PHOENIX — The Phoenix Mercury have put the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx on the brink of elimination, going up 2-1 in the WNBA semifinals on Friday night.
The Lynx will await the status of Napheesa Collier — who exited the game in the final seconds with an apparent injury — ahead of Sunday’s Game 4 (8 p.m. ET, ESPN). Can Minnesota mount a comeback and force a Game 5? How will the Mercury keep their momentum in what has been a tough series and return to their first Finals since 2021?
ESPN breaks down a Friday night defined by close semifinals games, including the Las Vegas Aces’ 84-72 win over the Indiana Fever.
MORE: Schedule | Coaching carousel | Offseason guide
Final: Phoenix 84, Minnesota 76
What the win means for Phoenix
The fourth quarter was the Mercury’s domain on Tuesday and Friday night — and their performance in the game’s most crucial minutes put them one win away from the franchise’s first WNBA Finals since 2021. The Mercury have outscored the Lynx a combined 46-26 in the final period of the past two games.
Game 3 didn’t require an epic comeback that Phoenix turned in to win Game 2 in overtime — the Mercury trailed by just four heading into the final quarter — but it did require a typically big performance from Alyssa Thomas, who finished with 21 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals. Thomas’ final steal might have been the biggest play of the game and could be the pivotal moment of the series. She poked the ball away from Napheesa Collier just inside half court with 21.8 seconds left and scored uncontested at the other end, sealing the victory. Collier suffered an injury on the play, and coach Cheryl Reeve was ejected protesting the non-call.
The rest of the Mercury’s big three also delivered. Kahleah Copper, who scored just 8 points in Game 2, bounced back with a 21-point performance, and Satou Sabally led Phoenix with 23 points, including two big 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, the second of which…
