The Las Vegas Aces clinched their third WNBA Championship in the last four years on Friday, Oct. 10. The Aces dominated the finals, winning in four straight games against the Phoenix Mercury, despite the beginning of the season, where they did not look like the top team. The Aces kicked off their 2025 campaign with a 5-6 record and dealt with multiple injuries. They turned their season around mid-season with 16 consecutive wins, pushing them to a dominant playoff run.
The Aces began the seven-game series against the Mercury with a close 89-86 victory on Friday, Oct. 3. A’ja Wilson and Dana Evans led the Aces each with 21 points. Wilson also racked up 10 rebounds and 5 assists in the game. In addition, Evans also picked up 4 steals.
Wilson struggled in the first half of the game but bounced back in the second half with 12 points in the final 14 minutes. Her beginning struggles allowed the Mercury to gain an early 10-2 lead. The win of the first game was truly a team affair as the Aces had 41 of their points coming from the bench. For example, Jewell Loyd was dominant coming off the bench, scoring 18 points.
Kahleah Copper, Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas led Phoenix. Cooper finished the game with 21 points, leading the team. Sabally followed with 19 points, followed by Thomas with 15 points. Sabally had the chance to tie the game in the last two seconds but missed a long 3-pointer.
The Aces took the lead in the series on Sunday, Oct. 5 with a 91-78 victory. Jackie Young led the team with 32 total points with 21 of those points scored in the third quarter. Young tied the career playoff high in points; however, Young fell short of the league’s postseason quarter point record, which stays at 22 points. Loyd recently reached the record in 2021 when playing for the Seattle Storm against the Mercury. Wilson continued to dominate in the second game with 28 points, starting the game off strong with 20 points in the first half.
Cooper, Sabally and Thomas continued to be the leaders for the Mercury in the second game. Cooper led once again with 23 points. Sabally followed close behind with 22 points. Thomas had 10 points but suffered foul trouble in the game.
The Mercury started off strong with 27 points in the first quarter but were unable to keep the momentum having a combined 24 points in the following two quarters. Their struggle allowed the Aces to go on a run, going into the fourth quarter with a 25-point lead, which gave them momentum to clinch the win.
The Aces increased their lead in the final series with a close 90-88 win over the Mercury in game three on Wednesday, Oct. 8 in Phoenix. Wilson made history in the game, marking consecutive games with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Wilson finished the game with 34 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks.
The Aces gained a 17-point lead in the game but later blew the lead to tie the game due to being outscored 29-14 in the fourth quarter. Wilson grabbed the win with a game winning jump shot in the final 0.3 seconds. Loyd and Young helped Wilson clinch the win. Young finished with 21 points and 9 assists. Loyd added 4 three-pointers in the first quarter, which gave the Aces early momentum. She finished with 16 points and 7 rebounds. Despite Mercury’s strong performance in the fourth quarter, Wilson was able to deliver the win to the Aces.
The Aces successfully completed their finals sweep of the Mercury on Friday, Oct. 10 with a 97-86 win. Despite their loss, the Mercury went on an impressive playoff run starting with a first-round win against the defending champion, the New York Liberty. In the semifinals they continued their dominance, knocking off the No. 1 seeded Minnesota Lynx.
Phoenix struggled in the fourth game without Sabally, who was diagnosed with a concussion after game three. The Mercury also continued to be challenged by Wilson, who finished with 31 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks. Her dominant Finals performance gave her the Finals MVP title. Her performance allowed the Aces to lead the whole game with a 16-point lead by halftime.
With Aces continuing to dominate, the Mercury faced another struggle in the third game, when head coach, Nate Tibbetts was ejected due to a double technical foul for arguing with the officials. They gained some confidence back in the fourth quarter, bringing the Ace’s lead to only 6 points. This was not enough, though, to take over the Aces.
The Aces finals win establishes them as a growing dynasty in the WNBA as they have racked up three finals wins in the last four seasons. It also establishes the regular season and finals MVP A’Ja Wilson as one of the greatest of all-time.