WNBA playoffs: Mercury advances to the semifinals against the Lynx after defeating the defending champion Liberty at home

The Phoenix Mercury defeated the New York Liberty 79-73 on Friday night, securing a spot in the 2025 WNBA playoffs. The No. 4 seed Mercury overcame the five-seeded defending WNBA champions in a tense, physical Game 3 that went right down to the wire to progress to the next round and play the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx.

It was a defensive duel with strong emotions as both sides committed errors and missed shots. However, Alyssa Thomas was the night's offensive standout. With 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists, the Phoenix guard, who was named an MVP finalist on Friday and now holds over 40% of the WNBA's triple-double record, recorded her fifth career playoff triple-double.

On Sunday, New York won Game 1 in Phoenix thanks to an outstanding performance from Natasha Cloud. However, the Mercury managed to send the series to Game 3 with a cool, collected thumping in Brooklyn for Game 2. And the Mercury prevailed once more throughout the return trip to Phoenix.

After losing badly on Wednesday, New York got off to a slightly better start in Game 3, forcing consecutive turnovers in the opening minute and keeping Phoenix without a field goal for nearly four minutes. The Mercury, however, took off after that and led by as much as 12 points in the first half. Even when New York began to regain its footing and close up on the lead, Phoenix held firm.

New York maintained its lead at the beginning of the second half and, during the first few minutes of the third quarter, pulled to a one-point advantage. Throughout the third, the two teams traded leads and remained close.

The defenses of both teams were unrelenting, blocking shots and causing turnovers; Phoenix finished with 12 turnovers compared to New York's 10. The high-pressure atmosphere was also evident in the fact that both sides finished the game with shooting percentages far below 40% on field goals.

The Liberty prevented the Mercury from taking a sizable lead in the fourth quarter. In the closing minutes, Breanna Stewart, who was formerly thought to be sidelined due to an MCL sprain, made a number of crucial contested baskets that led to numerous and-ones.

Phoenix, however, had more left. Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner pulled the game back to two possessions with just over a minute remaining after making a critical jumper that rebounded off the rim just as the shot clock expired.

The Liberty had a chance to tie the game after two costly fouls against Phoenix, but Thomas stopped an inbound pass to cause another mistake, which gave Kahleah Cooper the opportunity to pull off a hard-fought finish.

With a five-point deficit, New York had one final opportunity to rally, but Sabrina Ionescu's final 3-point attempt was unsuccessful, and the Phoenix celebration began.

After a season marred by injury problems, the Liberty's chances of a repeat were dashed with the exit. Ionescu scored 22 points, while Stewart, who was the only player from New York to score in the whole fourth quarter, finished with a fantastic 30-point performance that almost reached a triple-double despite having an MCL sprain. Ultimately, it was insufficient to defeat the Mercury.

It's a significant accomplishment for Phoenix, a team that underwent a complete offseason makeover. In addition to Thomas' outstanding performance, veteran guard Sami Whitcomb contributed 13 points off the bench, and Satou Sabally led the club with 23 points and 12 rebounds.

After defeating the Golden State Valkyries, the Mercury will now take on Minnesota, the top seed and the only team to sweep the first round. The first game of the best-of-five series will take place in Minnesota on Sunday. On the opposite side of the bracket, the Indiana Fever and Las Vegas Aces will play earlier that day.