On Friday night, the Las Vegas Aces cemented their place among the sport's greatest dynasties by defeating Phoenix Mercury 97–86, ending the four-game streak and capturing their third WNBA title in four seasons.
League MVP Aya Wilson led the way again with 31 points and nine rebounds, symbolizing her reign at the top of the sport. Although she shot just 7 of 21 from the field, Wilson made 17 of 19 free throws and controlled the game on both ends, earning her second Finals MVP award in three years.
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Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young each added 18 points and combined to make seven of Las Vegas' 12 3-pointers. Jewell Loyd scored 12 points and Dana Evans added 10 off the bench as the Aces showed the depth and accuracy that defined their dominant play.
The Aces took control early on, shooting 55% in the first quarter for a 30-21 lead, trailing Wilson by 12 points. The Mercury put three defenders against her – Alisa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner and Kalani Brown – but none of them could contain her combination of footwork and power. Las Vegas quickly found its rhythm from behind the arc in the second quarter. Evans hit straight threes, followed by goals from Loyd and Gray to extend the lead to 42-23. The Aces led 54-38 at halftime, making nine of 17 3-point attempts while committing just one turnover.
Phoenix's frustrations boiled over midway through the third quarter when coach Nate Tibbetts was ejected after appealing a foul on Monique Akoa Makani. His departure seemed to dampen the Mercury's brief surge, and Las Vegas held a 76–62 lead going into the final period.
Phoenix opened the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to six, but Gray responded with back-to-back threes to stop the momentum. Until the end of the journey, Mercury never came closer than eight points. Kalia Copper was relentless, scoring a playoff-high 30 points on 12-of-22 shooting before fouling out in the final minutes. Thomas posted another triple-double – 17 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists – but also committed nine turnovers and was visibly strained after suffering a right shoulder injury late in the first half.
The Mercury were already without Sato Sabally, their leading postseason scorer, who was sidelined with a concussion suffered late in Game 3. Her absence forced Phoenix to shuffle its frontcourt rotation, with Bonner starting in her place and Brown starting in rare minutes early. Despite a depleted roster, the Mercury's resilience reflected a strong playoff run that included losses to the defending champion New York Liberty and top-ranked Minnesota Lynx.
The Aces' victory capped a dominant stretch in which they have won 25 of their last 28 games since a 53-point loss to Minnesota in early August. Las Vegas became the first team since the Houston Comets' four straight titles from 1997 to 2000 to win three championships in a four-year period.
In the finals, the Aces averaged over 90 points per game, overwhelming Phoenix with distance, ball movement and relentless speed. They never trailed in Game 4 and rarely looked threatened throughout the series.
