 93-80 victory over the visiting Chicago Sky on Sunday.

Wilson, the league’s reigning MVP, shot 8 of 15 from the field to go along with a game-high 10 rebounds. Chelsea Gray scored 19 points on 8-for-9 shooting from the field, including a perfect 3 of 3 from beyond the arc.

Kelsey Plum added 16 points, with Jackie Young finishing with 14. Candace Parker chipped in 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds against her former team and also had a season-high five steals for the Aces.

The Aces (8-1), who led by as many as 29 points in the fourth quarter, shot 38 of 65 (58.5 percent) from the field, including 6 of 16 (37.5 percent) from 3-point range. Las Vegas outrebounded the Sky 33-27 in the wire-to-wire victory.

Chicago (5-5), which has dropped four of its past six games, was led by Marina Mabrey’s 20 points.

Kahleah Copper finished with 18 points and six rebounds, while Dana Evans added 10 points and eight assists.

The Sky shot 30 of 70 (42.9 percent) from the field, including 7 of 21 (33.3 percent) from beyond the arc.

The Aces dominated the Sky, outscoring them 16-5 on the fast break and 50-28 in the paint.

The Aces took control from the start, jumping out to a 25-14 lead after the first quarter that they stretched to a 56-39 halftime advantage.

Plum had 14 points, Wilson added 12 and Gray chipped in 11 in the first half for Las Vegas. The Aces shot a blistering 22 of 31 (71 percent) from the field, including 3 of 6 (50 percent) from beyond the arc.

The Sky were led by Mabrey’s 13 first-half points, while Copper added 11.

Chicago shot 17 of 41 (41.5 percent) from the field, including a 3 of 9 (33.3 percent) from distance, prior to halftime.

–Field Level Media

Washington Mystics star forward Elena Delle Donne has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the host Seattle Storm due to neck tightness.

Delle Donne is averaging a team-best 18.6 points per game to go along with 7.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists in seven games (all starts) for the Mystics (4-3).

A two-time WNBA MVP and six-time All-Star, Delle Donne has contributed 19.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 225 career games (218 starts) with the Chicago Sky (2013-16) and Mystics.

–Field Level Media

Breanna Stewart recorded 32 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots to lead the New York Liberty to a 102-93 victory over the visiting Dallas Wings on Sunday.

Sabrina Ionescu scored 19 of her 22 points in the second half and also had six rebounds and six assists for New York (6-2), which won for the sixth time in the past seven games. Courtney Vandersloot added 15 points and 10 assists and Marine Johannes had 12 points on four 3-pointers off the bench.

Stewart made 15 of 20 field-goal attempts as the Liberty scored 100 or more points in back-to-back games for the first time in franchise history. New York also topped the mark in Friday’s 106-83 win over the Atlanta Dream.

Arike Ogunbowale had 25 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Wings (5-4), who had a two-game winning streak snapped. Satou Sabally recorded 17 points and 11 rebounds, Natasha Howard added 14 points and Kalani Brown had 10 for Dallas.

New York shot 55.7 percent from the field, including 13 of 28 from 3-point range. Betnijah Laney added 10 points for the Liberty.

The Wings made 39 percent of their shots and were 6 of 23 from behind the arc.

The Liberty outscored Dallas 34-17 in the third quarter to turn a six-point halftime deficit into a 79-68 lead. New York made 13 of 17 shot attempts in the period.

Stewart scored three straight baskets during a 9-2 run to start the second half to give the Liberty a 54-53 edge with 7:38 left in the third quarter. Later, Stewart scored two baskets in 41 seconds as New York held a 66-60 lead with 3:36 left.

Ionescu and Johannes each drained a 3-pointer during a 10-0 spurt as the Liberty increased their lead to 79-65 with 40.2 seconds left in the period.

Dallas was within eight with 6:04 remaining before Stewart scored two baskets and Ionescu drained a trey as New York stretched the score to 93-79 with 4:04 left en route to sealing the win.

Ogunbowale scored 13 first-quarter points and the Wings later ran off 12 straight points in the second quarter to hold a 39-30 lead with 4:13 left in the half. Dallas led 51-45 at the break.

–Field Level Media