Kahleah Copper Dropped 41 Points And The Mercury Still Have No Answers
Alright, Seattle, let's talk about some hoops action, and man, there's a wild ride happening out there! The Las Vegas Aces, those defending champs, were absolutely cruising, but then they hit a wall. Meanwhile, the Phoenix Mercury, well, they're just flat-out struggling, and it feels like they can't catch a break, even when Kahleah Copper goes absolutely OFF for a career night. This Wednesday, we're looking at a rematch between last year's WNBA finalists, and it's gonna feel totally different.A'ja Wilson's Aces Are Chasing A Cup, But Just Hit A Speed Bump
The Aces were on fire, no doubt about it. Led by the evergreen MVP candidate A'ja Wilson, they stacked up six straight wins, pushing their record to an impressive 10-4 overall and a dominant 5-1 in Commissioner's Cup play. They're tied for first in the Western Conference standings for the Cup with the Minnesota Lynx and actually own the tiebreaker. A win over the Mercury on Wednesday punches their ticket straight to the Commissioner's Cup title game against the New York Liberty. That's some serious hardware on the line! But hold up, it hasn't been all smooth sailing. After that six-game tear, they just got hammered by Dallas, suffering a brutal 96-66 loss on Monday. A'ja Wilson didn't pull any punches after that game either, laying it bare: "If we don't get better on the defensive end, the 'L's' are just going to start racking up point blank. Period." She knows wins can sometimes give a false sense of security, and that defense has to be the focus. They're looking to turn the page, but the message is clear: the defense has to step up, no matter who they're playing.Phoenix
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's Nightmare Season Hits New Lows Despite Copper's Explosion On the flip side, the Phoenix Mercury started their season with a statement, crushing the Aces 99-66 way back on May 9. Since then? Yikes. They've lost nine of their last eleven games, dropping their overall record to a dismal 4-11, and they're sitting at 2-4 in Commissioner's Cup action. Their latest heartbreak was an absolutely excruciating 111-102 overtime defeat to the Los Angeles Sparks just last Saturday. And get this, Mercury guard Kahleah Copper put on a clinic, dropping a career-high 41 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. FORTY-ONE POINTS! But even that wasn't enough. Kelsey Plum countered with a career-high 43 points for the Sparks, hitting a layup with 1.6 seconds left to force overtime. The Mercury fought back from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter, only to run out of gas in the extra session as the Sparks scored the first eight points. Coach Nate Tibbetts summed it up, saying, "When you're kind of running into the wall, it feels like you just kind of keep running into the wall, and that's where we are at as far as winning and losing." Despite Copper's heroics boosting their offense to a tie for 10th in scoring (82.2 ppg), they still rank 11th in field-goal percentage (42.2%) and 12th in 3-point percentage (32%). Copper herself admitted she's been "overthinking the past few games," just wanting to "win, hoop, and make the right plays." So, this Wednesday, the Aces have a shot at the Commissioner's Cup final, while the Mercury are just trying to stop the bleeding. Will A'ja Wilson's call for defense be answered? Or can Kahleah Copper somehow, finally, turn individual brilliance into a much-needed team win for Phoenix? We'll be watching!This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.