Mercury punch ticket to 2025 WNBA Finals with win over Lynx

The Phoenix Mercury are headed to the 2025 WNBA Finals, where they have an opportunity to win the fourth championship in franchise history.

The Mercury defeated the Minnesota Lynx 86-81 in Game 4 of the semifinals at PHX Arena on Sunday evening for a 3-1 series win. Phoenix overcame a 14-point deficit and rallied in the fourth quarter.

Phoenix has taken down both WNBA Finals participants from a year ago, as the Mercury defeated the New York Liberty in the opening round.

They now await their opponent, as the Las Vegas Aces and Indiana Fever are tied at 2-2 in their semifinals series. That series will continue on Tuesday in Las Vegas.

Game 1 of the WNBA Finals is on Friday.

After Sunday’s game was tied 38-38 at halftime, the Lynx — without MVP candidate Napheesa Collier due to an ankle injury — outscored the Mercury 30-17 in the third quarter.

Phoenix mounted a 19-2 run to start the fourth quarter, taking the lead on a DeWanna Bonner 3-pointer with three-and-a-half minutes to play. Alyssa Thomas initiated the drive, kicked out to Satou Sabally, who swung it to Bonner.

Alyssa Thomas finds DeWanna Bonner to extend the Mercury's lead late in the fourth 🤯

MIN-PHX | ESPN | WNBA Playoffs | @google pic.twitter.com/9os6ha4TZK

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 29, 2025

Thomas hit a turnaround floater the next time down, and after Minnesota’s Kayla McBride hit a 3, Bonner pulled up from way beyond the arc and drained a clutch triple from 35 feet out for a 77-73 lead with two minutes left.

Phoenix never relented.

Thomas led the Mercury with 23 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. Bonner hit three triples, moving into second on the WNBA playoffs all-time leaderboard behind Diana Taurasi. Bonner finished with 13 points off the bench.

Sabally scored 21 points, and Kahleah Copper rounded out the Big 3 with 13 points.

ALYSSA THOMAS!!! pic.twitter.com/ebL9LhcdNo

— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) September 29, 2025

McBride led Minnesota with 31 points. Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve was suspended for Game 4 after she was ejected from Game 3 on Friday.

The Mercury remade their roster heading into this season with only two returning players: Copper and Natasha Mack.

The organization brought in All-Stars Thomas and Sabally while seeing Taurasi retire and Brittney Griner sign with Atlanta in free agency.

The roster came together, as Phoenix went 27-17 in the regular season to clinch the fourth seed in the playoffs.

The Mercury are back in the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2021 when they lost to the Chicago Sky. Their last championship win was in 2014.

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