Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi lead Phoenix Mercury past Tulsa Shock

Brittney Griner always has been best known for her dunks and blocks, the highlight-reel moments that get crowds on their feet.

But this season, her second in the WNBA, the 6-foot-8 center is quietly turning into an efficient scoring machine.

Griner's offensive prowess was on display Friday, as she set a career high in scoring for the second consecutive game, notching 28 points in the Mercury's 91-80 win over the Tulsa Shock in front of 9,098 at US Airways Center.

Two days after scoring a then-best 27 points in a victory against the Minnesota Lynx, Griner again rewrote her own personal history book, shooting 12 of 15 from the field and also matching her career high with six blocks.

"This year, she's just kind of figured out where she can be effective on both ends," guard Diana Taurasi said. "She's been amazing."

Taurasi also set a career high Friday, recording 12 assists in addition to her 14 points.

At 9-3, the Mercury matched their best 12-game start in franchise history and maintained a share of the best record in the WNBA with the Atlanta Dream, who also won Friday.

Pushed into the background a bit by Griner and Taurasi's career nights, Penny Taylor had her best game of the year, with 19 points, five rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes.

Taylor was making her third start of the season after replacing Erin Phillips in the starting lineup Sunday in Minnesota.

Both Taurasi and Mercury coach Sandy Brondello used the term "vintage Penny" to describe her performance Friday, and it appears the 13th-year veteran from Australia may be close to recapturing the form that had her playing at a high level before knee injuries sidelined her for the majority of the past two seasons.

"I feel good," Taylor said. "I'm playing pain-free for the most part.

"Playing against Tulsa, for me it's a good matchup because I'm a taller guard and they have shorter guards. I knew I needed to be aggressive. And I think everyone was really focused on helping me get the ball, as well, so that was helpful."

The Mercury kept up their blistering shooting pace, making 34 of 66 shots for a 51.5 percent clip.

They tied or outscored the Shock in every quarter, leading 45-38 at halftime and pulling away down the stretch.

Taurasi reached a pair of milestones during the game, including becoming the 19th player in WNBA history to accumulate 10,000 minutes.

She also moved into sixth place all time in career assists, with 1,342.