Kelsey Plum and Kahleah Copper put on a duel for the ages in historic Sparks-Mercury showdown originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The 109th meeting between two of the WNBA’s original franchises produced something that the league had never seen before.
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Saturday night’s overtime thriller between the Phoenix Mercury and the Los Angeles Sparks featured two career-best performances from All-Star guards Kahleah Copper and Kelsey Plum.
MORE: Kelsey Plum’s MVP push hits decisive point with Sparks’ upcoming schedule
In a back-and-forth affair, Plum and Copper became the first duo in WNBA history to score 40-plus points each in the same game.
Copper, who has endured a tough season for the lowly Mercury, dropped 41 points on 16-of-30 shooting, including six 3-pointers. Unfortunately for Phoenix, Copper ran out of gas after regulation, and she was powerless to prevent Los Angeles from snaring a crucial road win in the Commissioner’s Cup.
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The Sparks can thank Plum — enjoying the best season of her career and even garnering MVP whispers — for dragging them over the line.
Plum’s 43 points came on just 26 shots. She hit five 3-pointers and passed her former teammate A’ja Wilson in the scoring race; she’s now averaging 26.6 points per game.
Without Plum, the Sparks (7-6) would not be in a playoff spot entering Sunday’s action. Los Angeles’ road win further dented Phoenix’s hopes of rallying to crash the postseason party over the next 29 games; the Mercury (4-11) have been one of the WNBA’s worst teams this season.
