Mercury-Lynx series preview: Pair of MVP finalists face off with finals trip on the line

After beating the New York Liberty on Friday for their first playoff series win since 2021, the Phoenix Mercury will face a tough challenge in the semifinals against the No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx beginning on Sunday.

As the No. 4 seed, the Mercury will have their hands full in a best-of-five series against the Lynx and MVP finalist Napheesa Collier. Collier and the Lynx are coming off a 2-0 sweep of the Golden State Valkyries in the first round of the playoffs. Collier scored 24 points with seven rebounds and four assists in a 75-74 win on Wednesday.

Collier led the Lynx in scoring during the regular season, averaging 22.9 points (second-best in WNBA), 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in a season where Minnesota finished a league-best 34-10.

Since she entered the league in 2019, Collier is 18-4 against the Mercury, including a 3-0 mark in the postseason.

Collier isn’t the only player to watch out for in this series, as she is joined by co-Defensive Player of the Year Alanna Smith and All-Stars Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams.

How Phoenix Mercury look headed into semifinals?

After dropping Game 1 in Phoenix on Sunday, the Mercury blew out the Liberty in Brooklyn 86-60 on Wednesday. MVP finalist Alyssa Thomas registered the first triple-double in Mercury postseason history in Game 3 on Friday with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists as the Mercury defeated the Liberty 79-73.

Under second-year head coach Nate Tibbetts, the Mercury finished the regular season with a 27-17 record after much roster turnover in the offseason. Roster changes included Diana Taurasi retiring, Brittney Griner leaving in free agency and acquiring All-Stars Thomas and Satou Sabally as part of a four-team trade that sent fan-favorite Sophie Cunningham to the Indiana Fever.

Thomas led the Mercury in scoring this season, registering 16.3 points, 9.2 assists (first in the WNBA) and 8.8 rebounds (third-best in WNBA) per game. Thomas set a WNBA season-single season record with 357 assists this season. She also registered 23 doubles-doubles, which tied Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese for most in the WNBA in 2025.

Joining Thomas is Sabally and Kahleah Copper. Sabally registered a double-double in Friday’s win with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Sabally averaged 16.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game this season.

Copper, who was the only player retained from last season’s roster, got off to a rocky start in 2025 after missing the first 11 games due to left knee surgery. She also missed time in July with a hamstring injury.

Despite the injuries, Copper averaged 15.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game this season. Copper scored 12 points in Game 3 on Friday, including a layup that put the Mercury up by five and served as the dagger in Phoenix’s win.

KAHLEAH COPPER WITH THE DAGGER TO SEND THE PHOENIX MERCURY TO THE SEMIFINALS 🔥

The Mercury eliminate the defending champ New York Liberty. pic.twitter.com/rOtBwdj9J4

— ESPN (@espn) September 20, 2025

Here’s a look at how both teams fared against each other in the regular season:

2025 series recap: Mercury vs. Liberty

May 30: Lynx 74, Mercury 71 (At Phoenix)

June 3: Lynx 88, Mercury 65 (At Minnesota)

July 9: Mercury 79, Lynx 71 (At Phoenix)

July 16: Lynx 79, Mercury 66 (At Minnesota)

The Lynx and Mercury face off in the playoffs once again after Minnesota swept Phoenix in the first round last season.

The Mercury will look to reach their first WNBA Finals since 2021 with a series win, while the Lynx look to reach the finals for the second year in a row.

Mercury-Lynx series schedule

Game 1: Mercury at Lynx (Sunday/2 p.m. MST/ESPN)

Game 2: Mercury at Lynx (Tuesday/4:30 p.m. MST/ESPN)

Game 3: Lynx at Mercury (Friday/6:30 p.m. MST/ESPN2)

Game 4 (if necessary): Lynx at Mercury (Sept. 28/TBD/TBD)

Game 5 (if necessary): Mercury at Lynx (Sept. 30/TBD/TBD)

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