Kahleah Copper scores 28 points, Mercury clinch playoff berth with 74-66 win over Dream

PHOENIX (AP) — 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 Atlanta Dream on Tuesday night.

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.

Atlanta, which trailed by as many as 16, was within 60-57 early in the fourth quarter when Taurasi hit 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 it 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 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.

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.

Atlanta only had 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.