LAS VEGAS – Phoenix's Kahleah Copper became just the second player in WNBA history to have consecutive 35+ point games as the Mercury handed two-time defending champion Las Vegas a rare home loss.
The Mercury won 98-88 on Tuesday at Michelob Ultra Arena, where the Aces lost just twice last year. The first was on August 15 in the Commissioner's Cup final against the New York Liberty, followed by a regular season loss on August 19 against the Los Angeles Sparks. Still, the Aces won their second consecutive WNBA championship.
Both teams on Tuesday were without key players who have yet to play this season due to injuries: Las Vegas point guard Chelsea Gray (foot) and Phoenix center Brittney Griner (toe).
Copper ended up being the star of the show.
She scored 37 points against the Aces, making 15 of 23 shots from the field, to follow up a career-best 38-point performance in a win over Atlanta on Saturday.
Copper joined Liz Cambage as the only WNBA players to score 35+ in consecutive WNBA games. Cambage did it for Dallas in 2018, when she scored 53 points on July 17 and 35 on July 19.
Copper, the 2021 WNBA Finals MVP, averaged a career-high 18.7 points per game last season for Chicago. She signed a contract extension last September with Sky, but as the franchise went more into rebuilding mode in the offseason, Copper was traded to Phoenix in February.
“I think they put me in the perfect position,” Copper said of how he filled an obvious need at the Phoenix wing spot. “My offseason was great. I prided myself on being a three-level scorer, but I wanted to be more consistent. Seeing this roster and understanding that this is who I wanted to play with… It's like we've been together forever.”
The Mercury finished last in the WNBA in 2023 at 9-31. But big roster moves were made, including the trade for Copper and the free agent signing of Natasha Cloud, both of whom won WNBA championships with other franchises. Coach Nate Tibbetts was hired to take over the Mercury (2-1).
“You have to give credit to the group that continued to believe, not hanging their heads when BG fell,” Tibbetts said. “I think the team feels [Copper] “She's the hottest player now; she's getting worse and she's being extremely aggressive.”
Las Vegas beat Phoenix 89-80 on May 14 in the season opener and then defeated Los Angeles 89-82 on Saturday. But coach Becky Hammon hasn't been happy with the Aces' defense in any of her three games.
“We haven't been playing well, so we have this false sense of being good,” Hammon said. “So I hope it gets our attention. We didn't deserve to win the game.”
Next up for the Aces is the Indiana Fever, as number one draft pick Caitlin Clark will make her first trip to Las Vegas. The Fever and Aces face off Saturday at 9 pm ET on NBA TV.
