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The final four of the 2025 WNBA playoffs is set.
The No. 4-seed Phoenix Mercury join the No. 1-seed Minnesota Lynx, No. 2-seed Las Vegas Aces and No. 6-seed Indiana Fever after defeating the No. 5-seed and defending champion New York Liberty 79-73 in Game 3 of their first-round series.
The triumph was a testament to Phoenix’s vision.
During the offseason, the Mercury underwent an extreme roster renovation, with Kahleah Copper and Natasha Mack as the only holdovers from last season’s squad. Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally were the organization’s ambitious acquisitions, brought in to form a “Big 3” with Copper that would be surrounded by mostly unheralded and/or inexperienced role players.
On Friday night, the trio of Thomas, Sabally and Copper combined to produce 74 of the Mercury’s 79 points.
Thomas powered Phoenix’s victory in the manner than only she can, recording her WNBA-record fifth playoff triple-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Sabally scored a team-high 23 points, adding 12 rebounds for her first-career playoff double-double. Copper contributed 12 points and nine rebounds, with the Mercury outscoring the Liberty by a game-best 11 points in her almost 35 minutes.
Breanna Stewart, however, almost singularly extended the Liberty’s title defense. After an out-of-character Game 2 where she appeared limited by the sprained MCL she suffered in overtime of Game 1, Stewart showed why she is one of the sport’s most decorated stars, tallying 30 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, two block and no turnovers for New York.
And despite the fact that the rest of her star-studded supporting cast failed to find their scoring strokes, with no Liberty player outside of Stewie shooting better than 42 percent from the field, she converted a contorted hook shot with just over two minutes remaining that pulled the Liberty within a single possession, 71-74.
After DeWanna Bonner responded with a tough jumper, Stewart earned a trip to the line, sinking both free throws to again trim Phoenix’s margin to just three points, 76-73. The Mercury then mustered another clutch bucket, with Copper attacking the basket for a tough finish.
Down five points with just over 30 seconds remaining, both Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones misfired on 3-pointers, with Sabally recovering Jones’ miss to seal the win for Phoenix.
Stewart was gracious in defeat, giving specific credit to Thomas and the challenge she presented the Liberty, saying, “AT is incredible. While this sucks, I’m excited to see what she continues to do with the rest of the playoffs because we had a nightmare guarding her. I’m sure everybody else will, too.”
That nightmare is now Minnesota’s, as the Lynx will host AT and the Mercury in Game 1 of the semifinals on Sunday. And Thomas did not hesitate to issue a warning, dismissing that the Lynx won the season series over the Mercury 3-1 by noting, “They haven’t seen us full strength.”
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