As tensions flare, Phoenix Mercury stand strong to pull within a game of WNBA Finals

The result? 15 lead changes, eight ties, four technical fouls assessed and one ejection. Neither team ever held a double-digit lead, and with only one team able to come out on top, it was one of those games where the winner would feel exuberant and the loser would feel irate.

In another thrilling finish, it was Phoenix who emerged victorious, outlasting Minnesota 84-76 in a game that had just about everything. The Mercury, as they have been doing all playoffs long, edged out the Lynx largely due to their relentless physicality, which stirred up the controversy everyone is talking about.

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Fire and frustration

With Phoenix clinging to a four-point lead in the final 23 seconds, Alyssa Thomas stripped Napheesa Collier near midcourt and raced for a layup, sending Collier crashing to the floor. Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve erupted, charging onto the floor to yell at the official while play was still live. The outburst drew her second technical foul of the night and an automatic ejection. A Lynx assistant coach was also charged with a technical in the sequence.

Earlier in the game, Reeve received her first technical, also for arguing that Phoenix was getting away with being too physical while defending Collier. It was something Reeve calmly expressed some concern about before the game even started, but after it ended, she did not hold back.

“When you let the physicality happen, people get hurt. There’s fights,” Reeve said. “And this is the look that our league wants for some reason … one of the best players in the league shot zero free throws, and she had five fouls. Had her shoulder pulled out, and finished the game with her leg taken out, and probably has a fracture…

“…I want to call for a change of leadership at the league level when it comes to officiating. It’s bad for the game. The officiating crew that we had tonight, for the leadership to deem those three people semifinals playoff worthy, is [expletive] malpractice.”

The drama wasn’t limited to the benches. Kahleah Copper and Courtney Williams, the emotional heartbeats of their respective teams, were locked in a heated matchup. With the two guarding each other, the trash talk was intense all night.

At one point, Williams drained a 3-pointer and taunted Copper. A few plays later, Copper answered with a fast-break layup — and a technical for getting in Williams’ face.

“It was nothing deeper than what it was,” Copper said. “But right after that, we came to the timeout, [Thomas] spoke up about just staying composed and understanding the moment.”

Williams also shrugged it off as part of playoff basketball. “That comes with it… It’s playoff basketball, you got to play ball,” she said.

By the end, Phoenix was the more physical team but also shot twice as many free throws as Minnesota, 22 to 11. Mercury forward Satou Sabally matched the Lynx’s free throw total all by herself, making all 11 of the free throws she attempted. Thomas’ steal and score and the subsequent aftermath ultimately sealed the game, giving Phoenix a massive 2-1 series lead.

“We haven’t talked about the officiating all playoffs, we just play, we’re worried about us,” Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said.

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Phoenix’s stars make history, again

In addition to playing highly physical, the Mercury’s recipe to success all postseason long has been riding the backs of their “Big Three,” Thomas, Sabally and Copper. In Game 3, the trio combined for 65 points — Sabally had a game-high 23, while Thomas and Copper each had 21. 

This marked the sixth time in franchise history where the Mercury have had three 20+ scorers in a playoff game that ended in regulation, a WNBA record. The last time this happened for any team occurred in the 2023 WNBA Finals, when the Las Vegas Aces saw Kelsey Plum, A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young achieve the feat on their way to a championship ring.

Each Phoenix star had their own heroics at different parts of the game. Sabally took over in the fourth quarter, where she scored 15 of her 23 points in a period in which the Mercury won 21-9. She hit go-ahead 3-pointers on two separate occasions, including at the 3:05 mark to make it 78-76, a lead Phoenix never looked back at.

“In the second half, I was extremely proud of her, how she let the game come to her,” Tibbetts said. “She didn’t force it, and we had some big offensive rebounds and found her. She’s just fearless, and she made some big-time plays down the stretch.”

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In the first half, it was Copper who was the spotlight of the Mercury offense. She recorded 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting — for a half, a season-high for her as well as a career-high in playoff efficiency. She consistently got to the same spot on the floor for a pull-up, mid-range jumper she’s practiced thousands of times in her pregame routine.

Meanwhile, Thomas’ scoring effort was more balanced across the whole game. In addition to her 21 points, she once again nearly tallied a triple-double with a game-high nine rebounds and eight assists. Beyond the box score, her defense on Collier in the fourth quarter was most impactful, setting the tone for the Mercury to dominate the period and win the game.

“They only scored nine points [in the fourth], and that’s due to our good defense,” Sabally said. “We closed them out, we knew what they were running, so we’re really well prepared.”

Their efforts fed off each other, with one star igniting a run while the others kept the pressure relentless. Phoenix thrived on that rhythm, turning individual bursts into a collective surge that Minnesota simply couldn’t match down the stretch.

“[Thomas] was consistent throughout the whole game,” Tibbetts said. “I thought [Copper] was unbelievable in the first half. [Sabally] struggled in the first half, and then in the second half, she really got going. This is what we had hoped for, they’ve stepped up in big moments.”

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Underdogs have the favorites on the rope

The Mercury have considered themselves the underdog all season long, yet now find themselves in prime position to reach the WNBA Finals. With a cast of players that have been overlooked their entire careers, the mentality started at the beginning of the season when seeing how outlets like ESPN compared them to the rest of the league.

“They ranked us really low,” Sabally said. “To me, it’s disrespect towards [Thomas and Copper]. They’re gold medalists, they’re all-stars, and to put that type of disrespect towards people who’ve literally been in the league for so long …that just fuels us. We’re the underdogs, we have something to prove to ourselves more than to others, and I think this is really what bonds us.”

Before the game, Tibbetts added, “I just kind of feel bad for our team, in the fact that we have been overlooked all year. I think we’ve embraced it, it almost motivates our group. I hope they just keep talking about the other teams, and we’ll just keep fighting.”

On the other side, it’s the top-seeded Lynx in danger of falling short of their lofty expectations. Widely considered the favorites to win the WNBA title, even going into last night’s Game 3, Minnesota is now just one loss away from being eliminated. 

Now facing the emotional aftermath from Reeve’s post-game rampage, Collier’s questionable injury status and another road playoff game in front of the rowdy X-Factor, the Lynx have to brace for a quick turnaround, knowing they need to regroup and respond to keep their season alive.

“Can’t get too high, can’t get too low, we still got a game we have to win,” Williams said. “So, we can’t dwell on this one. You got to feel it, because you don’t want to feel that feeling again, but at the end of the day, you got to watch the film, and be better next game.”

Meanwhile, Phoenix knows not to get too comfortable, the job’s not finished.

“We got one more game to win. We haven’t done what we want to do yet. We still have work to do,” Tibbetts said.

Game 4 tips off Sunday at 8:00 p.m. EST, with everything on the line and one team’s season hanging by a thread.

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