DeWanna Bonner played all of Tuesday's game for the Connecticut Sun, telling head coach Curt Miller that she didn't want to come out.

"Now I'm kind of second-guessing myself why I did that," Bonner said with a laugh. "I'm just kidding."

Bonner and the Sun are back to the grind on Thursday (10 p.m., ESPN) when they play the Los Angeles Sparks at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

All head coaches must beware of burning out their players during this abbreviated WNBA season with everyone playing 22 games over such a short period of time.

Connecticut, for instance, will play all of its games over 47 days with a league-high 18 on just one day rest.

Alyssa Thomas and Bonner carried the Sun (0-2) during Tuesday night's 94-89 loss to the defending champion Washington Mystics. Thomas played over 38 minutes, in addition to Bonner going the distance.

"AT and DB combined for 57 (points) and 20 (rebounds)," Miller said. "We can't ask much more of them. I kept asking of they needed to sub. They wanted to gut it out tonight. We obviously can't play people 40 minutes and 38 minutes during the season, but they felt we could've won on opening night (Saturday's 77-69 loss to the Minnesota Lynx) when I tried to spread out some minutes, so they absolutely did not want to come out, and you have to credit the horses that those two are.

"They need a little bit more help. We need to make some open shots. We need to keep our turnovers low, so we don't have wasted possessions."

Bonner scored a game-high 29 points with nine rebounds and five assists.

"I'm a competitor," Bonner said. "I just felt like we had the chance to win that game. I wanted to put everything out there. I didn't want to go down 0-2 (in the standings). I just think at that moment, you had the adrenaline flowing."

Thomas had 28 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

Connecticut has had a balanced offensive attack the previous four seasons. It had four players average scoring in double figures in three of those years. It was the only team to have five players average in double figures in 2018.

Bonner and Thomas both lead the Sun with 48 points each through two games. The other eight players have combined to score 62.

"We need big games every night out of DB or AT," Miller said. "We've gotten them the first couple of nights, but just haven't had enough other scorers."

Connecticut is without its top two scorers from last season — post Jonquel Jones and off-guard Courtney Williams.

Jones, who earned her second All-WNBA second team honor last year, opted out this season due to concerns about the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.

Williams asked to be traded to the Atlanta Dream in order to be closer to home. The Sun did so and acquired veteran guard Briann January from the Phoenix Mercury as part of a three-way deal.

January has been one of the league's most efficient 3-point shooters during her 11-year career and been a six-time All-Defensive team pick. She missed all of training camp due to testing positive for COVID-19 and is still recuperating at home in Arizona.

Jasmine Thomas has struggled early for the Sun. She's in her sixth season as the team's starting point guard and averaged double figures in scoring in each of the past four seasons.

Thomas has missed 15 of 19 field goals and scored just 13 in the team's first two games.

Wing Bria Holmes, starting in Williams' old spot, has missed 6 of 7 field goals in 33 minutes.

"I don't know where it's (scoring) going to come from night-in and night-out, depending on how people scheme us; how people play us," Miller said. "But other people have to step up and not do anything outside of themselves. They've just got to make the shots they're capable of making.

"We have to make open threes. We've got to make tough shots around the rim when we get them."

Connecticut did get a boost from reserve guard Jacki Gemelos on Tuesday in what was her first WNBA game since Sept. 13, 2015. She made two 3-pointers during the Sun's late 16-3 run. It helped them shrink a 15-point deficit down to 91-89 with 1 minute, 39 seconds remaining.

"It's bittersweet," Gemelos said playing again in the WNBA. "It would've been better if we won the game, but personally it felt really good. I'm excited to be here. Happy to finally get on the court. (The) greatest feeling in the world is being exactly where I was tonight. That part of it was good, but the loss was not good."

Miller said about Gemelos, "(She was) gutty, gritty, nothing to lose. ... (I) didn't play her the first night because I didn't like the matchups defensively for her. (Tuesday), Ariel Powers and Ariel Atkins are incredibly tough matchups for her, but she came in there and battled.

"She brings some ability to space the floor for us, which is needed. And if she gets more comfortable at the defensive end, she's going to earn more and more time."

n.griffen@theday.com