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Video Credit: Phoenix Mercury
Kahleah Copper scored 27 points and the Phoenix Mercury came back from 13 points down in the third quarter to beat the Golden State Valkyries 91-89 on Wednesday night in Phoenix, the first game back from the All-Star break for both teams.
Golden State led 71-62 with 8:34 remaining in the fourth quarter. Phoenix scored the next 10 points and did not trail again.
Copper was called for her sixth foul with 1:45 to play. Phoenix challenged the call, and it was upheld on replay review. Kayla Thornton tied the game at 82 with a 3-pointer nine seconds later. DeWanna Bonner made two free throws with 1:27 left, and the Mercury led the rest of the way.
The 13-point deficit was Phoenix's largest comeback of the season. It was also the fourth time this season the Mercury have won a game they trailed entering the fourth quarter.
Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts was asked about Alyssa Thomas' night.
"Just her playing with force. I thought she had force all night," Tibbetts said. "She had all those points in the paint, but then she got to the free throw line, too. She was getting downhill. She went to the post some against some matchups. Thought we did a really good job of recognizing that. AT was fabulous tonight."
Thomas finished with 25 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. It was the eighth game of her career with at least 25 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, and her first this season. Thomas now has 31 career games with at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, sixth-most in WNBA history.
Entering Wednesday she was averaging a league-best 8.3 assists per game. The eight assists gave her 18 games this season with at least eight, and Jordin Canada is next in the league with 13.
Thomas was asked about the second half.
"I think the problem we were having was our defense and just getting into the paint. By going to the bigger lineup, we were able to keep body on body," Thomas said. "From there, we knew if we could get stops, we could get out and run. I don't think it was so much our offense as it was our defense today."
Thomas was asked about her scoring in the fourth quarter.
"We went to a big lineup, so that was a lot of point guard for me. I think Kah had it going, DB had it going, and I just found my moments to attack and score," Thomas said. "My job is to get everybody else involved, and I felt like the fourth quarter was just my time to take over a little bit."
Bonner had 17 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks and 1 steal. The double-double was her second of the season and her 45th in a Mercury uniform, behind only Brittney Griner's 66 in franchise history. Her two offensive rebounds moved her to 530 with Phoenix, passing Griner for the franchise record. Bonner had passed Griner for the franchise rebounding record on July 19 against Connecticut. Wednesday was the 386th game of her career with at least one steal, behind only Tamika Catchings (414) and Sue Bird (402) in league history.
Phoenix went 32-of-43 from the free-throw line. The 43 attempts tied for the most by any team in a game this season and were the most in a regulation game. They rank fourth in a game in franchise history, and Phoenix had not attempted that many since July 1, 2011, against Chicago. The Mercury are 8-0 all time when they attempt 40 or more. Golden State attempted 19.
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase was asked about the free-throw discrepancy.
"Yeah, 43 to 19. We just can't foul. We have to be more disciplined, show hands. We talked about that," Nakase said. "We can't send a team to the line 43 times. It's hard to win games if they're shooting that many free throws. So being more disciplined, being in the spots early, showing hands — I think that's the main key."
Cecilia Zandalasini led Golden State with 16 points on 6-of-17 shooting and fouled out. Veronica Burton had 15 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists. Kaila Charles scored 10 points and grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds for the second double-double of her career and her first since 2021.
Burton was asked what went wrong down the stretch.
"There's the discipline that we lacked. Obviously, a lot of free throws for them — a lot of not even shooting fouls, but when we're in the bonus that many times, we need to be disciplined. And rebounding," Burton said. "Honestly, I think even being in that game was impressive for us, because we did a lot of things wrong. But there's a lot to learn from."
Zandalasini was asked about her first-half shooting.
"Yeah, I felt I didn't start the game really well shooting-wise, so I just tried to stay confident, knowing that the team wanted me to take those shots," Zandalasini said. "So I just tried to keep shooting with confidence, and I saw one go in and then the confidence kind of grows."
Golden State shot 40.8% from the field and went 12-of-33 from 3-point range. Phoenix shot 49.1% and went 5-of-16 from 3. The Valkyries finished with 24 assists to the Mercury's 19 and grabbed 13 offensive rebounds to Phoenix's 6. Phoenix held a 34-33 rebounding edge.
Wednesday marked the 40th time in franchise history the Mercury made five or fewer 3-pointers in a game their opponent made 10 or more. It was the fifth time Phoenix has won one of those games. The last came July 14, 2015, against Atlanta.
Copper added 4 rebounds and 4 assists. The 27 points gave her 15 games of at least 20 this season, fourth in the league behind Kelsey Mitchell (20), A'ja Wilson (20) and Paige Bueckers (16). Her career high for a season is 20, set in 2024.
Copper and Thomas were the first pair of Mercury teammates to score at least 25 in the same game since Griner and Diana Taurasi did it in 2024. Phoenix is 29-10 all time when two or more players score 25 or more.
Natasha Mack scored 8 points off the bench and moved past 500 for her career.
Copper was asked about the roster's health coming out of the break.
"I think the break was just important to reset, physically and mentally. But we talked a little bit about it before the break, just about our approach when we got back," Copper said. "So just seeing everybody in the gym, getting ready, getting locked in, and then how we approach shootaround and how we approach the game — we want to take it one game at a time, but we know what our ultimate goal is."
Tibbetts was asked whether the win could carry into a playoff push.
"I sure hope so. I mean, listen, we've been wanting and needing this kind of win. We play the game to win, right? And we haven't won at the level that we wanted to to start the year," Tibbetts said. "And we won the right way. We were competitive. We fought. We battled adversity, and then we stuck together and got it done at the end."
Phoenix is 11-18 and has won three in a row, matching its longest winning streak of the season. The Mercury had lost five straight before the break and then won at Los Angeles 86-82 on July 22.
Golden State fell to 19-9 and has lost two in a row after dropping a 90-82 home game to Washington in its previous outing.
The Mercury host New York on Saturday. The Valkyries host Toronto on Sunday.
Continue reading...
Kahleah Copper scored 27 points and the Phoenix Mercury came back from 13 points down in the third quarter to beat the Golden State Valkyries 91-89 on Wednesday night in Phoenix, the first game back from the All-Star break for both teams.
Golden State led 71-62 with 8:34 remaining in the fourth quarter. Phoenix scored the next 10 points and did not trail again.
Copper was called for her sixth foul with 1:45 to play. Phoenix challenged the call, and it was upheld on replay review. Kayla Thornton tied the game at 82 with a 3-pointer nine seconds later. DeWanna Bonner made two free throws with 1:27 left, and the Mercury led the rest of the way.
The 13-point deficit was Phoenix's largest comeback of the season. It was also the fourth time this season the Mercury have won a game they trailed entering the fourth quarter.
Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts was asked about Alyssa Thomas' night.
"Just her playing with force. I thought she had force all night," Tibbetts said. "She had all those points in the paint, but then she got to the free throw line, too. She was getting downhill. She went to the post some against some matchups. Thought we did a really good job of recognizing that. AT was fabulous tonight."
Thomas finished with 25 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. It was the eighth game of her career with at least 25 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, and her first this season. Thomas now has 31 career games with at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, sixth-most in WNBA history.
Entering Wednesday she was averaging a league-best 8.3 assists per game. The eight assists gave her 18 games this season with at least eight, and Jordin Canada is next in the league with 13.
Thomas was asked about the second half.
"I think the problem we were having was our defense and just getting into the paint. By going to the bigger lineup, we were able to keep body on body," Thomas said. "From there, we knew if we could get stops, we could get out and run. I don't think it was so much our offense as it was our defense today."
Thomas was asked about her scoring in the fourth quarter.
"We went to a big lineup, so that was a lot of point guard for me. I think Kah had it going, DB had it going, and I just found my moments to attack and score," Thomas said. "My job is to get everybody else involved, and I felt like the fourth quarter was just my time to take over a little bit."
Bonner had 17 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks and 1 steal. The double-double was her second of the season and her 45th in a Mercury uniform, behind only Brittney Griner's 66 in franchise history. Her two offensive rebounds moved her to 530 with Phoenix, passing Griner for the franchise record. Bonner had passed Griner for the franchise rebounding record on July 19 against Connecticut. Wednesday was the 386th game of her career with at least one steal, behind only Tamika Catchings (414) and Sue Bird (402) in league history.
Phoenix went 32-of-43 from the free-throw line. The 43 attempts tied for the most by any team in a game this season and were the most in a regulation game. They rank fourth in a game in franchise history, and Phoenix had not attempted that many since July 1, 2011, against Chicago. The Mercury are 8-0 all time when they attempt 40 or more. Golden State attempted 19.
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase was asked about the free-throw discrepancy.
"Yeah, 43 to 19. We just can't foul. We have to be more disciplined, show hands. We talked about that," Nakase said. "We can't send a team to the line 43 times. It's hard to win games if they're shooting that many free throws. So being more disciplined, being in the spots early, showing hands — I think that's the main key."
Cecilia Zandalasini led Golden State with 16 points on 6-of-17 shooting and fouled out. Veronica Burton had 15 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists. Kaila Charles scored 10 points and grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds for the second double-double of her career and her first since 2021.
Burton was asked what went wrong down the stretch.
"There's the discipline that we lacked. Obviously, a lot of free throws for them — a lot of not even shooting fouls, but when we're in the bonus that many times, we need to be disciplined. And rebounding," Burton said. "Honestly, I think even being in that game was impressive for us, because we did a lot of things wrong. But there's a lot to learn from."
Zandalasini was asked about her first-half shooting.
"Yeah, I felt I didn't start the game really well shooting-wise, so I just tried to stay confident, knowing that the team wanted me to take those shots," Zandalasini said. "So I just tried to keep shooting with confidence, and I saw one go in and then the confidence kind of grows."
Golden State shot 40.8% from the field and went 12-of-33 from 3-point range. Phoenix shot 49.1% and went 5-of-16 from 3. The Valkyries finished with 24 assists to the Mercury's 19 and grabbed 13 offensive rebounds to Phoenix's 6. Phoenix held a 34-33 rebounding edge.
Wednesday marked the 40th time in franchise history the Mercury made five or fewer 3-pointers in a game their opponent made 10 or more. It was the fifth time Phoenix has won one of those games. The last came July 14, 2015, against Atlanta.
Copper added 4 rebounds and 4 assists. The 27 points gave her 15 games of at least 20 this season, fourth in the league behind Kelsey Mitchell (20), A'ja Wilson (20) and Paige Bueckers (16). Her career high for a season is 20, set in 2024.
Copper and Thomas were the first pair of Mercury teammates to score at least 25 in the same game since Griner and Diana Taurasi did it in 2024. Phoenix is 29-10 all time when two or more players score 25 or more.
Natasha Mack scored 8 points off the bench and moved past 500 for her career.
Copper was asked about the roster's health coming out of the break.
"I think the break was just important to reset, physically and mentally. But we talked a little bit about it before the break, just about our approach when we got back," Copper said. "So just seeing everybody in the gym, getting ready, getting locked in, and then how we approach shootaround and how we approach the game — we want to take it one game at a time, but we know what our ultimate goal is."
Tibbetts was asked whether the win could carry into a playoff push.
"I sure hope so. I mean, listen, we've been wanting and needing this kind of win. We play the game to win, right? And we haven't won at the level that we wanted to to start the year," Tibbetts said. "And we won the right way. We were competitive. We fought. We battled adversity, and then we stuck together and got it done at the end."
Phoenix is 11-18 and has won three in a row, matching its longest winning streak of the season. The Mercury had lost five straight before the break and then won at Los Angeles 86-82 on July 22.
Golden State fell to 19-9 and has lost two in a row after dropping a 90-82 home game to Washington in its previous outing.
The Mercury host New York on Saturday. The Valkyries host Toronto on Sunday.
Continue reading...
