A'ja Wilson hit a seven-foot fadeaway shot with three-tenths of a second left, and the Las Vegas Aces withstood a furious drive. Phoenix Mercury came back for a 90-88 win Wednesday night in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals.
Wilson finished with 34 points and 14 rebounds to give Las Vegas a 3–0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Aces can win third place VNBA title in four seasons with a win Friday in Game 4, also in Phoenix.
Quick Guide
WNBA Finals 2025
Show
Schedule
Best of seven series. All times Eastern.
Fri 3 Oct Game 1: Las Vegas 89, Phoenix 86
Sun 5 Oct Game 2: Las Vegas 91, Phoenix 78
Wed 8 Oct Game 3: Las Vegas 90, Phoenix 88
Fri 10 Oct Game 4: Las Vegas vs. Phoenix, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Sun 12 Oct Game 5: Phoenix at Las Vegas, 3:00 p.m. (ABC)*
Wed, 15 Oct. Game 6: Las Vegas vs. Phoenix, 8:00 p.m. (ESPN)*
Fri 17 Oct Game 7: Phoenix at Las Vegas, 8:00 p.m. (ESPN)*
*if necessary
Wilson's winner came after DeWanna Bonner tied the game at 88 on two free throws with 1:01 remaining. After receiving a pass from Chelsea Gray, Wilson delivered the game-winning shot to Alyssa Thomas from the left side of the lane. Phoenix had one last chance, but as time expired, Bonner's shot from the free throw line bounced off the hoop.
Jackie Young scored 21 points, Jewell Loyd added 16 and Gray had 11 points, five assists, three steals and three blocks for Las Vegas. The Aces, who blocked eight shots, made 56 percent of their 3-pointers and never trailed.
Las Vegas opened the game with a 17-0 run midway through the first quarter, fueled by four 3-pointers in less than two minutes by Loyd. The Mercury responded with a 13-0 run to tie the game at 21 and the Aces led 26-23 after one quarter.
The Aces extended their lead to 55-43 by halftime, making nine of their 16 3-pointers in the first half. Wilson scored nine straight points in the third quarter as Las Vegas took a 68-52 lead. Loyd's free throws late in the third made it 76-59, the Aces' largest lead of the night.
Phoenix cut the deficit to 29-14 in the fourth quarter. Kalia Copper scored 11 straight points during the rally and Bonner hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 86 with 1:33 left in the game. After Gray's layup gave Las Vegas the lead again, Bonner made two free throws to tie the game again, setting up Wilson's final shot.
Bonner led the Mercury with 25 points, Sato Sabally had 24 before leaving with an apparent head injury with 4:26 left, and Thomas finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. Copper added 17 points, 11 of them in the fourth quarter.
Wilson's 34 points increased her postseason point total to 291, breaking the WNBA record for most points in a single playoff game. She is averaging more than 26 points per game in 11 postseason games this year.
