The No. 4 Phoenix Mercury returned to Arizona on a mission this week, tipping off Game 3 of the 2025 WNBA Finals down 0-2 to the red-hot No. 2 Las Vegas Aces and in dire need of a bounce-back performance.
"We need to be better defensively," said Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts ahead of Wendesday night's clash. "We haven't done a good enough job getting stops."
"First and foremost, we gotta play better defense," echoed forward Alyssa Thomas. "Still a lot of confidence here. We just know we have a lot of room to improve."
A 0-2 deficit has historically spelled disaster in the WNBA's previous five-game championship series, but this year's first-ever best-of-seven format gives postseason underdogs like Phoenix a bit more cushion.
"There's no panic, no pressure," said Thomas. "That's the beauty of a seven-game series. If we're sitting at five games, it's basically elimination."
"We've got two games here to do what we need to do, two guaranteed games here," added veteran forward DeWanna Bonner.
As for Las Vegas, the Aces will also be on their game, looking to avoid a slow-down in momentum on the road.
"It's going to be a different environment playing at their place, but we have to stick together, stay within ourselves, and just continue playing Aces basketball," Las Vegas guard Jewell Loyd told reporters.
How to watch Game 3 of the 2025 WNBA Finals
The No. 4 Phoenix Mercury will hunt their first victory in the 2025 WNBA Finals on home court when they host the No. 2 Las Vegas Aces for Game 3 at 8 PM ET on Wednesday.
Live coverage of the clash will air on ESPN.
The defending champions failed to clinch a first-round sweep in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs on Wednesday night, when the No. 5 New York Liberty fell hard on their home Barclays court as the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury took an 86-60 Game 2 victory to force a winner-take-all Game 3.
Mercury starting forwards Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally combined for 30 points in the win, with midseason veteran signing DeWanna Bonner adding another 14 points off the bench.
"The hope is when you get to the playoffs, you level up," said Phoenix head coach Nate Tibbetts. "I think we've done that."
New York's title defense took a hit well before tip-off, with injured forward Breanna Stewart playing just 20 minutes and limiting the offense's ability to execute.
"They came in and they embarrassed us on our home court," Stewart — who picked up an MCL sprain in Sunday's Game 1 win — said afterwards. "Now we have to go back there for Game 3, winner take all."
How to watch the New York Liberty vs. Phoenix Mercury in Game 3
It's win-or-go-home for both the No. 5 New York Liberty and No. 4 Phoenix Mercury, who will head back to Arizona to put their seasons on the line in Game 3 of the playoffs on Friday.
The high-stakes matchup will tip off at 9 PM ET, with live coverage on ESPN2.
The best and brightest of the 2025 WNBA season have just one week left to pad their resumes ahead of the league's end-of-year awards — and the MVP race is tighter than ever.
Unanimous 2024 MVP A'ja Wilson has emerged as the season's hottest hand post-All-Star break, with the No. 3 Las Vegas Aces powerhouse facing competition from No. 1 Minnesota Lynx standout Napheesa Collier and No. 4 Phoenix Mercury star Alyssa Thomas.
Posting a near-50-40-90 efficiency through the first half of 2025, Collier appeared to be the consensus WNBA MVP frontrunner, but Wilson gained speed in the race after the Lynx leader suffered an early-August ankle injury.
With Collier on the bench, Wilson outpaced the Lynx star to top the WNBA in both points (23.8) and blocks per game (2.2) while sitting second in average rebounds (10.1).
Wilson also owns this season's head-to-head advantage, scoring 31 points to Collier's 12 in Las Vegas' 97-87 victory over Minnesota last week.
Thomas is also making history this year, leading the WNBA in assists per game (9.2) while extending her league-record career triple-double tally to 18 by posting a single-season record of seven on the season so far.
"She's going to rebound, she's going to dish, she's going to score, she's going to defend. I think that's the definition of MVP," Phoenix veteran DeWanna Bonner said about Thomas this week.
How to watch the 2025 WNBA MVP frontrunners on Tuesday
Wilson, Collier, and Thomas will all put a stamp on their seasons this week, hitting Tuesday's court before wrapping up the 2025 WNBA regular-season on Thursday.
Collier and the No. 1 Lynx will contend with the No. 7 Indiana Fever at 7:30 PM ET on Tuesday, with live coverage airing on ESPN.
Both Wilson's No. 3 Aces and Thomas's No. 4 Mercury will be in action at 10 PM ET, as Las Vegas takes on the No. 12 Chicago Sky on WNBA League Pass while Phoenix faces the No. 9 LA Sparks, airing live on NBA TV.
Time has run out for Caitlin Clark to return from her lingering groin injury, with the Indiana Fever guard announcing via social media this week that she will officially sit out the rest of the 2025 WNBA season in hopes of making a healthy start in 2026.
"I spent hours in the gym every day with the singular goal of getting back out there, disappointed isn't a big enough word to describe how I am feeling," Clark said in her Thursday post.
"Caitlin has worked so hard throughout this time, doing everything possible to recover and return to the court but, ultimately, time is not on our side," Fever COO and GM Amber Cox said in a team statement. "Her long-term health and well-being remains our top priority."
Clark featured in just 13 games for the Indiana Fever this year, averaging 16.5 points, 8.8 assists, and five rebounds per game on the season while also earning a nod as a 2025 WNBA All-Star Game captain.
Following a season of shooting slumps and soft tissue knocks, the Indiana standout has watched the No. 8 Fever's championship hopes dwindle under the weight of additional roster shifts.
Veteran offseason signing DeWanna Bonner jumped ship midseason to join the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury, while guards Sydney Colson, Aari McDonald, and Sophie Cunningham all went down with season-ending injuries alongside forward Chloe Bibby.
"This has been incredibly frustrating, but even in the bad, there is good. The way the fans continued to show up for me, and for the Fever, brought me so much joy and important perspective," Clark wrote. "I am so proud of how this team has only gotten stronger through adversity this year."
"Now it's time to close out the season and claim our spot in the Playoffs," Clark added.
How to watch the Indiana Fever this weekend
Despite the setback, No. 8 Indiana still has a clear path to punching a postseason ticket, starting with a Friday matchup against the No. 11 Chicago Sky. The game will tip off at 7:30 PM ET, with live coverage on ION.
Then on Sunday, the Fever will take on the No. 10 Washington Mystics in their penultimate game of the 2025 season, airing live at 3 PM ET on NBA TV.
The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx couldn't be stopped in their second straight game in the Windy City on Monday, answering their Saturday loss to Chicago with a 91-78 victory over the No. 10 Sky.
Despite a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double from Chicago forward Angel Reese — her ninth in a row — Minnesota prevailed behind double-digit performances from four Lynx starters, including a game-leading 29 points from 2025 MVP candidate Napheesa Collier.
Notably, Monday's win comes as the Lynx look to close a grueling stretch of schedule before the 2025 WNBA All-Star break.
Beginning with the July 1st Commissioner's Cup final, Minnesota has contested eight games — including two sets of back-to-back matchups — in the last two weeks alone.
"We're in the midst of one of the most illogical schedules in my 25 years of doing this," Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said this week. "Four out of five games at noon, two back-to-backs in there. It's illogical."
Considering the league leaders booked two of their four season losses in that stretch — last Wednesday's loss to the No. 2 Phoenix Mercury plus Saturday's stumble against the Sky — the jam-packed schedule raises questions about the subsequent fatigue and its impact.
Minnesota's not done yet, as they'll face Phoenix again on Wednesday — Minnesota's ninth game in 16 days.
Despite holding a three-game advantage over the Mercury, the Lynx will need to maintain Monday's momentum to keep pace, as Phoenix also started the week in the win column.
The Mercury took down the No. 8 Golden State Valkyries 78-77 on Monday, with new signee DeWanna Bonner playing difference-maker with a game-leading 22-point, 11-rebound performance off the bench in the tightly contested matchup.
How to watch the Phoenix Mercury vs. Minnesota Lynx this week
In their last game before the 2025 WNBA All-Star break, Minnesota will try to avenge their recent loss to Phoenix when the No. 1 Lynx host the No. 2 Mercury at 1 PM ET on Wednesday.
Live coverage of the game will air on WNBA League Pass.
A young Connecticut Sun team upended the WNBA on Wednesday, as the league's last-place squad defeated the No. 5 Seattle Storm 93-83, earning their third win of the 2025 season.
Veteran center Tina Charles — the WNBA's all-time top rebounder and second all-time scorer — led the Connecticut charge with a 29-point, 11-rebound double-double.
Also helping snap the Sun's 10-game losing streak were starters Jacy Sheldon, Bria Hartley, and Saniya Rivers, who added double-digits points of their own to top the tough, veteran-heavy Storm.
"It was great to see a collective team effort," Charles said after the game. "It wasn't just me. Everyone involved got this win for us."
Elsewhere on Wednesday, No. 7 Indiana failed to hold off the No. 6 Golden State Valkyries, falling 80-61 to the 2025 expansion side despite the return of Fever star Caitlin Clark to the court.
After hanging the No. 14 jersey of retired WNBA champion Allie Quigley in the rafters, the No. 10 Chicago Sky logged an 87-76 win over the No. 12 Dallas Wings, buoyed by Rebecca Allen's season-high 27 points off the bench.
Also stealing Wednesday headlines were the No. 2 Mercury, who chipped away at Minnesota's lead atop the WNBA standings, shrinking it to a three-game buffer with a 79-71 Phoenix victory — only the third Lynx loss this season.
Along with a career-high 29-point performance from forward Alyssa Thomas, the Mercury win also marked DeWanna Bonner's return to play, with the veteran forward putting up seven points and six rebounds off the bench after signing with Phoenix on Tuesday.
"Today, she got thrown into the fire, [she] didn't know everything. But she did the things she could control, which is playing defense and rebounding," said Thomas about Bonner. "It's scary to think we're not even full strength yet."
Two-time WNBA champion DeWanna Bonner is coming home, rejoining the Phoenix Mercury after parting ways with the Indiana Fever late last month.
Bonner is back with the team that originally drafted her as the fifth overall pick in 2009, inking a slightly above-minimum prorated veteran contract for the remainder of the 2025 season.
"It's home. I know I'm going to get the love and the support," Bonner said, reuniting with fiancée Alyssa Thomas on the second-place WNBA squad.
After spending her first 10 seasons with the Mercury, Phoenix traded Bonner to the Sun in February 2020.
The six-time All-Star forward spent five seasons alongside Thomas in Connecticut, helping the Sun to at least the WNBA semifinals in each of those years.
The Fever then signed Bonner as a free agent ahead of the 2025 season, with the 37-year-old later departing the team for personal reasons after just nine games with Indiana.
Bonner missed five games before the the Fever officially waived her on June 25th, as the renewed free agent reportedly eyed a move back to Phoenix.
"We couldn't be more excited to have DeWanna back in a Mercury uniform," Phoenix GM Nick U'Ren said in a statement. "She is a true winner, leader and one of the most talented and versatile players in our game."
The Indiana Fever waived their splashiest offseason signing, two-time WNBA champion DeWanna Bonner, at her request on Wednesday.
The the 37-year-old missed the last five games due to personal reasons, with recent reports alluding to the six-time All-Star's desire to sever her Fever contract.
"Despite our shared goals and excitement heading into the season, I felt the fit did not work out and I appreciate the organization's willingness to grant my request to move on, particularly at this point in my career," Bonner said in a statement.
After bringing on key additions like Bonner, Natasha Howard, and Sophie Cunningham, the Fever were projected to take a serious leap forward under new Indiana head coach Stephanie White this season.
Unfortunately, Indiana has encountered multiple snags, with franchise player Caitlin Clark sidelined for weeks with a quad strain while White missed several games for personal reasons.
The Fever currently sit eighth in the WNBA standings with a 7-7 record, as Clark battles through a slump that saw her average just 26.5% from the field in her last three games.
She'll ride the bench again on Thursday night, as the superstar guard manages a groin injury.
To fill the gaps, Indiana signed Aari McDonald to a rest-of-season contract this week, rewarding the point guard for her strong performances in Clark's absence.
As for Bonner, she has 48 hours to clear the waiver wire, as some reports link her to a veteran minimum contract with the Phoenix Mercury for the remainder of the 2025 WNBA season.
How to watch the Indiana Fever in Thursday's WNBA lineup
The Indiana Fever will try to turn things around against the LA Sparks at 7 PM ET on Thursday night.
Live coverage of the game will air on Prime.
The Washington Mystics have continued to impress in the early 2025 WNBA season, earning another big win on Wednesday with an 83-77 victory over a Caitlin Clark-less Indiana Fever.
As the star guard watched from the sidelines, the Mystics leaned into their depth, securing the win behind a 21-point, nine-rebound performance from guard Brittney Sykes.
Now sitting sixth in the league with a 3-3 record, Washington's rebuild appears to be moving ahead of schedule, with rookie duo Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron looking pro-ready from the jump.
Seizing their opportunity as day-one starters, the pair put up a collective 29 points against Indiana on Wednesday, joining Sykes and forward Shakira Austin as the only Mystics to finish in double digits.
Indiana, on the other hand, looked shaky without their injured young superstar.
Despite veteran forward DeWanna Bonner coming off the bench to lead the Fever with 21 points on Wednesday night, Indiana dropped to 2-3 on the season with Clark out for at least three more games.
"We weren't sharp enough to be a contender for anything tonight," Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell, who led Indiana's starters with 14 points, told reporters after the loss. "I think getting punched in the mouth early is humbling, because it shows where we need to be."
How to watch the Mystics and Fever in this week's WNBA action
Both Washington and Indiana will be back in action on Friday night, when the Mystics will test their form against the surging New York Liberty while the Fever tip off against the still-winless Connecticut Sun at 7:30 PM ET.
Both games will air live on ION.
The 2025 WNBA season tipped off with a bang this weekend, with blockbuster rookie debuts, early MVP candidates, and a high-energy team launch driving headlines.
The league's sharpshooters wasted no time in establishing their dominance, as high-scoring performances erupted from coast to coast.
Saturday saw Las Vegas's 2024 MVP A'ja Wilson drop 31 points and 16 rebounds against reigning champs New York, but a breakout 22-point, nine-assist performance from Liberty newcomer Natasha Cloud secured the Brooklyn squad a 92-78 win.
Also on Saturday, Caitlin Clark notched her first triple-double of the season, racking up 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists to boost the Indiana Fever 93-58 over the Chicago Sky.
Meanwhile, with seven points of her own, Indiana's DeWanna Bonner passed Houston legend Tina Thompson on the WNBA's all-time scoring list to sit at No. 3 behind only retired Phoenix superstar Diana Taurasi and current Connecticut Sun center Tina Charles.
Across Minnesota's two weekend games, 2024 MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier tallied an impressive 57 points, fueling an undefeated Lynx run that left both Dallas and LA in the dust.
Making franchise history this weekend were Phoenix's Satou Sabally and LA's Kelsey Plum, whose 27- and 37-point debuts were the highest scoring performances ever recorded by a roster newcomer on each respective team.
2025 WNBA Draft class hits the court
Speaking of debuts, the new kids in the league also made a splash, with several 2025 draftees making their first professional minutes count.
Dallas rookie and 2025's overall No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers held her own in Friday's physical 99-84 loss to Minnesota, scoring the Wings' first basket en route to a 10-point performance.
Elsewhere, new Washington recruits Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen each dropped a pair of double-digit showings for a combined 65 points across their first two pro games, leading the Mystics to a surprise 2-0 start with opening weekend wins over Atlanta and Connecticut.
With the 2025 WNBA season officially in full swing, expect these early results to build as heavy-hitters continue to excel while new additions strive to meet — and exceed — expectations.