LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon asked star guard Jackie Young how she was feeling on Saturday. Young had admitted to Hammon that she was fatigued in Game 1. That she had no legs and no lift after a grueling five-game semifinals win over the Indiana Fever. Young had spent the lead-up to Game 2 recovering. “Good. I’ll have my legs tomorrow,” Young told her coach. “I believe her,” Hammon said Sunday. For good reason. It didn’t matter that Young was in street clothes during the Aces’ m
Young had admitted to Hammon that she was fatigued in Game 1. That she had no legs and no lift after a grueling five-game semifinals win over the Indiana Fever. Young had spent the lead-up to Game 2 recovering.
“Good. I’ll have my legs tomorrow,” Young told her coach.
“I believe her,” Hammon said Sunday.
For good reason.
It didn’t matter that Young was in street clothes during the Aces’ mid-day walkthrough on the eve of Sunday’s Game 2. When it was time for the four-time All-Star guard to put on a uniform and perform against the Phoenix Mercury, she starred. She set a franchise record for points in a Finals game (32), and became only the second player in WNBA Finals history to score 30 or more points in the first three quarters. The Aces won 91-78, with the final scoreline failing to reflect just how convincing a victory it was.
Of course, Young was not alone in putting out a masterclass. Four-time league MVP A’ja Wilson had 28 points and 14 rebounds as the Aces moved ahead 2-0 in the first best-of-7 finals in league history. Had she scored just one more basket, Young and Wilson would have been the first pair of teammates ever to reach the 30-point plateau in the Finals. Wilson quipped after, “I gotta be better.”
She was all smiles. Justifiably so.
Then there was the play of six-time All-Star Chelsea Gray in Game 2. Gray finished 10 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. Defensively, she was stout, as well, seldom heeding ground to the bigger Satou Sabally. Gray used her world-class IQ to anticipate potential Mercury drives, and forced three steals.
How does Hammon describe her Big Three?
“They’re studs,” the two-time title-winning coach said. “That’s why the expectation is so high.”
Jackie Young hit the JACKPOT in the @LVAces Game 2 win, helping defeat the Phoenix Mercury, 91-78!
🎰 32 PTS
🎰 8 REB
🎰 3 3PM
🎰 2 ASTShe put up 21 PTS in the 3Q to mark the most EVER points scored in an individual quarter in a Finals game!#WelcometotheW | WNBA Finals |… pic.twitter.com/PolEjUkPHy
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 5, 2025
The challenge now for the Mercury going forward comes down to this: How do you slow down an opponent with such a multitude of high-quality options?
Las Vegas’ Game 1 three-point victory was fueled by its stellar reserves as guards Jewell Loyd and Dana Evans combined to score 39 points. Game 2 was won by its stars. Two wins. Two different roadmaps.
“That’s what makes us tough, because it can be anybody on any given night,” Hammon said.
In the locker room ahead of the series-opener, Hammon showed her players a video montage of them in high school and college. The intention was to have her players reflect on their individual journeys to this point. No throwback footage was needed as motivation on Sunday; only clips of their opponent.
And yet, the Aces didn’t showcase their dominance right away. Hammon said they played a “warm-up” quarter. The Aces allowed five offensive rebounds, as Phoenix shot 45.5 percent from the field and scored 27 points. But toward the end of the frame, and again between quarters, she implored her players to buckle down defensively.
“At some point you have to do it,” Hammon told them. “Let’s fix it now. Not wait till after the game or halftime.”
They listened.
Phoenix scored only four points after the 6:52 mark of the quarter. Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said they struggled exploiting mismatches and over-dribbled. Things got stagnant and the Mercury missed all seven of their 3-point attempts. “The ball just wasn’t popping the way it has been,” he said.
That’s where the adjustments will begin for the Mercury as the series flips back to Phoenix for Wednesday’s Game 3.
“We tried to force a little bit,” Tibbetts said. “In the second quarter, we just kind of stood and watched and you can’t do that against a team like this.”
But other changes will be needed as well.
Young scored 21 points in the third quarter — the most for any player in a quarter in Finals history, igniting a home crowd that barely needed any excuse to wave their “Raise the Stakes” rally towels. The Mercury’s defense is central to why they are in the Finals and Young both sliced to the rim and created on the perimeter with far too much ease for any Mercury fan’s liking.
“To give up 89 points in Game 1 and 91 in Game 2, I know they’re a really good offensive team. They’ve got great players but we have to be better at the defensive end.”
Their Big Three will also have to improve if the Mercury want to claw back into the finals.
Mutual respect. Major love. 💯
A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young talk about how special it is to share the floor and see each other shine after combining for 60 points in Game 2 for the @LVAces#WelcometotheW | WNBA Finals | @YouTubeTVpic.twitter.com/ieegVtdVmq
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 5, 2025
Alyssa Thomas, Phoenix’s engine, had her least productive playoff game of this magical run, finishing with only 10 points, six rebounds and five assists. Satou Sabally made only two of her nine 3-point attempts and though she scored 22 points, she also checked out of the game with 3:53 after appearing to roll her ankle. (Sabally said she was “fine” postgame, after receiving a medical evaluation.) Kahleah Copper led them with 23 points, but she was a minus-21 in 31 minutes and said the Mercury lost their fight. Young stifled the 2021 Finals MVP throughout.
“We’re excited to get back home,” Copper said.
They surely hope the comforts of Phoenix will spark a series swing as well.
What makes the task ahead even more daunting is that the Aces know not to be complacent. This core has jumped out to early Finals leads before, and know what to expect in high-stakes road environments.
In their last two Finals appearances, the Aces have lost Game 3 each time. And although no team in WNBA history has ever come back from down 2-0 in a best-of-five series, the Mercury are hoping that the extended format gives them a better chance.
Sunday’s Aces victory was no doubt emphatic. But Sabally said her belief hasn’t wavered. Still, Wednesday night is now a must-win. Everyone knows it.
“All we did was do what we’re supposed to do: take care of our home court,” Hammon said.
That’s true. But in the process, the Aces re-asserted just how overpowering they can be.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury, WNBA
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Category: General Sports
