After a thrilling opening round, the field is down to four as the best-of-five Semi-Finals tip off on Sunday with an ABC/ESPN doubleheader.

• Semi-Finals No. 1: Indiana Fever at Las Vegas Aces: 3 p.m. ET, ABC
• Semi-Finals No. 2: Phoenix Mercury at Minnesota Lynx: 5 p.m. ET, ESPN

How good was the first round? Three of the four best-of-three series went the distance, with every clinching game coming down to the wire. The four series-clinching games were decided by a total of 10 points, including three by two points or less.

• Mercury 79, Liberty 73 (Game 3): Alyssa Thomas’ 5th career playoff triple-double powered Phoenix past the defending champs
• Fever 87, Dream 85 (Game 3): Indy pulled off the upset on the road to be the final Eastern Conference team standing
• Aces 74, Storm 73 (Game 3): A’ja Wilson dropped 38 points and Jackie Young had the game-winning putback for Vegas
• Lynx 75, Valkyries 74 (Game 2): Napheesa Collier and the Lynx rallied in the 4th quarter on the road to end the Valkyries inaugural season

While we are guaranteed a new champion after the Liberty were eliminated by Phoenix, the four remaining teams are all familiar with the Finals stage and have at least one championship trophy in their case. Each team also features one of the five finalists for the Kia MVP.

• Lynx: Look to extend record with 8th Finals appearance, going for record 5th WNBA title (first since 2017)
• Aces: Seeking 5th Finals appearance, going for 3rd WNBA title (all in past four seasons)
• Mercury: Seeking 6th Finals appearances, going for 4th WNBA title (first since 2014)
• Fever: Seeking 4th Finals appearance, going for 2nd WNBA title (first since 2012)

Let’s take a closer look at the four remaining teams and the two series that will determine which teams compete for the 2025 WNBA championship.

(1) Minnesota Lynx vs. (4) Phoenix Mercury

The Teams: How They Got Here

Minnesota: 34-10 regular season for No. 1 seed, eliminated Golden State (2-0) in first round

The Lynx were the only team to sweep its first round opponent – outscoring Golden State 26-11 in the 4th quarter to win Game 2 on the road – but had to wait until the final buzzer of the final game of the opening round to learn their Semi-Finals opponent.

MVP finalist Napheea Collier hit the go-ahead jumper to cap off Minnesota’s rally in Minnesota’s series-clinching win. She finished with 24 points and seven boards, while Kayla McBride added 18 points and two steals for the Lynx. Minnesota had the top-ranked defense during the regular season (97.5 def rating) and was stingier in the first round (95.4).

Phoenix: 27-17 regular season for No. 4 seed, defeated New York (2-1) in first round

After dropping Game 1 at home, the Mercury bounced back with their largest win on the road (+26) since the 2021 postseason, setting up a winner-take-all Game 3 back in Phoenix.

Behind Alyssa Thomas’ 9th triple-double of the season – the first 20-point playoff triple-double in WNBA playoff history – along with Satou Sabally’s 23/12 double-double and clutch buckets from DeWanna Bonner and Kahleah Copper in the final 75 seconds, the Mercury outlasted the Liberty to advance.

The Matchup: Three Things to Know

1. Lynx Won Season Series, 3-1

• May 30: Lynx 74, Mercury 71
• June 3: Lynx 88, Mercury 65
• July 9: Mercury 79, Lynx 71
• July 16: Lynx 79, Mercury 66

Since these teams have not met in over two months, they have not faced each other at full strength until now. For Phoenix, Copper missed all four regular season matchups, while Thomas, Sabally and Bonner each appeared in two games. For Minnesota, Collier missed one game, but the Lynx still got the win.

2. MVP Finalist vs. MVP Finalist

The must-see matchup in this series is between league MVP finalists Collier and Thomas as two of the most dominant two-way forwards in the game go head-to-head. Unlike the other series, which features a guard and a forward in the MVP race, these two will guard each other each night looking for an edge for their respective teams.

Head-to-Head Stats This Season

• Collier: 15.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.3 apg, 54.1% FG, +11.3 over three games
• Thomas: 20.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 7.0 apg, 46.5% FG over two games

Collier led the league in scoring for much of the season until a late-season ankle injury coupled with A’ja Wilson’s late season surge. Collier finished the season ranked top five in points (2nd, 22.9 ppg), steals (3rd, 1.6 spg) and blocks (5th, 1.5 bpg).

Thomas had twice as many triple-doubles in her debut season in Phoenix (eight in the regular season, nine including playoffs) than any player has had in their entire career (Sabrina Ionescu has four). Thomas led the league in assists (9.2 apg), while finishing top five in rebounds (3rd, 8.8 rpg) and steals (5th, 1.6 spg).

Of course, if the two MVP candidates play each other to a draw, who else could be the ultimate difference maker in this series? For Phoenix, look at Sabally (20.5 ppg vs. Minnesota this season) and Copper (2021 Finals MVP) to step up. For Minnesota, watch McBride and Courtney Williams in the backcourt along with co-Defensive Player of the Year Alanna Smith.

3. Which Defense Prevails

This series is a matchup of two of the top five defenses in the league – Minnesota finished first (97.5 DefRtg), while Phoenix finished fifth (100.4). 

In their four regular-season matchups, both were held to their lowest scoring average against any opponent – 78.0 ppg for Minnesota, 70.3 ppg for Phoenix. The Lynx held the Mercury to 16.3% (16-of-98) shooting from 3-point range, while the Mercury forced the Lynx into 18.5 turnovers per game – nearly two more than they had against any other opponent.

Both teams rank in the top four in opponent turnovers – 15.4 (2nd) for Minnesota and 15.0 (4th) for Phoenix, which means limiting turnovers and not allowing easy buckets in transition will be key in this series for both teams.

(2) Las Vegas Aces vs. (6) Indiana Fever

The Teams: How They Got Here

Las Vegas: 30-14 regular season, won final 16 games to earn No. 2 seed, defeated Seattle (2-1) in first round.

No team entered the postseason hotter than the Aces and they kept rolling in Game 1 against Seattle, winning by 25 at home. However, the Storm battled back and edged out the Aces to snap the win streak at 17 straight games and force a decisive Game 3.

After suffering their first loss in 45 days and facing a win-or-go-home situation, the Aces got a massive game from A’ja Wilson – scoring 38 points and assisting on seven more (all by Jackie Young) to account for 60.8% of Las Vegas’ offense – to eliminate the Storm and advance to their seventh straight Semi-Finals.

For the series, Wilson averaged 29.3 ppg on 55.4% shooting along with 8.7 rpg, 2.3 spg and 2.0 bpg. Young averaged 19.0 ppg on 52.6-42.9-91.7 shooting splits – including the go-ahead tip-in with 12 seconds left to help seal Game 3 for Las Vegas.

Indiana: 24-20 regular season, won final three games to earn No. 6 seed, defeated Atlanta (2-1) in first round.

In a season filled with adversity – including five season-ending injuries – the Fever have shown a never-give-up attitude to reach the Semi-Finals for the first time since 2015.

After falling to the Dream in Atlanta in Game 1, the Fever bounced back in front of their home crowd to force a winner-take-all Game 3. Trailing by as many as eight points and down by five with 2:32 to play, the Fever ended the game on a 7-0 run, capped by Aliyah Boston’s game-winning layup with 7.4 seconds left.

With the win, the Fever are the lowest remaining seed and the final Eastern Conference representative in the playoffs as they get ready to take on Las Vegas for a spot in the Finals.

The Matchup: Three Things to Know

1. Fever Won Season Series 2-1

• June 22: Aces 89, Fever 81
• July 3: Fever 81, Aces 54
• July 24: Fever 80, Aces 70

All three of these games came before Las Vegas’ season-changing 16-game win streak to close the regular season as the Aces went from a .500 team (14-14) to the No. 2 seed in the league (30-14).

Wilson (24.3 ppg) and Young (14.7 ppg) led Las Vegas in the season series, but were the only two players to average double figures as the Fever held the Aces to season lows in points (71.0 ppg), 3-pointers made (3.7), 3-point percentage (21.6%) and assists (14.3). Las Vegas’ 54 points on July 3 were not only a season-low, but the fewest points the franchise had scored in any game in a decade.

For the Fever, Clark missed both of Indiana’s wins in the season series as MVP finalist Kelsey Mitchell led the way at 22.0 points per game while shooting 47.6% from beyond the arc. Boston nearly averaged a 20/10 at 19.7 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting 54.0%.

2. Clash Of Top Four Offenses

While Mercury-Lynx could be a defensive battle with two top-five defenses, this series features two of the league’s top four offenses this season with Indy ranked 3rd (106.2 OffRtg) and Vegas ranked 4th (105.9). 

For the Aces, they ranked 9th in offense (101.0) prior to their win streak before closing the season ranked first (114.7 over the final 16 games) and second in the first round of the playoffs (111.6).

This series features two MVP finalists and top-three scorers in Wilson (23.4 ppg, 1st in WNBA) and Mitchell (career-high 20.2 ppg, 3rd in WNBA) that each carry the bulk of the scoring load for their respective teams.

In addition to the individual greatness of Wilson and Mitchell, both teams also generate offense from their defense – ranking in the top four in points off turnovers with Indiana third (16.9 ppg) and Las Vegas fourth (16.2). Which team will be able to create the most easy buckets in this series?

3. South Carolina Legends Face Off

A’ja Wilson set the blueprint – win a NCAA title at South Carolina as Final Four Most Outstanding Player (2017), become the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft a year later (2018), then go on to win MVPs (three with a possible fourth on the way) and championships (two with the Aces going for three).

Aliyah Boston has checked the first two items off that list as she led the Gamecocks to the 2022 NCAA title and was named MOP, and was taken with the top pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft. While not a finalist in this MVP race, she is in contention to make her first All-WNBA Team and has the Fever in contention to reach their first Finals since 2012.

Watching these two battle in the paint over a five-game series may split Gamecocks fans, but will be a treat for everyone who loves the game to see two of the best battle each other each night.

Playoff Power Rankings

Each week throughout the regular season, I ranked all 13 teams to go beyond the simple win-loss record and give a more complete look at each team’s overall strength and performance at that time in the season.

We’re keeping it going in the playoffs, with new rankings of the remaining teams at the end of each round. While Minnesota got the first round sweep, while Las Vegas needed three games to advance, I’m keeping the Aces at the top of the rankings entering their Semi-Finals matchup with the Fever.

1. Las Vegas Aces (1st Round: 1)
2. Minnesota Lynx (1st Round: 2)
3. Phoenix Mercury (1st Round: 5)
4. Indiana Fever (1st Round: 6)