Kahleah Copper scored 20 of her 31 points in the second half and Kelsey Plum added 20 points in her Phoenix debut to help the Mercury beat the Chicago Sky 106-101 on Monday at Wintrust Arena.
Plum, who was traded from the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday, made a 3-pointer from the corner with 53 seconds left to give the Mercury a 103-101 lead.
After a timeout with 11 seconds remaining, Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner blocked a layup attempt by Courtney Vandersloot and then sank two free throws at the other end for a four-point lead. Copper sealed it with a steal.
Alyssa Thomas had 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists for her WNBA-leading 27th career triple-double for the Mercury (12-19). Bonner finished with 14 points and Valeriane Ayayi added 10 off the bench. Plum was 6 of 10 from the field with three 3-pointers in her first game since June 21.
Vandersloot, DiJonai Carrington and Kamilla Cardoso scored 16 points apiece for the Sky (11-19). Vandersloot also had 10 assists and Cardoso grabbed 13 rebounds. Sydney Taylor scored 14 points in 17 minutes before leaving with a left groin injury.
Carrington began the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer to give the Sky an 80-78 lead, its first since it was 33-32 in the second. The Sky led by as many as seven points in the fourth quarter.
Up next
The Mercury play at the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday.
The Sky host the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday.
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