Mercury vs. Sky: Kelsey Plum Scores 20 in Phoenix Debut as Kahleah Copper Drops 31 in 106-101 Win

Kelsey Plum flew from Portland to Chicago on Sunday night, met her new teammates that evening, and by Monday night had dropped a corner three on Wintrust Arena with 53 seconds left. Most trade debuts are a polite handshake and a few confused possessions. This one was a heist.

The Phoenix Mercury erased a seven-point deficit in the final 3:22 and beat the Chicago Sky 106-101, with Plum scoring 20 points off the bench in her first game since June 21. Kahleah Copper led everybody with 31, Alyssa Thomas crammed a triple-double into the box score, and a Sky team fresh off a one-point win over Las Vegas on Saturday was left wondering where a 99-92 lead went.

Nine Lead Changes, Zero Peace

This game never sat still. Phoenix answered an early Chicago edge with a 9-0 burst that flipped 16-12 into 21-16, then trailed 27-26 after one anyway. The second quarter belonged to the Mercury, who ripped off another 9-0 and later an 11-0 that turned 38-37 into 49-37, the biggest lead either side would hold all night. It was 55-47 at the break, and the visitors looked comfortable.

Comfort did not survive the third. Chicago poured in 30 to get within 78-77, then rode an 8-0 run across the quarter break. DiJonai Carrington's three to open the fourth made it 80-78 Sky, their first lead since the second quarter, and the home team kept pressing until Courtney Vandersloot's bucket at 3:22 made it 99-92.

That's when Thomas took the game by the collar. She scored seven straight Phoenix points in just over a minute: an and-one at 3:14, two free throws at 2:33 and a short basket at 2:03 to tie it at 99. Copper's free throw at 1:30 put the Mercury in front, Kamilla Cardoso answered to make it 101-100 Chicago, and the table was set for the new kid.

Twenty-One Minutes, Zero Rust

Plum shot 6 of 10, hit three of her five threes and made all five of her free throws while playing on a minutes restriction after rehabbing a leg injury. Phoenix scored 61 points on 44 possessions with her on the floor, according to the team, which is a 138.6 offensive rating and the kind of number usually found in a video game with the sliders turned up. Only one other player in WNBA history, the club says, has won a game with a basket inside the final minute of her debut for a new team.

"I was just telling our group, I don't think she's played in six weeks," coach Nate Tibbetts said. "She's been out for a while. To get in last night at 10:30 … and come out to play the way she did, a hell of a first performance by her."

Don't let the debut bury Copper, who shot 10 of 19, hit four threes and saved 20 of her 31 for after halftime. It was her 14th game of 30 or more since she joined Phoenix in 2024, and only Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner have more in franchise history.

Thomas, meanwhile, put up 19 points, 12 assists and a season-high 15 rebounds, going 9 of 9 at the line. The AP has it as her WNBA-leading 27th career triple-double, and the team notes that count includes the playoffs. DeWanna Bonner chipped in 14 with three steals and two blocks, and Phoenix says she passed Lindsay Whalen to become the league's all-time leader in individual wins, with 378 including the postseason.

Chicago's balance deserved a better ending. Vandersloot, Carrington and Cardoso scored 16 apiece, with Vandersloot handing out 10 assists and Cardoso grabbing 13 rebounds. Sydney Taylor left with a left groin injury after giving Chicago 14 points in only 17 minutes.

Eleven Seconds, Two Stops

Plum's three made it 103-101, but Chicago still had a timeout and 11 seconds to work with. Vandersloot got downhill for a tying layup, and Bonner, switched onto her, sent it back. Bonner then made both free throws at the other end with 4.8 seconds left. On the next inbound, Copper jumped the pass meant for Cardoso in the post, and that was the ball game.

"We knew we had to guard," Copper said. "It was just important for us to string together some stops. We came into that timeout and was like, let's get three stops in a row. I'm just proud of how we were able to put it together down the stretch."

The Numbers That Did the Damage

• 31 of 40 vs. 17 of 25: The free throw line. Phoenix made 14 more in a game decided by five.
• 14-2: How the Mercury closed the game after falling behind by seven.
• 26 of 32: Phoenix field goals that came off an assist.
• 48-40 and 15-8: Chicago's edges in the paint and on the break, which bought nothing in the end.

Four of Five and Still Packing

Phoenix moves to 12-19, 7-9 on the road, with four wins in its last five games and two wins in three tries against Chicago this season. This was the first stop on a four-game, seven-day road trip, and Atlanta is next on Wednesday. The team's own site describes this stretch as a fight for its postseason life, so a win like this one counts double in the mood department.

Chicago falls to 11-19, 7-8 at home, with a two-game winning streak gone. The Sky get Los Angeles, Plum's old team, on Wednesday.

First Day, Corner Office

Most people's first day at a new job involves a lanyard, a Wi-Fi password and somebody vaguely pointing at the printer. Plum got in at 10:30 the night before, worked 21 minutes and closed the biggest deal in the building. Thomas, who has seen a few things in 27 triple-doubles, kept her review short. "Super happy to have her," she said. "I mean, 20 points in 20 minutes … is crazy." It was actually 21 minutes. Nobody in Phoenix is asking for a recount.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Postgame quotes and team notes from the Phoenix Mercury. Game context as reported by the Associated Press.