Kahleah Copper made a 3-pointer with less than a second remaining and scored 34 points to lift Phoenix to an 81-80 victory over the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Lynx on Friday night in Brittney Grinner’s return to the Mercury.
Copper made 13 of 23 shots, none bigger than her last, as she helped Phoenix (5-6) win for the second time in the last seven games under first-year coach Nate Tibbetts. Griner, fully recovered from a broken toe that has kept her out until now, made her debut with 11 points, four rebounds and a block in just over 21 minutes.
Diana Taurasi scored 12 points but made just 4 of 19 shots, including 1 of 7 from beyond the arc, for Phoenix. Copper said Tibbetts originally designed the final play for Taurasi, but the veteran lobbied Copper to take the shot instead.
Natasha Cloud had 10 assists to go with eight points.
Kayla McBride sank a career-best eight 3-pointers and scored 25 to lead Minnesota (7-3), which ended a three-game win streak. Napheesa Collier added 20 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Alanna Smith had 12 points and six assists before fouling out.
Copper had nine points in the first quarter to lead Phoenix to a 21-15 lead.
McBride made a 3-pointer with 5:19 left in the second quarter, putting the Lynx on top for the first time at 29-28. Griner, who had nine points at halftime, followed with a three-point play and the Mercury stayed ahead, building a 38-35 lead at halftime. Griner helped Phoenix outscore Minnesota 22-6 in the paint in the first 20 minutes.
Copper hit a 3-pointer midway through the third quarter to give the Mercury a 49-42 lead. McBride buried three 3-pointers in an 18-5 run and the Lynx took a 60-54 lead into the final period.
Phoenix improved to 4-1 at home.
Note: The above video first aired on May 23, 2024.
