Kahleah Copper, Natasha Cloud post historic duo performance in win over Los Angeles Sparks
The Phoenix Mercury emerged with their second straight road win thanks to Kahleah Copper and Natasha Cloud, who were born and raised in greater Philadelphia.
LOS ANGELES — Kahleah Copper says it is special to have a “real soldier” at her hip, Natasha Cloud.
The two are teammates for the Phoenix Mercury. They also grew up in greater Philadelphia, creating a bond and level of understanding on the court.
“Down the stretch, when we mess some stuff up, I don’t have to change how I talk to [Cloud],” Copper said.
“That’s what I like to have on the court.”
Cloud, who set a career-high in points (31), and Copper became the first duo in WNBA history to each record 25-plus points, nine-plus rebounds and five-plus assists in Phoenix’s 84-78 win over the Los Angeles Sparks at Crypto.com Arena. Cloud finished with nine rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks in addition to her career-high in scoring. Copper, who is the third-leading scorer in the league, had 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
Individually, Cloud became the fourth player to finish a WNBA regular-season game with 30 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two steals, two blocks or better, joining Diana Taurasi, Candace Parker (three times) and Angel McCoughtry (twice). She is the only player to do so while shooting 60% from the field and 65% from three.
“They’re like two peas in a pod, now,” Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said. “They’re connected at the hip, and it’s pretty cool to see, especially both of them from the Philly area.”
Cloud, who is in her first season with the Mercury, hit three 3-pointers early, tying her season-high at that point. The ninth-year veteran felt that was more indicative of who she is as a scorer.
“I just feel like I’ve been putting the work in,” Cloud said. “I know my shooting percentage didn’t necessarily reflect that early on in the season. But as a player, you stay the course.”
Cloud had 13 first-quarter points with her three triples, a trend that continued into the second half.
A 7-0 run tied the game for the Sparks with 2:13 left in the third, but that was right when Cloud began to reassert herself. She hit a 3-pointer that gave the Mercury a 59-56 lead with 1:58 to go in the quarter.
“Today, I just felt really comfortable,” Cloud said, “also knowing that I had to take a little bit more shots with [Taurasi] and Bec being out. It’s just a testament to my teammates, too.”
Copper, who is the third-leading scorer in the WNBA, was asked by her coaches to get more post-touches. She had an and-one in the third quarter and a driving layup that forced the Sparks into foul trouble. That opened the floor for Cloud and thankfully for the Mercury, each of them in tandem.
“When we’re getting switches, just taking those smaller guards to the block to get them out of switching,” Copper said. “When we get them out of switching, then we got [Cloud] turning the corner. Just trying to figure out however we can take advantage of those matchups.”
Even though Phoenix got big buckets from Copper and Cloud, Dearica Hamby, who Tibbetts warned reporters of in Friday’s practice, was on a roll. She scored seven consecutive points for her team from 5:39 left in the fourth quarter — a 3-pointer that gave the Sparks a 70-67 advantage — to 3:02 left. Hamby’s and-one gave the Mercury a 74-71 deficit at a key point in the game.
Although Copper and Cloud were leading the way, the Mercury needed someone to step up. The ball fell into the hands of Kiki Herbert Harrigan, who made her first career start on Sunday, many times late in the game.
Herbert Harrigan struggled to that point, something Tibbetts calmly reminded her about.
“I kind of gave Kiki a hard time, she had some bad misses in that fourth,” he said. “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.”
Her 3-pointer with 1:10 left following two pull-up shots from Cloud gave Phoenix a 78-76 lead. Hebert Harrigan did not have a standout game statistically but had two rebounds and a block on rookie Rickea Jackson, who finished with a career-high 22 points and had 12 second-half points, many of which were in the post, with 7:31 left that kickstarted a strong defensive finish for Phoenix.
“I just told her, ‘Trust the work,’” Copper said. “Everyone on our bench, I’ve been at that point in my career. So I know how hard it is, I understand that the margin of error is very small when you come off the bench, I know how your confidence can feel, I know how you just, ‘next man up.’ It’s hard to come off the bench, it’s hard to always be ready.
“I just told her, ‘Be confident.’ You put in the work every single day, and you got put in this starting lineup for a reason. So go out there and do what you do.”
After Hamby’s and-one, the Mercury finished the game on a 13-4 run and held the Sparks to just 1-of-9 shooting.
“I really do believe that we have the potential to be a good defensive team,” Tibbetts said. “We aren’t there yet for a whole 40 minutes, but the last two or three possessions — I thought even, the last couple minutes, were pretty good. We just didn’t finish it with a rebound.
“Kah’s defense that last possession in the pick-and-roll was unbelievable.”
This is the first time the Mercury have won two straight road games this season.
“It feels pretty good to win on the road,” Tibbetts said. “We were pretty horses—t up until that point. But especially with everything going on, credit to our group.”
Without Cloud and Copper, Phoenix may not have won this game.
“They both took a chance, just like Bec, on coming here,” Tibbetts said. “For them to have that close relationship is really special.”
It speaks to a growing culture under Tibbetts that has already drawn incredibly positive energy and vibes and more importantly, a chance to make a deep playoff run.
The Mercury return to the court on Wednesday to face the Dallas Wings at 12:30 p.m. at Footprint Center. The game can be watched on Arizona’s Family 3TV or streamed on Mercury Live.