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Phoenix Mercury triumph over Los Angeles Sparks, Cloud and Copper shine in road victory

© Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
© Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

LOS ANGELES – With the season reaching its halfway point and the All-Star break in sight, it could be easy for a team like the Phoenix Mercury to lose sight of what’s ahead. Important contributors have been in and out of the lineup, and there are just a handful of games left before the long-winded Olympic break.

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Rather than letting those outside factors affect the trajectory of this team, the Mercury won their second consecutive game on the road against the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday. This is the first time Phoenix has won two straight games on the road all season.

“We just want to go into break feeling confident, and really getting this ball running for us,” Mercury guard Natasha Cloud said after the game.

A Rickea Jackson score with 41.1 seconds remaining tied the game at 78 apiece, but Cloud was able to regain the lead for the Mercury with a quick drive to the basket with 35.1 remaining.

After that, the Mercury was able to lock down defensively and hold the Sparks scoreless down the stretch of the final seconds, largely due to Kahleah Copper and the rest of the unit defensively.

“We’ve kind of said it, I really do believe that we have potential to be a good defensive team,” Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts said. “We aren’t there yet for a full 40 minutes, but the last two or three possessions… Kahleah [Copper]’s defense the last possession in that pick-and-roll was unbelieveable. And that’s what is going to take in close games, you got to get stops, and we did that tonight.”

Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi (left lower leg) and forward Bec Allen (lower back) both missed Sunday’s matchup in Los Angeles. Clearly, losing two starters is a detriment, but this isn’t something that the Mercury aren’t used to by now.

The Mercury were led by the duo of Cloud and Copper, also known as the “Philly Sisters”. Cloud poured in a career-high 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting, while Copper followed that performance with 25 points of her own. Copper shot 7-of-17 from the field, but went 11-for-13 from the charity stripe in the process. This duo becomes the third in WNBA history to each record 25-plus points, five-plus rebounds, and five-plus assists in a win. 

“I’ve been putting the work in,” said Cloud. “I know my shooting percentage didn’t necessarily reflect that early in the season, but as a player, you stay the course. You trust in your work ethic, you trust in the work that you put in, and eventually those numbers and those stats are going to fall.”

“Today I just felt really comfortable,” Cloud added. “Also knowing that I had to take a little bit more shots with [Taurasi] and [Allen] out… We just had to go out and get the win.”

This performance goes to show how lethal the tandem of Cloud and Copper can be. Both are some of the most effective downhill drivers in the WNBA, so when Cloud is creating efficient looks for herself on the level that she did in Los Angeles, this one-two punch becomes one of the hardest guards in the league.

This duo has taken on a large bulk of the leadership duties in each of their first seasons with Phoenix, and they knew the importance of not faltering despite the injuries.

“Whether we have a full roster or not, we still have to be who we are for this team,” said Cloud. “What better place to do it than the house that Kobe [Bryant] built.”

Cloud and Copper were the Mercury’s only double-digit scorers, but the unsung hero came elsewhere in this contest.

Forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan and guard Sophie Cunningham filled the voids left in the starting lineup by Taurasi and Allen. Both players brought needed defense and were just helpful bodies to replace the two injured starters, helping fill in the gaps when needed to the most.

For Cunningham, this is just a regular day in the office. She’s been a relied upon rotational player for years now, and is used to stepping up when her number is called upon. But for Harrigan, this game goes down as one of the biggest of her young career.

In the first start of her WNBA career, Harrigan scored six points, collected three rebounds, and recorded two blocks and one steal. She hit a huge 3-pointer with 1:10 remaining in the fourth quarter to give Phoenix a two-point lead, and looked comfortable playing some of the most meaningful minutes of her career.

“Good teams, it’s about culture, it’s about work, and it’s about trust,” said Tibbetts. “I kind of gave Kiki a hard time, she had some bad misses in that fourth [quarter]. But she hit the biggest shot of the game. And she was willing to take it. And Brittney [Griner] was willing to throw it to her.”

“We’ve got the Noah System that tracks all of the shooting that all of our players do. She’s the one that gets the most shots up,” Tibbetts added. “She’s a good shooter, she just hasn’t been in this situation a lot. And so for her to get this opportunity to make a shot like that, really happy for her.”

With all the injuries that Phoenix has had this season, Tibbetts has worked to instill a next player up mentality within his group. Talk about a player being ready when given the green light.

This win marks Phoenix’s third over Los Angeles this season, clinching the win in the season series. They’ll meet up for the fourth and final time in the regular season on Tuesday, Sept. 10. 

Next Games

Mercury: Away at Los Angeles Sparks (4-15) | July 7 | 4 p.m. PT

Wings: Home vs. Atlanta Dream (7-11) | July 5 | 4:30 p.m. PT

Phoenix Mercury forward Bec Allen named to Australian Opals 2024 Olympic Team

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Justin LaCertosa covers Phoenix Sports News for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @LaCertosaSports

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