Sparks vs. Mercury: Kelsey Plum's Career-High 43 Outduels Kahleah Copper's 41 in 111-102 OT Win

Kelsey Plum took the ball to the rim with the clock dying and Phoenix up two, and the layup that dropped with 1.6 seconds left did two things at once. It tied the game at 98, and it gave her more points than she had ever scored in a WNBA game.

Then Los Angeles stole overtime. The Sparks beat the Phoenix Mercury 111-102 on Saturday night, opening the extra period with the first eight points and turning a career-best 41 from Kahleah Copper into a footnote nobody in Phoenix will enjoy reading. Plum finished with a career-high 43, and for 45 minutes these two treated the Mortgage Matchup Center like a private duel.

Six Ties in a Fourth Quarter That Refused to End

Phoenix came out swinging with a 10-0 run that made it 10-2, but the Sparks had it even at 27 after one. The Mercury led 54-51 at the half. Los Angeles flipped it with a 10-0 burst late in the third, going from 66-65 down to 75-66 up, and took a 79-70 lead into the fourth.

That cushion lasted barely two minutes. An 8-0 Phoenix run made it 79-78 by the 7:49 mark, and the final period turned into a scoring contest with nobody keeping the peace. Plum scored 19 in the quarter, matching her most in any quarter, including the last 17 Los Angeles points of regulation. There were six ties in the frame.

The final three minutes were absurd. Plum hit two free throws at 2:59. Copper answered with a layup. Plum stepped back from 17. Alyssa Thomas tied it. Lexi Held's 22-footer put Phoenix up 93-90 at 1:33, and Plum tied it from 24 feet. Copper drilled a 26-foot 3 with 1:07 left. Plum tied it again from 24 feet at 52.9. Rae Burrell blocked a shot with the score tied and 33.3 seconds to go, Natasha Mack still got Phoenix a 98-96 lead on a 14-footer with 12.7 left, and Nneka Ogwumike found Plum for that layup.

Overtime belonged to the visitors. Ogwumike hit a 16-foot pull-up, Plum made two at the line, and Cameron Brink drilled a 3 from 24 feet and added the free throw for a four-point play and a 106-98 lead at 3:03. When Erica Wheeler buried a 25-footer at 2:13, the Mercury were done. Los Angeles won the period 13-4.

Two Stars, One Survivor

Plum's line belongs in a frame: 43 points on 14-of-26 shooting, 5-of-11 from 3, 10-of-12 at the line, plus seven assists in 37 minutes. Her previous high was 40. The Sparks say it was just the fourth time in WNBA history a player has reached 43 points and seven assists in a game, and that she joined Kristi Toliver as the only Sparks to do it while matching Toliver for the most points in a game in franchise history.

Copper deserved a better ending. She scored 41 on 16-of-30 shooting, with six 3s and 10 rebounds, and she kept answering every time Plum hit something ridiculous. The five turnovers and the minus-9 are what happen when you are carrying a whole offense for 38 minutes.

The supporting casts were not exactly bystanders. Burrell came off the bench for a career-high 24 on 9-of-15 shooting, and the Sparks say her nine field goals and three blocks were also career highs. Ogwumike posted 15 points and 15 rebounds, the 121st double-double of her career and her sixth of the season, while hitting three 3s and leading the game at plus-12. Those 3s also moved her past Tina Thompson for eighth on the franchise list. Brink had nine points, a season-high nine rebounds and two blocks in 22 minutes.

For Phoenix, Thomas handed out 12 assists with 10 points and seven rebounds in 41 minutes. Mack had 11 points, 12 rebounds, four steals and three blocks, one of the best supporting lines you will see in a loss. DeWanna Bonner hit three 3s off the bench for 10, and Monique Akoa Makani had nine points and five assists while carrying five fouls.

Eight Straight Points and a Change of Ownership

The turning point was the first two minutes of overtime. Phoenix had just lost a lead on a last-second layup and had to restart with nothing on the board, and Los Angeles got a jumper, two free throws and a four-point play before the Mercury scored. Counting Plum's tying basket, that was 10 straight Sparks points. In a game with 14 lead changes, that was the only stretch that actually felt decisive.

Free throws were the quieter difference. The Sparks went 20-of-23 and Phoenix went 9-of-15, and in a game this close those extra trips were worth more than any single highlight. Los Angeles also got 33 bench points, a season high, while Phoenix got 23.

Stats That Matter

• 15-of-34: The Sparks from 3-point range. The team says it was only the fourth time in franchise history they had made at least 15, and the second time this season.
• 111: Second-most points in a regular-season game in Sparks history, per the team.
• 13-4: The overtime score.
• 20-of-23: Los Angeles at the free-throw line.
• 14: Lead changes in a game neither team led by more than 11.

What It Means

Los Angeles is 7-6, with a third straight win and a 5-1 road record. The Sparks are also 3-2 in Commissioner's Cup play and have now won both meetings in Phoenix this season. They head to Golden State on Monday.

Phoenix fell to 4-11 and 1-5 at home, its third straight loss and ninth in its last 11. The Mercury are 2-3 in Cup play and host Las Vegas on Wednesday, and they will need more from everyone around Copper before a 41-point night turns into anything but a very impressive way to lose.

This one played like a Verzuz battle: two stars trading hits, song for song, until somebody ran out of catalog. Copper's 41 was a great set. Plum simply had one more song, and it came with 1.6 seconds left.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game notes from the Los Angeles Sparks. Additional details as reported by the Associated Press.