The stage is set and two teams remain as the Chicago Sky and Phoenix Mercury tip off a best-of-five series Sunday for a WNBA championship.

The Mercury advanced to their fourth WNBA Finals after defeating the second-seeded Las Vegas Aces in a thrilling five-game semifinal series. They got there by taking out the New York Liberty and Seattle Storm in first- and second-round single-elimination games. The last time the Mercury were in the Finals in 2014, they swept the Sky to earn their third WNBA title.

Phoenix won all three meetings between the two teams during the regular season, with two of the games decided by single possessions.

Despite depleted depth with injuries to Kia Nurse and Sophie Cunningham, the Mercury’s core of Olympians has found a way. Brittney Griner has led the way with 21 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in the playoffs, while Diana Taurasi has averaged 19.7 points per game and engineered multiple late-game comebacks.

The Sky, meanwhile, are playing their best basketball of the season at the right time. After finishing the regular season in sixth place with a 16-16 record, Chicago flipped a switch in the playoffs, defeating the Dallas Wings and Minnesota Lynx in the single-elimination rounds before upsetting the top-ranked Connecticut Sun 3-1 in the semifinals.

Chicago has not been to the WNBA Finals since that 2014 meeting with Phoenix. Allie Quigley and Courtney Vandersloot, who form the longest-tenured backcourt in the league, were a part of that team seven years ago. The Sky will lean on their chemistry, the championship experience of Candace Parker and the firepower of Kahleah Copper, who’s averaging a team-high 18.2 points per game in the playoffs.

What will it take for the Sky to earn their first-ever WNBA championship, or for Phoenix to win their fourth? We break down the Finals matchup, with keys for each team and a championship prediction.

Keys for the Chicago Sky

Energy and toughness

It takes a certain amount of grit to finish .500 in an up-and-down season and take your play to another level in the playoffs. The Sky have been the toughest team on the court throughout the postseason, no matter which opponent they’ve faced. They feed off of the energy of Copper, who will need to continue to be the most consistent player on the roster for Chicago to win a title.

The Sky will have success if they take advantage of their depth in this series. As a team that thrives on an up-tempo style of play, they need to run at the Mercury and expose their tired legs in the open court.

Rebound the basketball

This has been a major key for Chicago all season long. The Sky have been able to control the glass during the playoffs with a plus-two rebound margin against their opponents. Out-rebounding the Mercury will be no easy task with the 6-foot-9 Griner in the paint, but the Sky’s communication and rotations will need to be on point for them to limit Phoenix’s second-chance opportunities and create looks for themselves.

Offensive versatility

The Sky have five players who average double-figure scoring. Vandersloot, their lead facilitator, has been brilliant at finding her teammates in the situations where they are most successful. And as a team, the Sky are averaging 20.7 assists per game.

With steady and consistent performances from Parker, Copper and Vandersloot, Chicago can force the Mercury to pick their poison every night in terms of defensive schemes.

Limit turnover numbers

At this point, possession is an automatic key for any Sky game. So far in the playoffs, they haven’t let turnovers affect the outcomes of games as much as they did during the regular season, especially against the Sun, but a trend that plagued them earlier in the year could return. The last two semifinal games, in particular, got a bit sloppy for both teams.

Chicago plays fast and makes quick decisions, so some turnovers can be expected. But in order to win three more games and bring a championship back to Chicago, the Sky will need to limit their unforced turnovers and value every possession.

Keys for the Phoenix Mercury

Others need to step up

Phoenix’s depth has been a reason for concern all season, but it’s reached a new level with Nurse out for the Finals with a torn ACL and Cunningham trying to work her way back from a calf injury. Coach Sandy Brondello said Friday night that the team expects Cunningham to return for Game 2 on Wednesday.

In their absence, the Mercury know what they’ll get from the “Big 3” of Taurasi, Griner and Skylar Diggins-Smith. They’ll need Brianna Turner and Shey Peddy to continue to elevate their offensive production and defensive contributions to sustain Chicago’s depth.

Establish Griner immediately

Griner is playing the best basketball of her career at this moment. The Sky have length, versatility and size inside, but none of their post players can match up one-for-one with Griner. Running their offense through her so she can assert her dominance in the paint early on is as important as anything else. Where Griner goes, this Mercury team goes, and their hopes of winning a title depend on her playing the way she has been.

A fast start

Phoenix needs to apply immediate pressure to Chicago in this series. If the Mercury go down two games at home, I don’t see them being able to rebound on the road and win a championship. It’s critical they secure at least one win on Sunday or Wednesday to give themselves a shot.

Diana Taurasi

The X-factor in this fairytale rematch is Taurasi, the 2014 Finals MVP. The 39-year-old has continued to remind everyone why she’s in consideration for the title of the WNBA’s greatest player of all time. Taurasi has led the Mercury to all three of their championships in 2007, 2009 and 2014. She scored a playoff career-high 37 points in Game 2 of the semifinals and led Phoenix’s comeback in Game 5 on Friday night with 14 points in the fourth quarter.

Taurasi in a WNBA Final is something special, and Phoenix has always relied on her to be at her best in these moments.

Prediction

Chicago Sky 3-2

This series is going to be a battle. As remarkable as the Mercury have been with very little margin for error, I think their lack of depth will catch up to them and be the difference in the series, giving the Sky their first championship in franchise history.

Rachel Galligan is a basketball analyst at Just Women’s Sports. A former professional basketball player and collegiate coach, she also contributes to Winsidr. Follow Rachel on Twitter @RachGall.

A feeling of quiet exuberance pervaded Gotham FC's postgame press conference on Sunday. It was moments after the No. 8 Bats bounced No. 1 Kansas City, the winningest team in NWSL history, from the first round of the 2025 playoffs.

Despite competing for a top-four finish up until the regular season finale, the New York/New Jersey side slid into the postseason as the lowest-seeded contender. But that was before they pulled off the ultimate upset against the league's best.

"Underdog, my ass — we are not an underdog," Gotham forward Jaedyn Shaw said with a wry smile, taking the mic to discuss the team's belief in one another.

She answered the postgame questions with the same level of confidence as she played, registering both the opening goal and an assist on Katie Stengel's extra-time game-winner. She impacted the match on levels, showing unfettered commitment to the club that made a million-dollar gamble on her midseason.

But Shaw hasn't always been as self-assured as Sunday's performance would bely. Her current tenacity on the pitch is a result of a non-linear journey back to playing with joy. And that's a factor she's always considered her superpower.

Shaw enters her New York era as Gotham picks up speed

Shaw is taking to city life like a natural, she told Just Women's Sports in the lull between the regular season and the playoffs. She found herself adjusting to the change of scenery in September, following a league-record transfer from the North Carolina Courage. It was a move she pursued after seeing her on-field progress stall in her first year in Cary.

"I definitely am a bit more of a city girl," the Dallas-area native said. "It's fun for this part of my life — I'm turning 21 this month. I just feel like my early 20s is going to be a fun era."

After months of uncertainty, Shaw's latest era appears to be in a complete upswing. After landing in North Carolina by way of the San Diego Wave, her playing time and attacking efficiency dwindled. But the 20-year-old has looked like a brand new player since making the jump to New Jersey. She scored in her first match against the Wave, and in October she returned to the ranks of the senior USWNT for the first time since April. 

Of course, her progress hasn't been lost on Gotham. The club recently signed Shaw to a contract extension through 2029.

"Everyone has been so welcoming to me and has made this place feel like home, and it's been a really easy transition for me," she said, days before her standout playoff performance.

Shaw's rising star takes flight in San Diego

One of the pioneers of the NWSL's U-18 entry mechanism, Shaw has always been comfortable following  the game. She knows that growth isn't always linear, and faces setbacks that all young footballers battle early in their careers. She burst onto the scene in 2022 at the age of 17, looking like the Wave's next cornerstone creator and immediately gelling with USWNT superstar Alex Morgan. 

But things changed ahead of the 2025 season. San Diego made a swift coaching change, and Morgan rode off into the retirement sunset. That's when Shaw requested a move to the Courage. She wanted to play a higher-possession style that seemed to favor her instincts as a deep attacker or creative midfielder. 

However, Shaw's style and the Courage's philosophy fairly quickly proved not to be a good fit. She struggled to marry her desire for fearless attacking with the club's more methodical approach, seeing less and less playing time. After winning Olympic gold with the USWNT in 2024, Shaw fell out of senior team consideration during the summer. She didn't wait long to request another change.

Gotham took a gamble on Shaw — and it's paying off

Gotham set a new intra-league transfer record bringing Shaw in midseason, betting big on her ability to change the tempo. 

"The staff knew a little bit the way the first part of the season had gone for me as an individual," she said. "They really focused on the delivery of things towards me, making me feel really confident and comfortable in this environment." 

The Gotham locker room presented very few question marks, packed with Shaw's USWNT teammates like Midge Purce, Rose Lavelle, and Emily Sonnett. Youth level compatriots like Lilly Reale, Sofia Cook, and Sarah Schupansky were also there. But not only did she find connection off the field, she also took to the faster pace and heightened creativity on the pitch.

"I have freedom once I get to a certain part of the field, playing with risk-takers like Rose and Midge and Esthér," said Shaw. She was impressed by her teammates' bravery in one-on-one situations, not losing confidence even if combinations don't work right away. And the coaching staff supports them all the way.

"Trying [something] again without hesitation and not getting screamed at or pulled off the field, feeling like someone's ready to come in and replace you after you make a mistake, is something that I really feel in this environment," Shaw explained.

And the feeling is mutual. "Jaedyn, for me, is definitely one of the best players in the world," Gotham manager Juan Carlos Amoros said on Sunday. He credited her rejection of the team's underdog status as a feeling that permeated his entire squad. 

"It's been so fun being a part of this club," Shaw told reporters. "We all knew that we were going to come into this game and give everything that we had."

Building a foundation as Shaw's USWNT ambitions rise

Shaw might have found immediate success. But she also stressed that her comfort at Gotham needs to be a foundation rather than a short burst of quality.

"I think this year has been a lot of mental growth," she said. "How do I weather storms? Recover from mistakes? Recover from losses? How do I recover from bad performances? That's the biggest thing for me, to continue growing as a player and a professional." 

She wants to keep excelling with the USWNT, whether at the U23 or senior level. And Gotham has her back there. "I feel like [Gotham's] goals align with mine," she said. "They know how important the national team is to me."

Gotham also knows that much of the club's success hinges their young star's willingness to maintain the mental edge that propelled her initial rise. 

"My style of play is very based on how I feel and how comfortable I am, how much I believe in myself, and confidence in the environment," she added.

Whether or not Shaw's resurgence can take Gotham all the way to their second NWSL championship is yet to be seen. But regardless, the dividends are already paying off for everyone involved.

"[Gotham's] brought me back to how I was when I was younger, the way that I trained and what got me to this place," Shaw said. "I feel like I'm playing with that joy, and that's really important to me."

The USA women's hockey team came out on top over the weekend, kicking off the four-game 2025 Rivalry Series against Canada by dominating their northern neighbors, outscoring them by an impressive 10-2 margin across the pair's first two games.

US forward Abbey Murphy emerged as a series star, scoring a natural hat trick in the team's 4-1 win in Cleveland on Thursday — the first three-goal turn by a USA player against Canada since team captain Hilary Knight did so at the 2023 IIHF Women's World Championship.

"I told [Murphy], 'You set the bar pretty high,'" said Knight, who added her own hat trick to the mix in Saturday's 6-1 victory in Buffalo.

"I love how we showed up," the 36-year-old continued. "We've been working like dogs since August and to get rewarded for our work, and see situations that we need to work on."

Notably, while the USA brought their entire 2025 world championship-winning roster to the first two Rivalry Series games, Canada chose to evaluate some fresh faces while resting a number of standout veterans, including their No. 1 goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens — a fact that should temper the sting of adding two big losses to their now four-game skid against the US.

With women's hockey taking over Milan at the 2026 Winter Olympics in February, the last two 2025 Rivalry Series matchups will more likely see both sides testing their final rosters for Italy.

How to watch the final games in the 2025 Rivalry Series

Canada will welcome the USA for the last two matchups in the 2025 Rivalry Series, with the puck dropping in Edmonton, Alberta, at 9 PM ET for both the December 10th and 13th clashes.

Both games will air live on the NHL Network.

The LPGA is bringing star power to Florida this week, as a wealth of women's golf talent — and one basketball superstar — tee off at the 2025 edition of The ANNIKA.

Kicking off the event on Wednesday was the annual Pro-Am, with Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark headlining the field for the second straight year.

World No. 2 golfer Nelly Korda once again joined Clark through her first nine holes, as Fever teammates Sophie Cunningham and Lexie Hull served as guest caddies.

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The four-day professional tournament will then tee off on Thursday, though current world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul will not be in attendance for the second year in a row.

Korda, however, will lead the charge to both defend her 2024 title and secure her first win of the 2025 LPGA season — as well as add to her full trio of trophies collected at The ANNIKA.

Four other Top-10 players will look to upend Korda's back-to-back bid, including No. 3 Miyu Yamashita, No. 6 Charley Hull, No. 9 Mao Saigo, and No. 10 Lottie Woad.

With the 2025 CMA Group Tour Championship capping the LPGA season later this month, The ANNIKA will also see golfers on the bubble — like US stars Rose Zhang and 2023 champion Lilia Vu — try to snag enough points to make the end-of-year tournament's final 60-player cut.

How to watch The ANNIKA 2025 LPGA tournament

Coverage of the fifth edition of The ANNIKA continues through Sunday, airing live on the Golf Channel.

The No. 3 UCLA Bruins rose to the occasion on Monday, looking like 2025/26 NCAA basketball championship contenders as they took down the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners 73-59 in Sacramento.

Utah transfer Gianna Kneepkens made the difference for the Bruins, leading all scorers with 20 points while opposing defenses limited both UCLA center Lauren Betts and Oklahoma big Raegan Beers to single digits.

Bruins forward Angela Dugalić also put up a standout performance, coming off the bench to score 16 points and snag 15 rebounds on Monday.

"There are so many weapons that I feel like it's hard for the defense to choose what to take away," Kneepkens said ahead of Monday's matchup. "What makes this team special is that any night could be someone's night."

Monday's clash with UCLA also served as the national broadcast debut of Oklahoma freshman guard Aaliyah Chavez, with the No. 1 high school basketball recruit seeing her first Top 10 NCAA matchup as a Sooner.

Chavez had a slow start against the experienced Bruins, registering 11 points, three assists, and two rebounds across her 32 minutes on the court.

How to watch UCLA basketball this week

The heat continues for No. 3 UCLA on Thursday, when the Bruins will host the No. 11 North Carolina Tar Heels at 9 PM ET, airing live on ESPN.