Kahleah Copper helps Sky put away Fever

Kahleah Copper scored a game-high 25 points and Courtney Williams and Marina Mabrey added 17 apiece as the visiting Chicago Sky defeated the Indiana Fever 96-69 on Tuesday.

Chicago (16-22) won for the third time in four games. With the Los Angeles Sparks losing Tuesday to the Connecticut Sun, the Sky are now in a tie with the Sparks for the eighth and final WNBA playoff spot. The Sky hold the tiebreaker over the Sparks after winning the regular-season series 3-1.

Long-range shooting boosted the Sky, who led by as many as 30 points. Chicago shot 14-for-32 (43.8 percent) from beyond the 3-point arc. Copper paced the team with four treys, one more than Williams and Robyn Parks.

NaLyssa Smith had 16 points and seven rebounds for Indiana (12-26). Kelsey Mitchell and Emma Cannon chipped in 10 points each.

Fever guard Kristy Wallace missed the game with a knee injury she sustained during Sunday's road win against Dallas.

Williams had a game-high eight rebounds, while Mabrey dished six assists. Parks added 11 points.

Grace Berger had six assists for the Fever. Indiana committed 17 turnovers compared to eight for Chicago.

Mitchell drained a jumper 33 seconds into the game for the first points of the night. It also marked the only time the Fever held an advantage in the game. Indiana went scoreless for the next 5:18 and managed only nine first-quarter points, with Mitchell contributing seven.

Chicago built a 49-34 halftime lead behind a versatile attack. Copper (18 points), Williams (10) and Mabrey (10) each scored in double figures in the first 20 minutes.

The Sky shot 19-for-41 (46.3 percent) in the first half compared to 13-for-32 (40.6 percent) for the Fever. Smith paced Indiana with 11 points at the break. The Fever committed eight first-half turnovers.

The Sky improved to 13-3 when leading at the half.

Chicago took the season series from Indiana 3-1. Before Tuesday, the largest margin of victory by either team was five points, in a June 6 game the visiting Fever won in overtime.