PHOENIX — Kahleah Copper scored 28 points, Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner hit clutch 3-pointers and the Phoenix Mercury clinched a playoff berth with a 74-66 win over the Dream on Tuesday night.
Despite the loss, the Dream remain tied with the Chicago Sky for the final playoff spot.
The Mercury also needed Chicago’s loss to Las Vegas at the same time, which clinched a playoff spot for Caitlin Clark and the idle Indiana Fever.
The Dream, who trailed by as many as 16 points, was within 60-57 early in the fourth quarter when Taurasi made a 3-pointer. It was a four-point game with four minutes to go when Griner knocked down a 3 from the top of the key to make the score 69-62.
Griner finished with 16 points, and Taurasi had 13 for the Mercury (17-17). The Mercury were without Natasha Cloud, who had to sit out after picking up her seventh technical foul of the season in her last game.
Rhyne Howard scored a season-high 31 points for the Dream (11-22), who remain tied with Chicago for the final playoff spot, a game ahead of Washington, with seven games left. Tina Charles added 12 points and 12 rebounds, her 15th double-double of the season and 188th of her career. Charles now is only six double-doubles from becoming first in WNBA history (Sylvia Fowles, 193). She also shares the No. 2 spot in Dream franchise history for most double-doubles in a season.
In the final 4:08 of the second quarter, Phoenix stretched a three-point lead to 40-25. In the 14-3 run, Copper had the first five points and Natasha Mack and Sophie Cunningham had 3-pointers.
The Dream made only eight field goals in the first half, half of them 3-pointers.
The Dream, who made 9 of 15 shots in the third quarter, cut a 16-point deficit to five before the Mercury took a 56-49 lead into the fourth quarter.
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