The Las Vegas Aces cemented their place among the sport’s greatest dynasties on Friday night, defeating the Phoenix Mercury 97–86 to complete a four-game sweep and claim their third WNBA championship in four seasons.
League MVP A’ja Wilson led the way once again, scoring 31 points and grabbing nine rebounds in a performance emblematic of her reign atop the sport. Though she shot just 7-of-21 from the field, Wilson made 17 of 19 free throws and controlled the game at both ends, earning her second finals MVP award in three years.
Schedule
Best-of-seven series.
Fri 3 Oct Game 1: Las Vegas 89, Phoenix 86
Sun 5 Oct Game 2: Las Vegas 91, Phoenix 78
Wed 8 Oct Game 3: Las Vegas 90, Phoenix 88
Fri 10 Oct Game 4: Las Vegas 97, Phoenix 86
Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young added 18 points apiece, combining for seven of Las Vegas’s 12 three-pointers. Jewell Loyd chipped in 12 points, and Dana Evans added 10 off the bench as the Aces displayed the depth and precision that have defined their dominant run.
The Aces seized control from the opening tip, shooting 55% in a 30–21 first quarter behind Wilson’s 12 points. The Mercury rotated three defenders on her – Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner and Kalani Brown – but none could contain her blend of footwork and strength. Las Vegas quickly found rhythm from beyond the arc in the second quarter. Evans hit back-to-back threes, followed by makes from Loyd and Gray, extending the lead to 42–23. By halftime, the Aces led 54–38, having made nine of their 17 three-point attempts while committing only one turnover.
Phoenix’s frustration boiled over midway through the third quarter when coach Nate Tibbetts was ejected after arguing a foul call against Monique Akoa Makani. His exit seemed to deflate the Mercury’s brief surge, and Las Vegas carried a 76–62 advantage into the final period.
Phoenix opened the fourth quarter on an 8–0 run to trim the deficit to six, but Gray responded with consecutive threes to halt the momentum. The Mercury never drew closer than eight points the rest of the way. Kahleah Copper was relentless, scoring a career playoff-high 30 points on 12-of-22 shooting before fouling out in the final minutes. Thomas notched another triple-double – 17 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists – but also had nine turnovers and visibly labored after injuring her right shoulder late in the first half.
The Mercury were already without Satou Sabally, their leading postseason scorer, who was sidelined with a concussion suffered late in Game 3. Her absence forced Phoenix to reshuffle their frontcourt rotation, with Bonner starting in her place and Brown seeing rare minutes early. Despite their depleted roster, the Mercury’s resilience reflected a strong playoff run that included upsets of the defending champion New York Liberty and top-seeded Minnesota Lynx.
The Aces’ victory capped a dominant stretch that saw them win 25 of their final 28 games after a 53-point loss to Minnesota in early August. Las Vegas became the first team since the Houston Comets’ four straight titles from 1997 to 2000 to win three championships in a four-year span.
The Aces averaged over 90 points per game in the finals, overwhelming Phoenix with spacing, ball movement and relentless pace. They never trailed in Game 4 and rarely looked threatened throughout the series.
