WNBA Finals 2025: How the Aces took a 3-0 lead over the Mercury

Phoenix – The Mercury Rally to overcome a 17-point deficit in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals, tying the score with one minute to play. But for the third time in as many games, Phoenix was eliminated with a loss.

Aja WilsonK’s last-second jump shot sealed it Las Vegas Aces‘A 90-88 win on Wednesday that took the Mercury to the brink of being swept.

And yet, the look on Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts’ face afterward was one of recognition, not resignation.

“This is not a team that is just figuring it out,” Tibbetts said. “They’re a well-oiled machine.”

The No. 2 seed Aces will try to win their third WNBA championship to end the best-of-seven series in Game 4 on Friday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).

The third-seeded Mercury carried momentum entering the finals, going 5–2 in the playoffs and defeating top-seeded Minnesota in the semifinals. The Aces, meanwhile, were pushed far in their first two postseason series. Even in Game 1 of the Finals a week earlier, Las Vegas trailed Phoenix by seven early in the fourth quarter.

So, how do the Aces get a chance to achieve their first WNBA Finals sweep since 2020? They have been a step ahead of the Mercury, riding a combination of coach Becky Hammon’s strategic defensive plans, timely performances from the reserves and a reliable core trio – four-time MVP Wilson, Starr, and Wilson. jackie young And chelsea grayOne of the smartest point guards in league history – in his third Finals appearance in the last four years.

“I’m incredibly proud of them,” Hammon said of his team after Wednesday’s win. “He’s put in a lot of work off the court, and I think it really shows on the court.”

There were rough places on the way here. Over the first two and a half months of the season, the Aces hovered around .500, before a spectacular 16-game winning streak sent them into the playoffs. On July 3, Las Vegas lost 81–54 at Indiana, with Hammon calling the performance “one of the worst games I’ve ever seen” and a “complete lack of professionalism.”

Hamann then said, “I don’t really have an answer for you.” “If I knew what buttons to push to make sure our effort was appropriate every night, I would be pushing those buttons. If we worked harder we could have won five or six more games. That’s one way to survive a season.”

Hamann spoke with such clarity and toughness because she knew that a strong tie holds the aces together even in difficult times. Back-to-back No. 1 draft picks Wilson and Young have played together for seven seasons, a relative eternity in today’s pro sports world. Gray has been with them for the last five years.

In the offseason, the Aces made trades kelsey plum and added another former No. 1 draft pick at guard, jewel lloydLloyd, who started most of her WNBA career, voluntarily moved to the bench in late July.

Now, what it means most at the moment is that, not only are the Aces’ stars producing, but the team’s long-standing togetherness and significant depth off the bench, as well as ample variety in its defensive schemes, have kept the Mercury on their heels. Here’s how Las Vegas did it.

Game 1: Las Vegas 89, Phoenix 86

Loyd and fellow reserve guards dana evans Scored a total of 39 points. The Mercury have done the best job all series of limiting the damage from Wilson and Young. That duo still had a combined 31 points, but it wouldn’t have been enough without Evans and Loyd.

According to ESPN Insights, Hammon also switched to zone defense for 18 plays, on which the Mercury made 4 of 15 shots with three turnovers. According to GeniusIQ tracking, ESPN’s Kevin Pelton said the Aces had not played more than seven zone possessions in any game since July 6, long before their change this season. The Mercury wouldn’t have expected to see so much in Game 1 and it changed the momentum.

“We practice it enough and talk about it enough that we can approach it if we need to,” Gray told ESPN on Thursday.

Wilson said of the switch in zone in the first game: “When Becky gets to the finals, you don’t know what she can do, and you have to be ready.”

game

Aces beat Mercury 2-0 to advance to WNBA Finals

Jackie Young and A’ja Wilson combined for 60 points to lead the Aces to a win over the Mercury in Game 2.

Game 2: Las Vegas 91, Phoenix 78

Las Vegas played no zone defense, instead switching to all on-ball screens and holding the Mercury to their second-fewest points of the playoffs.

“I’m really confident with my defense,” Gray told ESPN. “It might not be the typical rotation that you see, but because we know the personnel and our team’s tendencies, we’re able to take advantage of that. I’m happy with our effort, whether we’re big or small.

“Communication is more than half the battle, especially early in the game. But now at this point in the season, there are a lot of things that can be communicated non-verbally because we just know.”

Additionally, Young (32 points, 8 rebounds) and Wilson (28, 14) were the best versions of their dynamic duo. Young’s 21 points in the third quarter were the most in any quarter of a WNBA playoff game since the league moved from two halves to four quarters in 2006.

Game 3: Las Vegas 90, Phoenix 88

Hammon quickly scrambled the defense – some zone, some using “junk” – to disrupt the fast start the Mercury had in the first two games.

“I didn’t like our start,” Hammon said. “Defensively they jumped on us. [Wednesday] I just wanted to do something else so I wouldn’t have to call the first timeout. Make them do it.”

Tibet did so at 5:10 of the first quarter after Lloyd’s 3-pointer put Las Vegas ahead 15–8. The Aces increased their lead to 17 in the fourth quarter. Even though Phoenix tied the score at 88-88 with 1:01 remaining, the Aces still had the best card – Wilson.

after Megan Gustafson defended alyssa thomas And after getting the rebound of his missed shot with 17.3 seconds remaining – another Las Vegas reserve making a clutch play – the Aces had the final possession. Hammon called timeout with 5 seconds remaining, and his instructions were simple: Let Wilson do his job.

Now, Las Vegas is one win away from a championship in the first season of the best-of-seven WNBA Finals. But the difference between a 3-0 series lead and a 2-1 deficit, to use a regional example, is the size of the Grand Canyon.

“It’s little things I work on in the offseason or just during the season,” Wilson said of how he’s prepared for this time. “Just to put myself in situations where I can get to my spots and make our offense run a little easier.”