Kahleah Copper points tonight: Mercury’s guard overwhelms defending champs with monster performance (May 21) 

It was a Kahleah Copper special as the Phoenix Mercury exacted payback on the Las Vegas Aces, 98-88 at Michelob Ultra Arena on Tuesday. The guard, who played forward in the matchup, dished out 37 points coupled with four rebounds and three assists to hand the defending champions their first loss at home.

The win saw Phoenix improve to 2-1. The last time both sides met was during the season opener of the 2024 WNBA season and the Aces edged out Mercury who had kept themselves in the contest, but fizzled out in the final few minutes of the fourth quarter.

However, Copper led the side from the front as her performance stunned Vegas despite Kelsey Plum, A'ja Wilson and Jackie Young putting up sizeable contributions.

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Kahleah Copper's points tonight

In a contest where the rest of the Mercury starters struggled, Copper shot 15-for-23 from the field and 5-for-9 from beyond the arc for her 37 points. She nailed both her free throw attempts and even recorded three steals and a block to add to her numbers. Her solid performance saw her average 28.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists this season.

Copper entered the contest following a career-high 38 points in her last game. She poured 14 in the fourth quarter. She also added a steal and a basket via layup soon after as Natasha Cloud and Sophie Cunningham launched a pair of free throws. This saw Phoenix score the last eight points in a matchup that saw the lead exchanged 14 times.

The rest of the starters struggled for Mercury. Natasha Cloud had seven rebounds, 10 assists and 11 points. Diana Taurasi had nine points, three rebounds and two assists. Rebecca Allen added eight points while Natasha Mack had six points, six assists and seven rebounds.

The F/G was an offseason addition as she was traded from the Chicago Sky in exchange for Michaela Onyenwere, Brianna Turner, the 2024 No. 3 pick, a 2025 second-round pick (from CHI), a 2026 first-round pick and the right to swap a 2026 second-round pick. It appears that Copper's acquisition has begun to pay dividends already as the young star has already made her case as one of the key pieces in the Merury offense.

Up next, Kahleah Copper and the Mercury play the Washington Mystics on Thursday at 10:00 p.m. ET. The game can be caught live on Prime Video, AZFamily, Mercury Live and MNMT.