Phoenix Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani (No. 8) and forward Alyssa Thomas (No. 25) celebrate during the game against the Golden State Valkyries on June 9. (Photo: Phoenix Mercury)
PHOENIX — On Saturday night, two of the WNBA’s original franchises—the Phoenix Mercury and Los Angeles Sparks—delivered a thrilling, high-scoring showdown that stretched from regulation into overtime at Mortgage Matchup Center.
Despite a valiant effort, the Mercury ultimately dropped to 4-11 on the season, falling to the Sparks 111-102 after a hard-fought battle.
“We are not into moral victories here,” head coach Nate Tibbetts said postgame. “Right now, it is about putting ourselves in a position to win. That is the number one goal. Being down nine, going into the fourth quarter, we fell back, we showed some heart and gave ourselves a chance to win the game.
“There was some unbelievable shot-making on both sides down the stretch. When things are going your way, they’re going your way, but when you’re kind of running into the wall, it feels like you just kind of keep running in the wall, and that’s where we are as far as winning and losing. I’m proud of our group for continuing to fight and putting ourselves in a position to win the game.”
The game was a back-and-forth thriller, featuring 14 lead changes and seven ties between the Mercury and Sparks. In overtime, Los Angeles turned up the defensive pressure and sealed the victory when forward Cameron Brink converted a pivotal four-point play.
Two guards, Kelsey Plum and Kahleah Copper, made WNBA history as the first duo to score 40 or more points in the same game. Plum scored 43 points for Los Angeles and Copper scored 41 for Phoenix. These two WNBA Champions and Olympic Gold Medalists were explosive for their respective teams on the offensive end and put up an entertaining showing in front of the fans, also known as the X-Factor.
“She’s a great player, competitor,” Copper said of Plum. “She’s a dog; she knows when to take over games. She got in the mold. It was just times when we needed to get her off the three-point line. That’s the slip vision, that’s just not letting someone score the same kind of way, and then also just everybody having the person who’s guarding her having happened at her back, and you know, communicating on the backside, so it’s tough with great players, but we just got to continue to figure it out.”
Kahleah Copper Records Career-High 41 Points for Mercury
Through 12 games of the season played before Saturday, Copper went through a shooting slump. When asked how to keep encouraging her during tough times, Tibbetts said to bring in aggression to turn results into wins.
“Just encouraging her to be aggressive when she’s open to shoot it… You’ve got to keep your head down,” Tibbetts said pregame. “You’ve got to get back in the gym. You’ve got to think about the things that you did before you were missing shots. I think this is just part of it, unfortunately. I can do a better job of trying to help her, coming out of timeouts and things like that.”
Copper recorded a double-double of 41 points and 10 rebounds for the Mercury and became the second player in franchise history to record 40 or more points in a single game, joining franchise legend Diana Taurasi, who has done it four times.
Additionally, it was Phoenix’s first 40-point performance since August 3, 2023, when Taurasi became the first player in WNBA history to surpass 10,000 career points and recorded 43 points in the win over the Atlanta Dream.
“Kah (Kahleah Copper) needed one of these nights,” Tibbetts said of Copper. “I’m happy for her. It’s been a tough start to the year. She puts a lot of pressure on herself – obviously, all the veterans do. This is not the start that we wanted, but the shooting, she let it rip tonight and we need her to play free with the mentality to help others, but she looked confident tonight. She looks like the Kahleah Copper that we know. It was going to just be a matter of time before it broke. Hopefully, this leads to more good offensive force.”
Throughout the game, Copper went 16-for-30 from the field and recorded a career-high six three-pointers made in the loss for the Mercury.
She even made WNBA history by becoming the third player, joining Maya Moore (2014) and Breanna Stewart (2023), to record 40 or more points, 10 or more rebounds, and five or more three-pointers made in a single game.
“I’ve been f**king overthinking the past, however many games,” Copper said. “I’m past that. It’s just like, just hoop. I wanna win. Whatever it takes. Making the right play or hitting shots, and I’m just taking the open shots, taking the easy ones. Not overdoing it.”
To add to Copper’s explosive performance on the offensive end, forward Alyssa Thomas was on a triple-double watch, recording 10 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists in the Mercury’s effort to pull off the win at home.
Center Natasha Mack, recording her fourth double-double of the season with 11 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, four steals, and three blocks, expressed her appreciation for Copper’s leadership and aggressive scoring mentality.
“I’m very proud of her,” Mack said. “I see the work she puts in every day, so this was bound to come. When she’s going off, it’s great for us. It’s great for the team. We feed off her energy. She’s one of our leaders, and we couldn’t do this without her.”
Mercury “Going Through Our Training Camp”
Phoenix Mercury teammates center Natasha Mack (no. 4) and forward Alyssa Thomas, celebrate during a game against the Los Angeles Sparks on June 13. (Photo: Phoenix Mercury)
After the Mercury fell to the Golden State Valkyries on the road on Tuesday, Thomas explained that Phoenix is figuring out its identity while implementing new players into the mix.
Last season, through 15 games, the Mercury had an 11-4 record with only two returning players from the 2024 season, led by the trio of Copper, Thomas and Satou Sabally. Phoenix had a special, unexpected run to the WNBA Finals, eliminating the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx in the playoffs before getting swept by A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces in four games.
When being asked about the team’s expectations, considering how far they went the last season, Tibbetts answered, “Just keep getting better.”
“First and foremost, it was us learning the plays,” Thomas said Tuesday. “Right now, we’re going through our training camp. We didn’t have a training camp to play with each other, but the biggest thing is just people having confidence in what they do, and we’re all still learning each other, and little by little it’s getting better, but we’re going to continue to take that jump.”
In the offseason, the Mercury built on continuity and added players with overseas experience, such as Valeriane Ayayi, Jovana Nogic and Noemie Brochant, after losing Sabally in free agency and Kathryn Westbeld to a season-ending injury.
Both Copper and Thomas know firsthand how challenging beginnings can lead to triumphant endings. Each overcame early-season struggles—Copper with the Chicago Sky in 2021 and Thomas with the Connecticut Sun in 2020—to ultimately finish their respective seasons on a high note.
“I have shared my experience just of losing seven straight, winning seven straight, finishing 16-16 (in 2021),” Copper said. “But no, just trying to keep the team encouraged, because it’s easy to get down. We lost those games, and a lot of games we were in, and then got away from us, but keeping our fight. I think we had that tonight. We had some slips defensively, but I don’t think we ever questioned our fight and our belief. I know that we’re moving in the right direction. So I’m just hoping that when it feels this good, we can get a win.”
Akoa Makani and Held’s Returns for Mercury Making a Difference
Point guard Monique Akoa Makani, widely regarded as one of the Mercury’s top defensive players, has made an immediate impact since returning from her overseas stint in France. On Tuesday against Golden State, she fueled Phoenix’s comeback efforts from a 20-point deficit, notching 19 points and knocking down three three-pointers to energize her team.
“Mo’s a big part of what we’re about here,” Tibbetts said of Akoa Makani on Tuesday. “It’s obviously just her second year; she had a great rookie year. … Coming over late, she missed training camp, and I would say the last two games are probably her two best games since she’s been back. She’s a consistent defensive player, which we need, and then tonight, she did a really good job of sharing it, and she got with confidence, and we needed all those shots she took.”
Akoa Makani and guard Lexi Held faced a tough task of guarding Plum, who went on a heater and went 10-for-12 from the charity strike throughout Saturday’s game.
One of the bright spots for the Mercury is that Held recorded nine points off the bench and even made a three-pointer to hand Phoenix the lead in the fourth quarter.
“Lex has got a big heart, she’s competitive, she’s tough,” Tibbetts said of Held. “We’re excited that she’s back. She hit a huge three in transition down the stretch, and she had a tough assignment against Plum.”
The Mercury have four days to rest, recover, and prepare for a 2025 WNBA Finals rematch against the Aces, who is on a six-game winning streak, at home on Wednesday. Phoenix continues to emphasize on building through patience and sense of urgency while being consistent on both ends of the court.
“You have to give a ton of credit to the X-Factor,” Tibbetts said. “They were unbelievable tonight. We are not coming in here with a great record, but the support that they give us is unbelievable. The atmosphere was high-level tonight. I feel like we’re trending. I think in Dallas, we took a step back. This league is about winning and losing games and we’re not getting the job done. I feel like we are playing better. We got some good minutes from people coming off the bench. We got to keep at it. We have to keep fighting.”
Game notes per Phoenix Mercury PR: Kelsey Plum and Kahleah Copper have become the first duo in WNBA history to each score 40+ in the same game. Plum recorded a career-high 43 points (her previous career-high was 40 against the Minnesota Lynx on July 8, 2023) while Copper recorded a career-high of 41 points (her previous career-high was 39 against the Las Vegas Aces on May 18. 2024).
The Sparks shot 20-of-23 (87.0%) from the free throw line compared to Phoenix, who shot 9-of-15 (60.0%).
