Phoenix Mercury storm to WNBA Finals after dramatic comeback against Minnesota Lynx in Game 4

However, that wasn’t exactly the case. The Lynx played resilient basketball in a hostile environment to put the Mercury on the ropes on multiple occasions. It started with a 12-1 run to begin the game, and even after Phoenix drew it back to a tied game going into halftime, Minnesota again exploded in the third quarter to take a 13-point lead going into the game’s final frame.

The Mercury looked destined for a trip back to Minnesota for a decisive Game 5. Instead, they authored one of the franchise’s most dramatic playoff comebacks, storming past the Lynx 86-81 to clinch the series 3-1 and punch their ticket to the WNBA Finals. 

“It was a new game for us,” Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas said. “They gave everything they had. We knew they were going to challenge us today, and I’m just proud of how we responded. We could have easily given up. We could have been headed to Minnesota right now, but we stuck together.”

Phoenix finds its finishers, Minnesota runs out of answers

In a game that Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said, “we looked a little bit nervous or tight or too excited,” Phoenix stumbled through some stretches, while Minnesota seemed ready to take full control. But every time the Mercury looked close to cracking, one of their stars found a way to steady the ship.

In the first half, it was Satou Sabally who kept the Mercury afloat almost single-handedly. She poured in 18 of Phoenix’s 38 points before halftime, knocking down three 3-pointers that helped quiet Minnesota’s bursts and kept the X-Factor crowd alive.

“It’s electrifying,” Sabally said. When you’re on that court, all you worry about is the zone and your teammates and you’re really in the flow. And when you hear the gym just roaring and feel it shaking, your body takes it in and it just fuels you.”

Once the deficit shrank, it was MVP finalist Thomas’ turn to take over. She lived up to her nickname of “The Engine” by fueling her team’s offense, generating easy looks for herself and teammates as the primary ball handler in the pick-and-roll. She finished with a Mercury-high 23 points on 61% efficiency, while also nearly tallying a triple-double with 10 assists and eight rebounds.

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Kahleah Copper, the final piece of the Mercury’s Big Three, struggled early on but showed her championship DNA by being clutch when it mattered most. Her first points of the game came at the beginning of the third quarter on a 3-pointer that also gave Phoenix its first lead of the game. She was the only Mecury player to play the entire third quarter, and although they lost the period 30-17, Copper’s nine points that quarter proved to be huge in keeping the Mercury in striking distance. In the fourth, Copper tacked on four free throws to help seal the victory.

The knockout punch came from veteran DeWanna Bonner. After struggling in the series, she changed the game in the fourth quarter by burying three momentum-shifting 3-pointers, each one a dagger to Minnesota’s hopes. Her +17 plus-minus was the best of the game, and her leadership down the stretch reminded Tibbetts why the franchise brought her back.

“What [Bonner] did – because she hadn’t particularly played that well in this series – I got the ultimate trust in her,” Tibbetts said. “She’s been through every experience, and I’m super happy for her to do this in front of this crowd.”

On the other side, Kayla McBride nearly spoiled the party. With Collier sidelined, the veteran guard erupted for a game-high 31 points, including six 3-pointers that either fueled Minnesota’s runs, or cut into Phoenix’s late lead as things were getting away from them. McBride was noticeably emotional in the postgame press conference, holding back tears.

“To be close two years in a row and hit adverse situations each and every time, for the people that you love – your sisters, your family – it [expletive] hurts,” McBride said. “It’s hard, especially when you lay everything out there.”

Ultimately, every game in the series felt like it was won by Phoenix in the fourth quarter, including Sunday night, Game 2’s 20-point comeback in Minnesota, and Game 3’s late-game chaos. The underdog mentality Tibbetts and the Mercury have embraced all season long has continued to play itself out at a moment-to-moment basis in seemingly every game this postseason.

 “We could have said, ‘we’re just going to go to Game 5 in Minnesota and figure it out,’” Tibbetts said. “It was ugly at times for us, but we kept fighting and that’s what we do. We’re a gritty group.”

On the other sideline, the Lynx were equally resilient, but ultimately suffered due to poor late-game execution and unfortunate circumstances. Collier’s injury and Reeve’s suspension were major setbacks Minnesota simply couldn’t afford when already dealing with the wrecking ball of a Mercury team.

“I think [you] got to give Phoenix credit for the way they defended in some of the fourth quarters,” Lynx associate head coach Eric Thibault said. “They switched and they made it hard for us, and I think we just didn’t get enough quality shots down the stretch.”

McBride added, “I think Phoenix played a hell of a game, a hell of a series. They did what they had to do, and it’s tough, but I wouldn’t trade that locker room for anything. I would feel like this 100 times over to be with the people that I’ve been with.”

A gamble paid off

When the Mercury hit reset this past offseason, few expected the experiment to click so quickly. Longtime cornerstones Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi were gone. Only Copper and Natasha Mack returned from last year’s roster. At the helm of the roster turnover was Tibbetts, a longtime NBA assistant, who was hired by general manager Nick U’Ren despite the skepticism that came with the optics of hiring someone with no prior women’s basketball coaching experience.

At the same time, Phoenix swung for a bold rebrand of its on-court identity, acquiring Sabally and Thomas in an offseason trade that would form the backbone of the “new Mercury.” 

Both stars had plenty of hype — Thomas was a perennial MVP candidate, Sabally an All-Star with tantalizing potential — but questions lingered about how quickly the group could mesh, and whether Phoenix had built a contender or just a collection of big names.

Less than a year later, the bet has paid off with a trip to the WNBA Finals.

“I got to pinch myself sometimes, just because of the opportunity that Nick [U’Ren] and Mat [Ishbia] and Josh [Bartelstein] gave me to come here, to take a chance, because not a lot of people thought it was a great hire,” Tibbetts said. “We’re building this thing. It’s still early, but I think we’re getting the respect around the league from agents and players, and that’s extremely important because we do take pride in treating our people right. It’s a first-class organization. 

“That crowd is rival to any NBA playoff game,” Tibbetsts continued. “And the city, the Valley, the X-Factor, has to get a lot of credit for that, and I hope that people around the nation see that. At times, unfortunately, I don’t know why we’re overlooked, but this is a big-time place to play, and we’re super proud of it.”

Thomas, who has long been considered one of the league’s best players but has yet to win a championship, saw it as less of a gamble and more of a chance to finally finish what’s eluded her.

“It wasn’t about taking a chance,” Thomas said. “I believed in this franchise and believed in the team that they were putting together. It was just a fresh start playing with people that want the same that I do, [for] a franchise that’s known for winning championships, and that’s been my goal.”

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For Sabally, the decision to join Phoenix was rooted in opportunity. She was the second-overall pick in the 2020 draft to the Dallas Wings, the same organization she had been loyal to her entire career. Entering restricted free agency in 2023, Sabally even took less money to re-sign with Dallas in hopes of boosting the team’s chance of success.

After another season of disappointment plagued by injury, Sabally and the Wings worked together to find a trade — one that ultimately sent her to Phoenix. 

“I knew it was the right bet to make,” Sabally said. “The players that I knew were going to be here, I just loved watching them play, hated playing them. The way that they recruited me, it was nothing about making promises, it was about what they could offer and how I could embrace that — and I knew I just wanted to have the right opportunity for my career to really propel.”

A meaningful homecoming

Phoenix’s 2025 WNBA Finals appearance marks another achievement of a historic legacy. One of the founding franchises of the league and among the winningest, Phoenix has captured three titles (2007, 2009, 2014) and last appeared in the Finals in 2021, losing to Copper and the Chicago Sky.

Few understand the weight of that history better than Bonner. A cornerstone of two of those championship teams, Bonner played with Phoenix from 2009 to 2019 before uniting with Thomas, now her fiancée, with the Connecticut Sun. She had a few successful seasons there before signing with the Indiana Fever at the start of 2025 — where a tumultuous stint led her back home to Phoenix midseason.

“I’m home, that’s all. I’m home,” Bonner said. “I’m back to where it all began, the love has been real since I’ve been back here. There’s no greater feeling than putting on that jersey for me. I did it for 10 straight years, and then to come back to put it back on, … nothing feels better than wearing Mercury across my chest.”

Bonner has proven to be a necessary veteran presence for a new group of players featuring several undrafted rookies. Her shooting ability, defensive presence and experience playing in a WNBA-leading 94 playoff games has guided Phoenix back to the same place it was when Bonner began her career 16 years ago.

“It’s hard to get here, it’s hard to get to the Finals,” Bonner said. “I was just telling [my teammates], ‘I’ve been in the league and all these playoff appearances, and I’ve only been to the Finals three times,’ and that’s how hard it is to get back there. So, I’m just honored and blessed to be back in here with this group.”

Thomas echoed Bonner’s excitement, recognizing the milestone of returning to championship contention together.

“It’s disappointing to get to the Finals and lose,” Thomas said. “It’s even extremely harder to get back to the Finals. So, just for her to be back here, back playing together, it’s super exciting.”

Game 1 of the WNBA Finals will be played on Friday, October 3, with Phoenix’s opponent currently unknown — that will be decided in tomorrow’s Game 5 contest between the Fever and Las Vegas Aces. If the Fever win, Phoenix will be the higher seed and have home-court advantage. If the Aces win, Phoenix will be the lower seed and travel to Las Vegas for Game 1. Either way, the Mercury are ready to write the next chapter of their championship story.

“Coming here, their history with winning championships, I just wanted to keep that going,” Thomas said. “We have a group that believes in that. We stayed the course. We’ve had our adversity, and we’re back in the Finals, which is extremely hard to get to, and no one picked us. We’re going to just continue to believe in ourselves.”

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