Phoenix Mercury struggle to find rhythm, lose in Game 2 as Las Vegas Aces take control of WNBA Finals

However, the Mercury now once again find themselves in uncharted territory, as they failed to rewrite their quarterfinal and semifinal script, losing Game 2 of the WNBA Finals to the Aces 91-78. The 13-point loss ties their largest margin of defeat during these playoffs, as the Mercury fell to the Minnesota Lynx by the same amount in Game 1 of the quarterfinals.

This defeat, however, felt far more brutal. Phoenix was tied with Minnesota going into the fourth quarter of the previous 13-point loss, whereas it felt like Las Vegas was completely in control of this game by the third quarter. 

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A 22-10 second quarter put the Aces up by nine going into halftime, and then a 21-point by Jackie Young in the third — it was the most points ever by a player in a single quarter in WNBA Finals history — effectively sealed Phoenix’s fate, putting them at a 2-0 disadvantage as the best-of-seven affair heads to Arizona.

“We’re here because of our defense,” Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said. “And 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.”

Young finished with a game-high 32 points, while MVP A’ja Wilson added 28 of her own to combine for 60 points. Wilson also tallied 14 rebounds, setting the tone on the glass where Las Vegas outrebounded Phoenix by nine.

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‘The Engine’ stalls

For the Mercury, Kahleah Copper scored 23 points and Satou Sabally scored 22, but it was their leader, Alyssa Thomas, who didn’t look like her usual self. She shot the ball just nine times, making five of them, to total just 10 points, well below her 15.4 points per game average in the regular season. 

Thomas’ six rebounds and five assists were also below her own standard of 8.8 and 9.2 per game, respectively. Even beyond the box score, her impact on the game was simply not the dominating presence that it usually is.

Additionally, Thomas, the anchor of Phoenix’s defense, got into foul trouble, which hindered the team’s ability to contain Wilson and Young. Thomas had to be switched off the four-time MVP as she drew her fourth personal foul on a Wilson and-one basket early in the third quarter.

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“She hasn’t been in much foul trouble all playoffs,” Tibbetts said. “Today, we found ourselves in that situation. … Obviously, we would love to keep her on A’ja as much as we can. Because of the fouls, we had to change that matchup.

“There is no holding back [Thomas], she is who she is. That’s why we love her. That’s why she’s the player that she is. The thing that I just get disappointed in is hearing our officials say that she’s hard to officiate because she plays so physical.”

Aces’ defense prospers once again

In Game 1, Las Vegas brought out a zone defense against Phoenix that ultimately swung the momentum of the game in its favor. In Game 2, the Aces prepared for Phoenix’s counter to the zone by increasing their effectiveness in man-to-man defense. 

It was yet another clever adjustment by Aces coach Becky Hammon that proved why she’s a two-time champion and WNBA Coach of the Year. Las Vegas’ aggressiveness skyrocketed, forcing 11 turnovers, blocking six shots and holding Phoenix to just 10 points in the second quarter.

Veteran guard Chelsea Gray had three of those blocks, while also getting three steals in her effort to stuff the stat sheet with a near triple-double.

“We just did a better job of being more sturdy up front in our defense,” Hammon said. “The other thing was our guard-to-guard actions were a lot more solid today. It wasn’t perfect, but it was way better than it was the other day.”

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Phoenix shot just 5-of-28 from 3-point range, and only 40% total on the game compared to Las Vegas’ near-50%. The Mercury’s looks were often contested, and their actions simply weren’t flowing as much as they had throughout these playoffs.

“We caused that,” Sabally said. “We just didn’t share the ball as much. We have to play together and just zip the ball a little bit more. Play side to side.”

Back against the wall, again

The Mercury have considered themselves underdogs all season long, with that mindset being consistently brought up as a catalyst throughout these playoffs. Phoenix won two consecutive win-or-go-home games in Round 1 against the defending-champion New York Liberty, then overcame a 20-point deficit while down 1-0 in the series against the top-seeded Lynx, which ultimately sparked three wins in a row to secure a berth in the Finals.

“Being able to fight back, and knowing that that’s a part of our identity, but I think we really got to lock in defensively, because that’s what we’re hanging our hats on,” Copper said. “I think in this game in general, it was about having some fight, and we kind of lost that. But on to the next. [It’s a] seven-game series.

This 2-0 hole to an Aces team that has won two of the last three championships may be the toughest obstacle to climb yet, but the Mercury seem confident in their ability to once again beat the odds.

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“What gives me confidence is we’ve been down before. We’ve been overlooked,” Tibbetts said. “Obviously, people are going to start talking about how good Las Vegas has been, and they should. But we’ve kind of always bounced back, and so we’re excited to go home [and] play in our home arena.”

Luckily for the Mercury, they get to return home to Phoenix and play in front of the X-Factor. After dropping the first game of the playoffs to New York in overtime, the Mercury have been undefeated at home during the 2025 postseason.

“I think the X-Factor is a huge part of the success we had this season,” Copper said. “And it’s just always good to be home. So we’re excited.”

“The positive thing is that we have so many games still to play,” Sabally added. “We lost two, we’re returning home, so that’s also positive, and I still believe in us.”

For both teams, it’s just a short flight from Las Vegas to Phoenix, and they’ll have two days of rest before going back to battle on Wednesday. Despite not being an elimination game, many view Game 3 as a must-win for Phoenix to earn back some ground in the series.

“Phoenix is a hard place to play at,” Wilson said. “… We can’t get too high with our highs, can’t get too low with our lows. We got to play defense. We got to buckle in and get ready to weather storms. I think throughout this season … we’ve been through a lot, so that’s going to pay off.”