Alyssa Thomas had 23 points and 10 assists, Satou Sabally scored 21 points and the host Phoenix Mercury advanced to the WNBA Finals with an 86-81 comeback victory over the game but crippled Minnesota Lynx in Game 4 of their semifinal series Sunday night.
DeWanna Bonner had 11 of her 13 points and all three of her 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, when the Mercury outscored the Lynx 31-13 to overcome a 68-55 deficit and advance to the finals for the first time since falling to the Chicago Sky in 2021.
“Shout out to my teammates,” said Bonner. “They just kept telling me to shoot the ball, shoot the ball. Be aggressive. Don’t stop. So … yeah, we’re going to the finals, baby.”
The Lynx played without star center Napheesa Collier, who suffered a left ankle injury in the final seconds of the Mercury’s 84-76 victory in Game 3 on Friday and watched the game from the bench in a walking boot.
Minnesota’s Kayla McBride had 14 of her playoff career-high 31 points when the Lynx took the upper hand in the third quarter but could not hold on. Courtney Williams had 20 points and Jessica Shepard had a career playoff-high 14 points while starting for Collier.
The finals are to begin Friday, with the first two games at the site of the higher seed. The fourth-seeded Mercury knocked off the top-seeded Lynx in their best-of-five series. The second-seeded Las Vegas Aces and the sixth-seeded Indiana Fever meet in Game 5 of their series Tuesday.
“Phoenix played a hell of a game, a hell of a series,” McBride said. “They did what they had to do. It’s tough, but I wouldn’t trade that locker room for anything. I would feel like this a hundred times over to be with the people I’ve been with. That’s why it’s painful. You just want it to keep going.”
The WNBA Finals will be a best-of-seven for the first time in league history. Phoenix last won a championship in 2014.
The Mercury scored 19 of the first 21 points in the fourth period, and the second of Bonner’s two 3-pointers gave them a 72-70 lead with 3:39 remaining.
“It was a struggle for three quarters,” Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts said. “I give Minnesota credit. That organization, that team, they have some really good players. What McBride did was super impressive.
“For our group, we could have just said we are going to go to Game 5 in Minnesota and figure it out. It was ugly at times for us, but we kept fighting. That’s what we do. We are a gritty group.”
McBride and Bonner traded 3-pointers as the Mercury stayed ahead 77-73. McBride’s sixth three made it 77-76 with 1:04 remaining but Bonner followed with two free throws for a 79-76 lead with 42 seconds left.
After a McBride miss, Thomas made a driving layup for an 81-76 lead with 27 seconds left. The Lynx later got within three on Natisha Hiedeman’s 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds remaining before Kahleah Copper closed the scoring with two free throws.
Associate head coach Eric Thibault coached the Lynx while head coach Cheryl Reeve served a one-game suspension for her conduct and comments toward the officials during and after Game 3.
Thomas was two rebounds short of her second playoff triple-double.
The Mercury trailed by 14 in the first quarter, drew even at 38 at halftime and did not lead until Copper’s 3-pointer on their first possession of the second half.
The Lynx put together another spurt including two 3-pointers from McBride for a 55-45 lead midway through the third.
Sabally had 24, 23 and 21 points in the final three games of the series, all Mercury wins.
“We believe in us,” Sabally said. “It’s been us versus everybody all season long. I’m so happy to be doing this alongside everyone. We’ve been tested. We’ve been battle-proofed all along this season. Champions win these games and we did that.”
–Field Level Media
