Press Release

NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2025 – Minnesota Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve has been suspended for one game for her conduct and comments during and following the Lynx’s 84-76 loss to the Mercury at PHX Arena in Phoenix on Friday, it was announced today by the WNBA.  Her conduct and comments included aggressively pursuing and verbally abusing a game official on the court, failure to leave the court in a timely manner upon her ejection with 21.8 seconds to play in the fourth quarter, inappropriate comments made to fans when exiting the court, and remarks made in a post-game press conference. Reeve will serve the suspension tomorrow when the Lynx play the Mercury in Game 4 of the teams’ semifinals series in Phoenix.
In addition, Reeve and assistant coaches Eric Thibault and Rebekkah Brunson have each been fined.  Thibault was fined for his inappropriate interaction with an official on the court. Brunson was fined for an inappropriate social media comment directed at WNBA officials.

AP Recap

PHOENIX (AP) — Satou Sabally scored 23 points — including 15 in a stellar fourth quarter — and the Phoenix Mercury beat the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx 84-76 in Game 3 on Friday night to take control of their WNBA playoff semifinals series.
The Mercury have a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series and can reach the Finals on Sunday with a win in Game 4 in Phoenix.
Sabally hit a 3-pointer to give the Mercury a 78-76 lead with 3:05 remaining and added two free throws with 2:01 left to push the advantage to 80-76. Alyssa Thomas had a steal and layup with 21.8 seconds left that sealed the win, capping a 21-9 advantage in the fourth quarter.
Sabally said it was the team’s defense that made the difference in the final minutes.
“We closed them out, we knew what they were running,” Sabally said. “So we were really well prepared and just trusted each other.”
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A furious Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve was ejected following the Mercury’s final layup, getting her second technical foul.
Napheesa Collier also got hurt on the play, rolling her ankle. She had to be helped to the locker room. Reeve blasted the officiating after the game, saying the game became too physical and Collier “probably has a fracture” though she didn’t give any more details.
Thomas and Kahleah Copper both scored 21 points, highlighting a balanced Mercury offense. It was a tight game throughout with 15 lead changes.
“This is a team that believes in each other — been overlooked a little all year,” Mercury coach Nate Tibbets said. “But one thing we are is tough and we fight, we compete and we did that in the fourth. We made it hard on every possession and that’s what good defensive teams do.”
Minnesota was led by Natisha Hiedeman’s 19 points off the bench. Collier added 17 points on 8 of 15 shooting while Courtney Williams added 14.
Minnesota trailed by four at halftime but rallied for a 67-63 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The 5-foot-8 Heideman gave the Lynx a big boost in the final five minutes of the third, scoring eight points.
The Mercury bounced back from an early deficit, shooting 54.3 % from the field in the first half to take a 48-44 halftime lead. Copper had 17 points before the break on 8 of 9 shooting while Thomas added 11 points and 5 rebounds. Minnesota was led by Collier’s 13 points.
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The Mercury were riding high coming into Game 3 after a 20-point comeback win in Tuesday’s Game 2 that evened the series. It was tied for the third-largest comeback in WNBA playoff history.
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Game Recap: Minnesota Lynx vs. Phoenix Mercury (Semi-Finals, Game 3)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jackie Young scored 25 points in her home state, NaLyssa Smith added 16 points against her former team and the Las Vegas Aces beat the short-handed Indiana Fever 84-72 on Friday night in Game 3 of a best-of-five WNBA semifinal series.
The Aces lead 2-1 and would reach their third WNBA Finals in four years with a win Sunday in Indianapolis.
“We just have to get the job done Sunday,” said Young, who played on Las Vegas’ championship teams in 2022 and 2023 and finished her prep career as the Indiana girls’ basketball career scoring leader with 3,268 points. “The job’s not finished yet. Second round, right?”
To achieve its biggest goal, Las Vegas will need A’ja Wilson to shoot better than she did Friday. Wilson opened the game with a 3-pointer, then missed her next 11 shots. <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://x.com/i/status/1971752113048027167" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">The four-time MVP</a> finished with 13 points on 6-of-20 shooting and had eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Chelsea Gray had 15 points and six assists.
Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with 21 points and Lexie Hull finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Aliyah Boston had 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists for the Fever, who held a 16-4 edge in offensive rebounds.
The Fever got through the first round of the playoffs and beat Las Vegas in Game 1 despite having lost Caitlin Clark, Sydney Colson, Aari McDonald and Sophie Cunningham to season-ending injuries during the regular season.
Indiana wore down late on Friday, going nearly nine minutes between baskets, a stretch that began late in the third quarter. The Aces took full advantage by scoring eight straight to extend a four-point lead to 71-59 midway through the fourth.
“I thought we got a lot of good shots. Didn’t make a lot of them, you know,” Fever coach Stephanie White said. “We missed some opportunities at the free-throw line and then got a little stagnant. They were still in a good spot, though, because we were still getting stops until about the middle of the fourth quarter.”
Las Vegas controlled most of the first half, scoring the first six points of the second quarter to take a 26-16 lead.
But another boisterous home crowd — and Wilson closing the half with 10 straight misses — buoyed the Fever. Three straight 3-pointers helped Indiana charge back within 35-34 at halftime.
The Fever took their first lead on Boston’s layup to open the second half and led most of the third until the Aces clamped down on defense and pulled away.
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“We know how important defense is for us, that’s something that we’ve been really dialed into, something we’ve been focused on,” said Smith, who was traded from Indiana to Dallas during the offseason before landing in Las Vegas. “Defense is like our core focus. When our defense is on, our offense is 10 times better.”

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Game Recap: Las Vegas Aces vs. Indiana Fever (Semi-Finals, Game 3)

Betting + Odds

The second round of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs has been both action-packed and highly competitive, with each series knotted at 1-1 heading into two big Game 3 matchups on Friday.
The Minnesota Lynx took care of business in Game 1 on Sunday against the Phoenix Mercury but dropped Game 2 in overtime at home, marking just their third home loss of the entire season. On the other side of the playoff bracket, the banged-up Indiana Fever stole Game 1 on Sunday against the Las Vegas Aces but struggled to match the energy in Game 2, losing by 22 points.
Let’s take a look at the latest<a href="https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/leagues/basketball/wnba"> WNBA odds</a> for the WNBA Finals, preview Friday&#8217;s matchups, and I’ll share my WNBA best bets on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Stay locked into the playoffs with game previews, best bets, and predictions all postseason long on <a href="http://draftkingsnetwork.com/">DraftKingsNetwork.com</a>!
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<a href="https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/leagues/basketball/wnba?category=team-futures&amp;subcategory=champion">2025 WNBA Finals Odds</a>
The Favorite: MIN Lynx (-140)
The Lynx (-140) entered the postseason as the favorites, and continue to lead in terms of odds after sweeping the Golden State Valkyries in the first round. Minnesota played good basketball in Game 1 at home versus Phoenix, winning 82-69, but fell short in overtime of Game 2, thanks to forced turnovers and superb bench play from the Mercury. Still, the Lynx entered the postseason ranked first in both offensive (109.5) and defensive rating (97.5), and are a deep and hungry squad built to win their first championship since 2017.
The Aces (+200) have long held the second-shortest odds to win the Finals, thanks to otherworldly MVP-level play from A&#8217;ja Wilson, who posted 25 points, nine rebounds and five steals in Tuesday&#8217;s blowout win over the Fever. Jackie Young has contributed meaningfully, too, averaging 16.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in the semi-finals round thus far.
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WNBA Best Bets and Weekend Preview
Las Vegas Aces at Indiana Fever — Friday, September 26, 7:30 p.m. ET
Both the Aces and Fever have split the first two games of the series in opposite fashion. Indiana topped Las Vegas, 89-73, in Game 1, thanks to elite guard play from Kelsey Mitchell (34 points on 12-of-23 shooting) and a poor shooting night from A&#8217;ja Wilson (16 points on 6-of-22 shooting). Las Vegas is no stranger to the postseason, however, as it bounced back with a 22-point win in Game 2, which was backed by points off turnovers and strong bench play. Five different Aces posted double-digit points, and when Mitchell isn&#8217;t getting buckets like usual, the Fever struggle to find offensive consistency.
While Las Vegas is the superior squad, Friday&#8217;s Game 3 matchup may come down to who has the hotter hand –– Wilson or Mitchell? The series will shift to Indiana for the next two games, which should give the Fever a small edge, but I&#8217;m still leaning toward the Aces to cover on the road. On the other side of things, Mitchell leads the Fever in both usage rate and field goal attempts per game –– she will look to correct her poor shooting performance from Game 2 and give her team a chance to take the series lead.
Lean: LV Aces -4.5
<a href="https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/leagues/basketball/wnba?category=player-points&amp;subcategory=points-o-u">PICK: Kelsey Mitchell OVER 20.5 Points (+100)</a>
Minnesota Lynx at Phoenix Mercury — Friday, September 26, 9:30 p.m. ET
While this series hasn&#8217;t nearly been as up-and-down as the Fever vs. Aces series, these two teams enter Game 3 with one win apiece. The No. 1-seeded Lynx came out on top in Game 1 with an 82-69 win, which was backed by Minnesota&#8217;s big three –– Napheesa Collier, Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride, its only double-digit scorers of the night. Phoenix may be one of the few teams that can keep up with Minnesota on both sides of the ball, and that was evident in its 89-83 overtime win in Game 2. The Lynx may have dominated the first half, but the Mercury made necessary adjustments and outscored the Lynx, 47-31, in the second half, including 10-4 in the overtime period.
This sets up a big Game 3 matchup on Friday in Phoenix. The Mercury&#8217;s offensive and defensive ratings rise slightly when playing at home, and the Lynx&#8217;s ratings fall slightly when playing on the road. Phoenix has home-court advantage and has beaten Minnesota twice this season, but one second-half collapse from the Lynx shouldn&#8217;t deter the public from backing them.. Alyssa Thomas, meanwhile, is coming off a historic season and hasn&#8217;t missed a step in either the scoring or playmaking department, averaging 17.2 points and 9.2 assists per game this postseason.
Lean: MIN Lynx -4
<a href="https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/event/min-lynx-%40-pho-mercury/32833488?category=odds&amp;subcategory=player-combos">PICK: Alyssa Thomas 25+ Points + Assists</a>
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All odds and lines provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and are subject to change.
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2025 WNBA Playoffs: Updated Finals Odds, Best Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A’ja Wilson bounced back from a rare off game with 25 points and nine rebounds, and the Las Vegas Aces evened their WNBA semifinals playoff series with a convincing 90-68 Game 2 victory over the Indiana Fever on Tuesday night.
The best-of-five series heads to Indianapolis, where Game 3 will be played Friday night.
Wilson made 10 of 18 shots to go with playoff career-high five steals, two nights after the <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/wnba-mvp-wilson-aces-9dbf1eb3125c59797f4fd57737684b01" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">four-time MVP</a> made just 6 of 22 field goals. NaLyssa Smith added 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting and Jackie Young scored 13, and Jewell Loyd and Dana Evans each had 10 points. Chelsea Gray finished with 10 assists.
Odyssey Sims led the Fever with 18 points and Lexie Hull, who was questionable with a back injury and wore a brace while on the bench, scored 15. Kelsey Mitchell had 13 points and Aliyah Boston 10.
Mitchell scored 34 points in Game 1 as the Fever rolled <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/indiana-fever-las-vegas-aces-aja-wilson-17faa1779c3bebbf1c701cf8fc890396" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">to an 89-73 victory</a>, but she was held to 4-of-14 shooting on Tuesday.
The second-seeded Aces <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/wnba-playoffs-fever-aces-wilson-clark-c4d0312e83d13a8f98c9e7de06dd163b" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">came into the playoffs</a> on a 16-game winning streak, but barely got by Seattle in the opening round and then were blown out at home to open this series. This game, in which the Aces led by as many as 26 points, more closely resembled the <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/aces-lynx-wnba-playoffs-19860936d5c33ee4cef60365ceb1ad05" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">WNBA’s hottest team</a> at the end of the regular season.
But the <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/indiana-fever-playoffs-aces-wnba-52f2b57247f2d9affcd8a5503becdd41" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">short-handed Fever</a> have proven to be a tough out. Sixth-seeded Indiana upset No. 3 Atlanta in the quarterfinals, and now head home with the chance to close out this series. That despite entering Game 2 with six players out with injuries, including superstar Caitlin Clark, and another in Hull at clearly less than full health.

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Game Recap: Indiana Fever vs. Las Vegas Aces (Semi-Finals, Game 2)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Satou Sabally scored 11 of her 24 points in the fourth quarter and Alyssa Thomas had 19 points and 13 assists to help the Phoenix Mercury erase a 20-point deficit and beat the Minnesota Lynx 89-83 in overtime on Tuesday night, tying the WNBA semifinal series at one game apiece.
Sami Whitcomb’s 3-pointer from the wing with 4 seconds left in regulation evened the game at 79 after Thomas kept alive the possession following Whitcomb’s airballed 3 from the top of the key, and Napheesa Collier’s 18-footer for the win fell short at the buzzer to force extra time.
Thomas, who had a triple-double in the decisive Game 3 victory in the first round that ousted defending champion New York, grabbed eight rebounds and ignited the rally with her intensity after a lackluster first half. Her three-point play with 3:32 left in the fourth quarter ended a stretch of 33:28 during which the top-seeded Lynx had the lead.
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Collier scored 24 points on her 29th birthday, Kayla McBride had 21 points and Courtney Williams added 20 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals for the Lynx, whose bench was outscored 25-3.
The Mercury, who played their fourth game in seven days, will host Game 3 of the best-of-five series on Friday night.
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Game Recap: Phoenix Mercury vs. Minnesota Lynx (Semi-Finals, Game 2)

Awards

NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2025 – Atlanta Dream General Manager Dan Padover has been named the 2025 WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year, the WNBA announced today.
This marks a record third WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award for Padover and the first since he earned the honor in 2020 and 2021 with the Las Vegas Aces. Padover becomes the first three-time WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year, breaking a tie with two-time winner Cheryl Reeve (2019 and 2024).
The voting panel to determine the WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year was composed of the general manager from each of the league’s 13 active teams, plus the general manager of the Toronto Tempo, which will begin play in 2026. Each voter submitted a ballot with a first-place vote, second-place vote and third-place vote, and they could not vote for themselves. The executives received three points for each first-place vote, two points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.
Padover was named on the most ballots (12, including eight first-place votes). The Golden State Valkyries’ Ohemaa Nyanin (10 ballots) finished in second place and the Phoenix Mercury’s Nick U’ren (nine ballots) placed third. The Washington Mystics’ Jamila Wideman (three ballots) was fourth.
With Padover in his fourth year as general manager, Atlanta finished tied for the second-best record in the WNBA (30-14) in the regular season, doubling its win total from 2024. The Dream earned the No. 3 seed in the WNBA Playoffs presented by Google.
Leading into the 2025 season, Padover first hired Karl Smesko as Atlanta’s new head coach, bringing the longtime Florida Gulf Coast University coach to the WNBA for the first time after a decorated career in which he recorded the third-highest winning percentage (.843) among active head coaches in NCAA Division women’s basketball.
Padover then signed veteran free agent forward Brionna Jones and veteran free agent center Brittney Griner, adding the multi-time All-Stars to a roster that already included All-Star guards Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard. Padover had previously selected Howard with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm and acquired Gray from the Dallas Wings in a January 2023 trade. In April, Padover selected guard Te-Hina Paopao with the 18th pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm.
In guiding the Dream to a franchise-record 30 wins, Smesko finished with the most victories ever by a first-year WNBA head coach and helped Atlanta improve in key statistical categories. The Dream’s year-over-year improvement included moving from 12th to second in offensive rating (108.2), sixth to second in defensive rating (98.9) and 12th to third in assists per game (21.4).
Gray was a three-time Kia WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month (May, June and August), finished fourth in the voting for the Kia WNBA Most Valuable Player Award and was selected as an All-Star starter for the first time in her career. She ranked seventh in the WNBA in scoring, averaging a career-high 18.4 points per game.
Howard, who was named an All-Star for the third time, led all WNBA players in made three-point shots per game (3.1) and became the first player in league history to record multiple games of nine made threes in a career (June 13 vs. the Chicago Sky and Sept. 5 vs. the Los Angeles Sparks).
Jones led the WNBA in total offensive rebounds (136) and ranked second in offensive boards per game (3.1). She also was named to her fourth AT&amp;T WNBA All-Star Game.
In addition, Naz Hillmon, a 2022 draft pick by Padover, was named the 2025 Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year after recording career-high averages in scoring (8.6 ppg), rebounding (6.2 rpg) and assists (2.1 apg). Paopao ranked fifth among 2025 rookies with 2.4 assists per game.
Below is the list of recipients of the WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award since its inception in 2017.
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WNBA BASKETBALL EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
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<tbody>
<tr style="height: 24px">
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Dan Padover</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Atlanta Dream</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">2025</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 24px">
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Cheryl Reeve</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Minnesota Lynx</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">2024</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 24px">
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Jonathan Kolb</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">New York Liberty</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">2023</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 24px">
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">James Wade</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Chicago Sky</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">2022</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 24px">
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Dan Padover</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Las Vegas Aces</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">2021</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 24px">
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Dan Padover</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Las Vegas Aces</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">2020</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 24px">
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Cheryl Reeve</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Minnesota Lynx</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">2019</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 24px">
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Chris Sienko</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Atlanta Dream</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">2018</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 24px">
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Curt Miller</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">Connecticut Sun</td>
<td style="width: 33.3333%;height: 24px">2017</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

Minnesota Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve Suspended

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