Kahleah Copper introduces herself to the Mercury with 38 points in win vs. Atlanta Dream

The Phoenix Mercury found themselves in trouble with three minutes left when the Atlanta Dream took over the long-held lead.

With the Dream leading 81-74, the Mercury needed some big moments to not let the home opener slip away and they then went on a 14-4 run to capture an 88-85 win at Footprint Center.

It was a big game for the new faces headlining the Mercury (1-1). Nate Tibbetts earned his first win as the head coach and newly acquired wing Kahleah Copper scored a career-high 38 points.

Here are three observations:

Mercury relying on Kahleah Copper

Aside from Diana Taurasi and Sophie Cunningham, the Mercury didn’t have a lot of contributors on offense. Rebecca Allen was available after being ruled questionable with a back issue before the game, but didn’t see a lot of shots. Allen went 1-for-6 and two points.

Cunningham had a slow game off the bench, but then heated up with two 3-pointers in the final stretch for 10 points.

Copper had a stellar game on both ends, limiting Dream guard Rhyne Howard to four points after she lit up the court with 17 points in the first half.

“She’s a prolific scorer and can score in a multitude of ways, but y’all don’t talk enough about how she’s a two-way player,” guard Natasha Cloud said. “When you can have that impact on both sides of the court, you’re going to run a wall for this woman.”

Led by Allisha Gray and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, the Dream made a run in the second half and outscored the Mercury. However, Copper carried the load for the Mercury’s slumping offense and accounted for 16 of the team’s 22 points in the third quarter.

Mercury making the most of a smaller lineup

It’s a tall task to try and replicate what Brittney Griner does at center, and even taller considering that no one else on the team is 6-foot-9. But with Griner out indefinitely with a foot injury, Natasha Mack had to step up.

Mack has limited WNBA experience and came in with four games from 2021 on her resume, but she pressured the Dream from the start. Mack’s rebound off Rebecca Allen’s missed shot earned a second chance when she flipped it over to Kahleah Copper for a 3-pointer.

Along with being the team’s top rebounder with 11, Mack went 3-for-4 with seven points and two blocks.

“She’s stuck out. She gets deflections, she blocks shots,” Tibbetts said. “Her conditioning is going to continue to get better. She’s going against players she’s never gone against at that level. I think she’s going to continue to get in better shape and get more comfortable playing with the group. She’s been huge for us.”

Mercury improving the defense

It’s going to take some time for the Mercury to get better defensively after being the worst team in the league last season, but they showed promise against the Dream.

Not only were the guards getting more involved in limiting the Dream’s bigs, but Taurasi and Cunningham were crashing the boards. Both grabbed six defensive rebounds, a stark contrast to last season’s play.

The Mercury still had trouble with perimeter defense, allowing 10 3-pointers from the Dream, but made the necessary defensive stops to win the game. The Mercury also forced 14 turnovers.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kahleah Copper posts career night for Mercury in win vs. Atlanta