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AP Recap

PHOENIX (AP) — Alyssa Thomas scored 23 points, DeWanna Bonner made two late 3-pointers and the Phoenix Mercury overcame a 13-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat the short-handed Minnesota Lynx 86-81 in Game 4 on Sunday to advance to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2021.
Phoenix will face the Indiana-Las Vegas winner. Indiana forced a Game 5 earlier Sunday with a 90-83 home victory.
“We knew they were going to challenge us today and I’m just proud of how we responded,” Thomas said. “We could have easily given up and be headed to Minnesota right now. But we stuck together and dug deep on defense.”
The Mercury won the final three games of the best-of-five semifinal series. The top-seeded Lynx were playing without Cheryl Reeve, <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/lynx-reeve-officials-rant-a763f97451322cbd02a80f532445177a" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">who was suspended for Game 4</a> because of her behavior and comments toward officials in Game 3. Minnesota also was without All-Star guard Napheesa Collier, <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/lynx-collier-injury-706b1a8309362992433870d1a1aa288a" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">who suffered an ankle injury</a> near the end of the Game 3 loss.
Down 68-55 after three quarters, Phoenix pulled to 70-69 on Sami Whitcomb’s 3-pointer with 4:46 left. Bonner’s 3-pointer pushed them ahead 72-70 and she hit another 3 with 2:03 left for a 77-73 lead.
Minnesota’s Kayla McBride hit a 3-pointer — her sixth of the second half — to cut it to 77-76 with 1:04 left. The 38-year-old Bonner then made a pair of free throws to push the Mercury ahead 79-76.
Bonner scored 11 points in the fourth — part of the Mercury’s 31-point outburst in the final quarter.
“We didn’t have much of a choice,” Mercury coach Nate Tibbets said. “We were down 13, needed to get stops. And when we get stops, we’re pretty good offensively because we’re playing free and we don’t have time to overthink it.
“We made some great plays, some really good passes. That’s what it took.”
Phoenix’s Satou Sabally scored 21 points.
Phoenix will play for the title for the first time in four years in a bid for its first championship since 2014.
McBride led Minnesota with 31 points on 6-of-11 shooting from 3-point range. Courtney Williams added 20 points. The Lynx’s fourth- quarter collapse was a common theme in the series.
“Got to give Phoenix credit for the way they defended in the fourth quarters,” Lynx associate head coach Eric Thibault said. “They switched and made it hard on us. We didn’t get enough quality shots down the stretch.”
Phoenix’s Kahleah Copper hit a 3-pointer early in the third quarter to give the Mercury their first lead of the game at 41-38. But the Lynx responded with a 23-9 run, highlighted by three 3-pointers from McBride.
The Lynx jumped out to an early 12-1 lead but the Mercury slowly chipped away at the deficit. Thomas hit Bonner for a layup just before the halftime buzzer to tie it 38.
“It was ugly at times,” Tibbets said. “But we kept fighting.”
The Mercury had just two players on this year’s roster — Copper and Natasha Mack — who were with the team in 2024. They are the first team in WNBA history to make two Finals in a five-year span without any of the same players on the two teams.

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Game Recap: Minnesota Lynx vs. Phoenix Mercury (Semi-Finals, Game 4)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — All-Star center Aliyah Boston finished with 24 points and 14 rebounds and <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://x.com/i/status/1972410287933571333" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">Kelsey Mitchell scored 25 points</a> to help the Indiana Fever avoid elimination in the WNBA semifinals with a 90-83 victory over the second-seeded Las Vegas Aces on Sunday.
The best-of-five series is now tied 2-2 with a winner-take-all Game 5 set for Tuesday in Las Vegas. The winner faces either top-seeded Minnesota or fourth-seeded Phoenix.
Sixth-seeded Indiana closed it out after Las Vegas mistakenly called an extra timeout with 30.1 seconds left in the game. The ensuing technical foul gave Indiana one free throw and possession of the ball, which forced Las Vegas to foul after the ball was inbounded. The Fever made all three free throws to extend the lead to 87-77.
“It was a good old-fashioned mistake,” Aces coach Becky Hammon explained after the game.
The television broadcast also showed Hammon telling her team in a late huddle they had two timeouts and a reset timeout remaining. She reiterated that point after the game.
The Fever used their “Stranger Things” uniforms, perhaps trying to send a message it wouldn’t let the high-powered Aces run roughshod over a team still missing four key, injured players — <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/caitlin-clark-indiana-fever-05ca033f9a3c5f3aca656980871bb2e2" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">Caitlin Clark</a>, <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/indiana-fever-sophie-cunningham-injury-ac59327be1fb25e5464fd55347850315" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">Sophie Cunningham</a>, Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald.
Boston and Mitchell then delivered it by leading the Fever to their third straight elimination-game victory in this year’s playoffs. They won the final two games <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/fever-dream-score-6f4823e740c39c107689b3487377633a" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">against Atlanta</a> after losing Game 1 in the best-of-three first-round series.
Boston went 10 of 13 at the free-throw line while Mitchell had four assists. Odyssey Sims had 18 points and made four key free throws to close it out. Lexie Hull added seven points, seven rebounds and four steals.
“It’s just being confident,” Boston said. “The fans were great, everyone showed out, and we were confident shooting the ball.”
The Aces were led, as usual, by four-time league MVP A’ja Wilson, who had 31 points after a poor shooting performance in Game 3. Wilson had her 17th career playoff 30-point game to move within one of the league record that is shared by Diana Taurasi and Breanna Stewart. She became the seventh player in league history to hit the 1,000-point mark in her playoff career with 1,024 and added nine rebounds, four steals, three blocks and three assists.
Jackie Young had 18 points and nine assists, and Chelsea Gray was the only other Las Vegas player to reach double figures. She had 12 points.
This time, though, the Fever played it differently.
“I think we were the aggressor,” Fever coach Stephanie White said. “And usually, when we’re the aggressive and move the ball, good things happen for us. We attacked. We played with a sense of urgency, we made the right reads and the right plays. The ball moved really well and we found the open player.”
It showed.
Indiana led nearly the entire first quarter and retook the lead for good when it closed the first half on an 11-2 spurt to take a 46-38 halftime lead. The Fever never trailed in the second half, but the Aces certainly made it difficult.
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Game Recap: Las Vegas Aces vs. Indiana Fever (Semi-Finals, Game 4)

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.

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Minnesota Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve Suspended

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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WNBA Points of Education

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