Lynx vs. Mercury: Nia Brodie's Late 3 Beats Kahleah Copper's 30 in Phoenix's Home Opener

Tight games go to whoever wants the last big shot most, and on Tuesday night in Phoenix, that was Nia Brodie. With under 30 seconds left in a game that had already changed hands 17 times, rookie Olivia Miles drove, kicked the ball out, and found her so alone she could have answered a few emails before shooting. The 25-footer dropped for an 87-83 lead, and the Mercury's home opener officially became somebody else's party.

The Minnesota Lynx beat the Phoenix Mercury 88-84 at Mortgage Matchup Center, spoiling a 30-point night from Kahleah Copper and banking their first win of the season. Natasha Howard had 14 points and 11 rebounds, Brodie posted 13 and 10, and the Lynx did it with Napheesa Collier still out until at least early June as she recovers from ankle surgery.

Seventeen Lead Changes and One Bad Ending

Phoenix spent most of this game in front, leading for 62% of it, and the first half looked like the plan was working. An 8-0 run stretching from the end of the first quarter into the second turned a 19-18 deficit into a 26-19 lead. Half of the Mercury's 14 made field goals before the break were 3s. Copper had 13, DeWanna Bonner had 12, and Phoenix carried a 45-41 advantage into the locker room.

Minnesota flipped things in the third, winning the quarter 27-22 for a 68-67 lead, and the Mercury's perimeter party ended abruptly. Phoenix made just two 3s after halftime. That left Copper trying to carry the fourth more or less on her own. Her 2-footer made it 81-77 with 4:39 to go. Brodie answered with a 25-footer off a Courtney Williams pass to cut it to one, and Copper came right back with a driving layup off an Alyssa Thomas feed for 83-80 with 2:54 left.

That was the last field goal Phoenix would make all night. Minnesota closed on an 8-0 run that looks even better in slow motion: Howard's driving layup, a Brodie put-in from a foot away off a Miles pass for an 84-83 lead with 1:57 to play, and then the wide-open one. Miles grabbed the rebound on a missed Phoenix 3 at the other end and made 1 of 2 free throws with 13.2 seconds remaining. Thomas's free throw with seven seconds left only trimmed the final margin.

Copper Was Great. Brodie Was Better at the Right Time.

Copper finished with 30 on 9-of-21 shooting and went 10 of 13 from the line, the sort of night that usually gets a team a win in its first home game. She just did not have a co-star with a steady hand. Bonner scored 16 but needed 16 shots to get there, going 2 of 8 from 3. Thomas had 10 points and eight assists, but she shot 2 of 10 from the floor and 6 of 13 at the stripe. Natasha Mack gave Phoenix nine points, 10 rebounds and three blocks on a quiet, useful evening.

Brodie's 21 minutes were compact and absurd. She went 5 of 7 overall and 3 of 4 from deep, collected 10 rebounds, scored eight of Minnesota's final 11 points and finished with six fouls, so the whole performance came on a meter. Miles, the No. 2 pick in the 2026 draft, looked nothing like a player in her second WNBA game, with 13 points, six rebounds and seven assists, including the passes on Brodie's last two buckets.

The supporting cast did its share. Kayla McBride scored 14 and went 4 of 4 at the line, Williams had 11 with five assists and two blocks, and 6-foot-4 rookie Emma Cechova gave Minnesota 11 points and six boards off the bench. Howard was the constant inside, shooting 6 of 9 and pulling down four offensive rebounds. Her 2-of-6 night at the line and four turnovers were the only blemishes.

Ten Free Throws Phoenix Would Like Back

The turning point of a four-point game is rarely just the last 30 seconds. Phoenix went 23 of 33 at the line, 70%, and left 10 points sitting there in a game it lost by four. Minnesota committed 28 fouls, which should have been a gift, and Thomas's 6-of-13 night was the biggest single leak.

The Mercury did plenty to build a cushion elsewhere. They scored 21 points off 15 Lynx turnovers and won the fast-break battle 17-6, which is how a team shooting 37% stays in front for most of a game. But Minnesota owned the possessions that do not make highlight reels, ending Phoenix trips with 34 defensive rebounds and shooting 50% on the other end, and over the final 2:54 the Mercury could not find a single basket from the field.

Stats That Matter

• 43-31: Minnesota's rebounding margin, powered by 34 defensive boards to Phoenix's 22.
• 42-32: The Lynx's advantage in the paint.
• 50% to 37%: The shooting gap, with Minnesota going 32 of 64 and Phoenix 26 of 71.
• 23 of 33: Phoenix at the free-throw line in a four-point loss.
• 17-6: Phoenix's fast-break edge, the main reason this stayed close.

Where This Leaves Both Teams

Minnesota is 1-1 and 1-0 on the road, and through two games the Lynx have lived entirely in the margins: a 91-90 loss to Atlanta in the opener, then this. They head to Dallas on Thursday. A team missing last season's MVP runner-up is going to need every close win it can scrape together until June, and this one came with a rookie running the winning play and Brodie finishing it.

Phoenix has come a long way down from that 99-66 demolition in Las Vegas on Saturday. The Mercury have lost two straight since, 95-79 at Golden State and now this one, and they sit at 1-2 overall and 0-1 at home. Chicago comes to town on Friday, and the Mercury will be looking for their first home win of the season.

Always Be Closing

Glengarry Glen Ross has a famous speech about who gets the coffee, and Phoenix would probably rather not hear it right now. The Mercury had the star, the first-half shooting, the lead for most of the evening and 10,826 people in the building. Minnesota had the only thing the speech says matters, plus a very on-the-nose name stitched across the back of a jersey. Second prize, as the movie reminds you, is a set of steak knives. Phoenix can expect delivery by Friday.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details as reported by the Associated Press.