Kelsey Plum hits game winner in debut with Phoenix Mercury

In her debut for the Phoenix Mercury, Kelsey Plum put her new team in the win column.

The nine-year veteran had the ball in her hands as her team trailed by 1 with about one minute to play. She tried to drive to the basket but was met by the 6-foot-7 frame of Kamilla Cardoso, so Plum dribbled out to the corner, sized up the Chicago Sky center, and drained the game-winning 3-pointer with 53.2 seconds remaining. The Mercury held the Sky scoreless for the rest of the game to win 106-101.

Plum finished with 20 points and four assists in 20 minutes in her first game for Phoenix. She shot 6 of 10, including making 3 of 5 3-pointers. She hadn’t played since June 21 because of a lower leg injury and had no practice time with the Mercury, arriving in Chicago one day earlier after her trade from the Los Angeles Sparks.

As she put it before the game: “It’s a cocktail for success, as far as I’m concerned.” Her (joking) words proved prophetic.

Phoenix is 12-19, seven losses out of a playoff spot with 13 games left to play. A loss would have been catastrophic, and the Mercury appeared headed in that direction when they were down 7 with 7:22 to play. Instead, the new big three of Plum, Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas combined for the next 11 points: Plum assisted Thomas on an and-1, then Copper and Thomas hit three more free throws before Plum delivered the dagger.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Phoenix Mercury, WNBA

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