The Mercury defeated a Lynx team playing without Napheesa Collier or head coach Cheryl Reeve to secure their second trip to the Finals since 2021.
The Phoenix Mercury dug a 12-1 hole in the opening minutes of Sunday's WNBA semifinals game against Minnesota Lynx, then trailed by 13 points at the start the fourth quarter.
No matter. As they've done throughout the series, the Mercury clamped down on defense and rallied to secure an 86-81 victory and 3-1 series win.
With the win, the Mercury advance to the WNBA Finals. Phoenix advances to its second WNBA Finals since 2021 with a roster that features just Kahleah Copper and Natahsa Mack from last yer's team.
They eliminate a Lynx team that was the WNBA's best throughout the regular season. Phoenix secured Wednesday's win against a Minnesota team playing without injured MVP finalist Napheesa Collier and head coach Cheryl Reeve, who was suspended for her outburst against officials during and after Game 3.
Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally led the way in the win to fend off a 31-point effort by Kayla McBride, who took over as Minnesota's on-court leader with Collier on the sideline.
No Lynx lead was safe in this series against the Mercury, who posted dramatic rallies from second-half double-digit deficits in two of the last three games. They mounted an unlikely comeback from a 20-point third-quarter deficit in Game 3 and outscored the Lynx, 31-13 in Sunday's fourth quarter.
This story will be updated.
Category: General Sports
