Two of the WNBA’s biggest stars put on a historic scoring display as the Phoenix Mercury fell to the Los Angeles Sparks in overtime, 111-102, on Saturday, June 13, at Mortgage Matchup Center.
The Mercury’s Kahleah Copper and Sparks’ Kelsey Plum became the first opposing players in WNBA history to each score at least 40 points in the same game.
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Copper scored a career-high 41 points on 16 of 30 shooting from the floor and 6 of 14 from 3-point range. Plum topped that with a career-high 43 points, going 14 of 26 from the field, including 5 of 11 from 3.
The loss was the Mercury’s third straight, as the team fell to 4-11 on the season. The Sparks improved to 7-6.
After the game, Copper had nothing but praise for Plum, who has averaged 26 points a game this season to lead the WNBA along with the Aces A’ja WIlson and is considered an MVP frontrunner.
“She a dog,” said Copper, who is averaging about 18 points a game. “She knows when to take over games and she got in the mode.”
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Plum had only 11 points in the first half, then exploded for 30 after that, scoring 17 of those 30 points in the fourth quarter.
Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts had similar praise for the Los Angeles guard.
Sparks guard Kelsey Plum (10) drives against Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani (8) during a game at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, on June 13, 2026.
“Plum is playing at a high level, a very high level,” Tibbetts said. “I’ll have to take a look at the film and see where, if, we could’ve sent a double team.”
Tibbetts added: “I felt like it was a lot of iso stuff, at the end of the shot clock,” Tibbetts said. “But that’s what she does, she’s one of the leading scorers in our league and playing at a high level.”
Teams trade buckets to force OT
The Mercury trailed by nine points late in the third quarter, but fought back to take the lead with 1:33 left in the fourth on a Lexi Held 3-point shot from the corner. Plum then answered with a 3 to tie it with 1:17 left.
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Copper knocked down a 3 just 10 seconds later to put Phoenix back in in front. But Plum nailed another 3 to tie it once again with 52.9 seconds remaining.
After a few missed shots from both teams, Natasha Mack sank a 14-foot jumper to give the Mercury a 98-96 lead with just 12.7 seconds left in regulation. But it was Plum again who answered, this time driving largely uncontested to the hoop to score an easy layup with 1.6 seconds left.
Mack had a decent look at a potential game-winning shot as time ran out, but couldn’t seal it.
“We had some slippage defensively,” Copper said.
In the overtime period, the Sparks took over, their defense clamping down on Phoenix while scoring 13 points for the win. Los Angeles didn’t give up a point to the Mercury until the 2:40 mark of OT, when Mack scored on a driving layup.
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For the entire OT period, the Sparks kept the Mercury off-balance, holding Phoenix to just 4 points, while swarming Copper, who scored her final two points at the line, giving her the first 40-point game of her career.
Copper, a four-time All-Star (three with Chicago, one with Phoenix), entered the game shooting 32.8% from the field and only 21.8% from 3. Both were well below her career marks of 43.8% from the floor and 34.3%.
Tibbetts said before the game that it was going to be important to get Copper going.
“Just encouraging her to keep looking to be aggressive when she’s open,” Tibbetts said. “I just want her to not over think it, go hoop and play with some joy, and just be tough, she’s a competitive player, we believe in her and she’s going to turn this around.”
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Whatever adjustments Copper made were noticeable as she went toe-to-toe with Plum, also a four-time All-Star.
“I’ve been overthinking the past however many games,” Copper said. “I just want to win, whatever it takes making the right play, hitting shots, taking the open shots, taking the easy ones, not overdoing it.”
Up next
The Mercury (4-11) will look to end their three-game skid against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces (10-3) on Wednesday, June 17, at 7 p.m., at Mortgage Matchup Center. The Mercury defeated the Aces in the May 9 season opener, 99-66, in Las Vegas.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kahleah Copper records career high in points but Mercury fall in OT
