The No. 4 Phoenix Mercury are headed to their first WNBA Finals since 2021, clinching their spot in the 2025 season finale after sweeping a two-game semifinals homestand against the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx with Sunday's 86-81 Game 4 win.
The Mercury are now the first team in WNBA Playoffs history to battle back from multiple 14-point deficits in a single series, with Phoenix star forward Alyssa Thomas putting up a team-leading 23 points to complete Sunday's comeback win.
"No one has had expectations for us except ourselves," Phoenix head coach Nate Tibbetts said following Game 4. "The pride and the togetherness for such a new group, it's pretty impressive."
After ceding a 20-point lead in Game 2, the Lynx's championship prospects took an even bigger hit on Friday, as leading scorer Napheesa Collier exited Game 3 with a serious ankle injury that left her sidelined for Sunday's big Game 4.
"You just want it for the people around you," said Minnesota guard Kayla McBride, who posted a game-leading 31 points in Sunday's loss. "You want it for the people who grind with you every single day, good days, bad days, bus rides, locker room."
"In pro sports, it doesn't get any better than what we have in our locker room," McBride continued. "I would feel [this emotion] one hundred times over to be with the people that I've been with."
While Minnesota's season is officially over, No. 4 Phoenix will now await the winner of Tuesday's semifinal Game 5 between the No. 6 Indiana Fever and No. 2 Las Vegas Aces, with the best-of-seven 2025 WNBA Finals set to tip off on Friday.
The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx took care of business on Sunday, overcoming a halftime deficit to top the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury 82-69 and open the 2025 WNBA semifinals with a 1-0 series lead.
Lynx stars Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride, and Napheesa Collier combined for 62 of Minnesota's 82 points in the win, as the home side outscored the Mercury 42-22 in the second half.
"We've been through a lot of adverse situations in the last two years together — we always know it's a team effort," McBride said. "We know in those moments when we need to brainstorm."
After ousting 2024 champs New York on Friday, Phoenix failed to execute as confidently against the No. 1 team in the league in Minneapolis.
"They made adjustments, and I still think we had a lot of open shots," Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas said. "I felt like it was similar to the last series, where we just didn't hit open ones."
Phoenix dominated the paint in the first half, but struggled from behind the arc throughout the game, hitting just three of their 23 attempted three-pointers.
How to watch the Phoenix Mercury vs. Minnesota Lynx in Game 2
The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx will host the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury again in Game 2 of the 2025 WNBA semifinals at 7:30 PM ET on Tuesday.
The clash will air live on ESPN.
The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx hit a snag this week, as league-leading scorer and star forward Napheesa Collier will miss at least two weeks of play after picking up an ankle injury in Saturday's 111-58 blowout win over the No. 7 Las Vegas Aces.
While an MRI confirmed there was no major injury, per ESPN, Collier's sprain will need to be "re-evaluated in the coming weeks."
"Obviously, you hate to see anybody go down, but especially your MVP," Lynx guard Kayla McBride said. "We just wish the best for her. We just want her to be healthy."
Minnesota will aim to continue their run of form without their franchise player as part of a Tuesday lineup with serious WNBA standings implications:
- No. 9 Washington Mystics vs. No. 12 Chicago Sky, 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Locked in a multi-team battle for postseason contention, the Mystics have a chance to make headway against an Angel Reese-less Sky desperate to break out.
- No. 5 Indiana Fever vs. No. 10 Los Angeles Sparks, 10 PM ET (CBS Sports): The Fever are rolling despite the lack of return timeline for injured star Caitlin Clark, but a Sparks side with seven wins in their last 10 games could upend Indiana.
- No. 1 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 6 Seattle Storm, 10 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): With Collier sidelined due to injury, the Lynx will welcome key addition DiJonai Carrington to the fold as a hungry Seattle looks to pounce following two straight losses.
With more than half the 2025 season in the books, it's prime time for WNBA injuries, putting shorthanded squads in the spotlight as they push toward the playoffs.
Wednesday's WNBA action brought the heat, as the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx took down the No. 2 New York Liberty 100-93 in the first 2024 WNBA Finals rematch of the 2025 season.
"Fans were excited to see this matchup, and I thought they were treated to a heck of a basketball game," Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said after the home win.
Minnesota forward Napheesa Collier and guard Kayla McBride played hero, putting up 30 and 24 points, respectively, to help lift the Lynx over injury-plagued New York — despite Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu's game-leading 31-point performance.
"It could have been anybody walking in here — we just weren't going to lose two home games in a row," echoed McBride, referencing Minnesota's upset loss to the No. 5 Atlanta Dream on Sunday.
The result leaves the Liberty skidding on a three-game losing streak while ballooning the Lynx's lead in the WNBA standings to five games.
The reigning champs did manage to hang onto the No. 2 spot, however, as the No. 3 Phoenix Mercury also fell on Wednesday, dropping 107-101 to No. 6 Indiana.
With the win, the Fever are now on a three-game winning streak, despite injured star Caitlin Clark looking on from the sideline.
The No. 5 Dream are also back in the win column with an 88-85 Wednesday victory over the No. 11 Dallas Wings, drawing level with the No. 4 Seattle Storm at 16-11 on the season.
How to watch the New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx this week
New York will aim to reset during their visit to the last-place Connecticut Sun at 7:30 PM ET on Friday, live on ION.
Elsewhere, Minnesota is gearing up to tip off against the No. 7 Las Vegas Aces at 3 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage on ABC.
Team Collier is looking locked and loaded for Saturday's 2025 WNBA All-Star Game, with captain Napheesa Collier heading up a roster stocked with talent from the league-leading Minnesota lineup.
The Lynx star will start the game alongside 2023 MVP Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty), Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream), Nneka Ogwumike (Seattle Storm), and rookie phenom Paige Bueckers (Dallas Wings).
Team Collier's bench showcases a balanced group of Courtney Williams (Minnesota Lynx), Skylar Diggins (Seattle Storm), Angel Reese (Chicago Sky), Alyssa Thomas (Phoenix Mercury), and Kelsey Plum (LA Sparks).
Kayla McBride (Minnesota Lynx) will also join the squad, replacing the injured Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream), boosting the team's Minnesota contingent to three players.
Adding to the Lynx representatives is Minnesota manager Cheryl Reeve, who will serve as the squad's head coach following a first-of-its-kind draft-day swap between the Collier and fellow All-Star captain Caitlin Clark.
"I'm just glad people are understanding Phee's greatness," Reeve said about Collier before the 2025 WNBA All-Star weekend. "There's nothing else you can say at this point."
With a steady front and backcourt presence, Team Collier has experience on their side as they take on a youth-heavy Team Clark on Saturday.
How to watch Team Collier at the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game
Team Collier and Team Clark will square off in the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis at 8:30 PM ET on Saturday.
Live coverage of the game will air on ABC.
The WNBA announced superstar lineups for the 2025 All-Star 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge on Tuesday, though the league will have to hope their best laid plans survive to see the weekend.
Along with the previously self-confirmed Sabrina Ionescu (New York) and Sonia Citron (Washington), Friday's 3-Point Contest roster will include Caitlin Clark (Indiana), Kelsey Plum (LA), and reigning event champion Allisha Gray (Atlanta).
Gray will also be defending her 2024 Skills Challenge title, with Natasha Cloud (New York), Skylar Diggins (Seattle), Erica Wheeler (Seattle), and Courtney Williams (Minnesota) looking to usurp the Dream guard on Friday.
Despite the WNBA's confirmation of Clark's long-awaited 3-Point Contest debut, her availability is now in question after the Fever guard appeared to re-aggravate a lingering groin injury, forcing her early exit from Indiana's 85-77 win over Connecticut on Tuesday night.
Fever head coach Stephanie White said afterwards that Clark "felt a little something in her groin," with further evaluation expected as Indiana travels to face New York on Wednesday.
This year's All-Star contingent already suffered one loss, with Atlanta guard Rhyne Howard sidelined with a left knee injury through the end of the month. In her stead, Minnesota guard Kayla McBride will step in, making her fifth career All-Star appearance.
Set to captain one of this weekend's All-Star squads, the WNBA is hoping that Clark is fully available for what's shaping up to be a huge celebration of basketball in Indianapolis.
How to watch the All-Star 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge
The 2025 WNBA All-Star Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest will take the Indianapolis court at 8 PM ET on Friday, with both competitions airing live on ESPN.
The Unrivaled playoffs have arrived, with Sunday’s 3×3 basketball action determining the two teams who will compete for the grand prize in Monday night’s final.
The inaugural league's two-day postseason will open with Sunday's semifinals. No. 3-seed Laces BC will first face-off against No. 2 Rose BC, with the No. 1 Lunar Owls taking on No. 4 Vinyl BC in the nightcap.
The winners will then go head-to-head on Monday, battling it out in the championship with a $50,000-per-player payday on the line.
"It’s money on the line," Lunar Owls guard Courtney Williams said earlier this week. "Anytime money is on the line, I think everybody has to up the ante."
After blasting through the regular-season with five more wins than any other club, Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier's Lunar Owls are the heavy favorites to hoist hardware, particularly if Rose BC — the only team to defeat the Lunar Owls all season — is without 22-year-old star Angel Reese, who exited the regular-season finale after seemingly re-aggravating her surgically repaired left wrist.
Top athletes earn first-ever All-Unrivaled honors
While teams prep for postseason action, the offseason league handed out end-of-season awards on Thursday, minting its debut All-Unrivaled First and Second Teams.
After tallying ballots from players, coaches, and media members, top scorer Collier earned a first-team nod, alongside the league's next two most prolific points-getters, Laces wing Kayla McBride and Rose guard Chelsea Gray.
Lunar Owls guard Skylar Diggins-Smith, Vinyl wing Rhyne Howard, and the aforementioned Reese landed on the second team after excelling in assists, three-pointers, and rebounds, respectively.
All six All-Unrivaled players will feature on this weekend's court, with Sunday's lineup offering a final opportunity to see some of the sport’s biggest stars in what’s been a wildly successful debut for the league.
How to watch the 2025 Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball playoffs
Unrivaled’s first-ever playoffs tip off with Sunday's semifinals, starting with the Laces vs. Rose at 7:30 PM ET before the Vinyl's battle with the Lunar Owls at 8:30 PM ET.
The victors will then clash in Monday's championship game at 7:30 PM ET.
All three Unrivaled playoff games will air live on TNT.
Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball hit an injury wall this weekend, forcing the inaugural offseason league to cancel one regular-season game and truncate this week's 1v1 tournament.
With multiple Laces players sidelined, the league called off the team's Saturday night matchup against Vinyl BC.
Similarly, after seven participants had to pull out of Unrivaled's hotly anticipated 30-player 1v1 tournament, the league responded by shortening the contest's first round.
With all teams camped together on Unrivaled's Miami campus, specific details concerning player availability as well as injury type and severity have been tough to come by.
Laces stars Alyssa Thomas (knee) and Tiffany Hayes (concussion) both exited the 1v1 tournament after suffering injuries in previous Unrivaled matchups, putting their fitness statuses in question as the 2025 WNBA season looms.
Fellow Laces standouts Kayla McBride and Kate Martin, plus Rose BC's Brittney Sykes and Phantom stars Natasha Cloud and Marina Mabrey, will not participate. The withdrawal is "due to lingering injuries and to prioritize player wellbeing for regular-season games," per Unrivaled.
Injuries shrink Unrivaled 1v1 tournament's first round
Instead of a planned 14 games split across an afternoon session and an evening set on Monday, the now eight-game opening round of the league's 1v1 contest will occur in a single night of competition.
In an effort to maintain the original bracket as much as possible, Unrivaled decided against making any changes to its first-round matchups.
Because of this, five additional athletes will join the previously announced Jewell Loyd and Arike Ogunbowale in snagging first-round byes, with Courtney Williams, DiJonai Carrington, Satou Sabally, Rae Burrell, and Azurá Stevens now also set to tip off their 1v1 journeys during Tuesday's second round.
Unrivaled's reliance on short, elite rosters has spelled heated competition on a star-stacked court, but the strategy is now revealing its shortcomings. Such slim margins leave the league scrambling whenever one of their players — all of whom plan to return to the WNBA in mid-May — needs a break to prioritize rest and recovery.
How to watch Unrivaled's 1v1 tournament
The three-day competition tips off its eight-game first round at 7 PM ET on Monday. Both the second round and quarterfinals are set to begin at 7 PM ET on Tuesday, with the semifinals and finals slated for Friday at 7:30 PM ET.
All games will air live on truTV, with TNT also broadcasting Monday's and Friday's sessions.
Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball is back, as a second slate of weekend games shines a spotlight on the new league's three winless teams as they rally for redemption.
Phantom BC, Mist BC, and Rose BC are all 0-2 out of the gate, with the six-team league evenly divided between the undefeated and the winless after last week's debut.
At least one of the three will end up in the win column on Friday night, with the Mist and Phantom squaring off in the first game of the doubleheader.
Both lineups contain serious firepower, with Unrivaled co-founder Breanna Stewart leading the Mist alongside sharpshooter Jewell Loyd, whose 20 points per game have her currently in fourth-place on the league's stat sheet. The Phantom boasts the talents of Sabrina Ionescu and Brittney Griner.
While both have fallen victim to more cohesive game-plans, the Phantom in particular have struggled, posting a league-low average of 58.5 points per game to ultimately drop their first two outings by an average of 29 points.
Saturday's action sees Chelsea Gray and Angel Reese's Rose BC step into the spotlight, going up against a Mist team facing back-to-back matchups.
The Rose roster features two of the offseason league's top scorers in Gray and Kahleah Copper, who each averaged 14.5 points per game through Unrivaled's opening weekend. However, they'll need to lock in on defense to quiet Mist standout DiJonai Carrington's shooting in transition.
Friday's Unrivaled doubleheader tests undefeated teams
The second game of Friday's doubleheader flips the script as two teams put their undefeated starts on the line.
The Laces, led by Kayla McBride's 24.5 points per game, will take on a Vinyl side that rosters three of the league's Top 10 scorers — more than any other Unrivaled team. The trio of Rhyne Howard, Dearica Hamby, and Arike Ogunbowale are poised to cool the Laces' hot start.
How to watch Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball games
Unrivaled's second weekend slate tips off on Friday with the Phantom vs. the Mist at 7:15 PM ET, before the Laces play the Vinyl at 8:15 PM ET. Live coverage of both games will air on TNT.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride settled into a folding chair after scoring 19 points in her team’s win over the Connecticut Sun on Sunday. It would have been the perfect time for McBride to sit in front of reporters and TV cameras and get her flowers.
But instead, McBride delivered a message: There would be no basketball questions answered. She would discuss player safety, mental health and chartered flights.
“Sorry,” McBride said on the way out. “We will be back to normal interviews on Tuesday, but this was important.”
McBride wasn’t the only player who chose to highlight issues plaguing the WNBA over the weekend. Elizabeth Williams of the Chicago Sky did the same in the lead-up to her team’s clash with the Phoenix Mercury.
Absent from that contest was Brittney Griner, who will miss an unspecified amount of time to focus on her mental health.
The decision once again brought travel issues in the WNBA to the forefront of conversation. Griner’s safety when traveling has been a concern since she returned to the United States in December after being wrongfully detained in a Russian prison for 10 months. The Mercury star has already endured one incident at an airport this season, increasing players’ calls for chartered flights. Under the current CBA, teams are obligated to fly commercial for competitive advantage reasons, with the exception of the playoffs, back-to-back games and the Commissioner’s Cup championship.
The WNBA is in a period of growth, with this season breaking viewership and attendance records throughout the league. Coinciding with that growth are conversations about expansion, as the league hopes to add multiple teams in the next few years.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert says the league has done data analysis on “over 100 cities,” taking into account demographics, potential corporate partners and whether or not there is already an established women’s basketball fanbase. Places with strong markets for women’s NCAA programs are of particular interest, she says.
“It’s kind of a multi-dimensional look,” Engelbert said. “I’d say a lot of different things, but fandom and corporate partners and people need to show up and get in seats. We need to find those markets.”
Players don’t necessarily want expansion, at least not until other issues are solved. And the top concern for players right now is the ability to fly charter.
“I believe that until we have all of our priorities in check as a league, as the 12 teams that we have now, it’s hard to expand and to give resources somewhere else,” McBride said. “I think charters is number one.”
Engelbert believes the league can improve in multiple ways simultaneously.
“I think we can balance all of it,” she said on Sunday at Mohegan Sun Arena.”I think we have been chipping away at some things that I know are important to the players. But we’re still going to be fiscally responsible as well and make sure that we feel confident that the growth of the league will match the benefits we can get.”
Part of the reason Engelbert is so adamant about expansion is because she believes it could increase media rights deals for the league. Bigger deals mean more money to use on player benefits like chartered flights.
“If you bring in more expansion teams, your media rights will be more valuable because now you’re bringing in more cities to draw that fandom in,” she said. “That’s what media companies are looking for is broad reach.”
Engelbert cited the NBA as an example. When the league was in its 27th year (where the WNBA is now), players flew commercial, but that changed as the league signed more lucrative media rights deals.
“The only reason the men have (chartered flights) is because of media rights deals,” Engelbert said. “That is it.”
Engelbert added that she wants to get chartered flights for the players, but she wants them in perpetuity. And the league, she says, is getting to a place financially where that will be feasible.
“When I came into the league, I would have done it,” she said. “But I would have bankrupted the league in a year or two.
“It will cost $25-to-30 million for a full 40-game season for 12 teams, and more if we add teams. So you chip away at it until you can afford it, and how do you afford it? Media rights.”
The WNBA currently has deals with ION and ESPN running through 2025. They’ve also partnered with CBS/Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, Amazon Prime, NBA TV and Twitter to broadcast games.
In addition to travel, Engelbert addressed a couple of other issues facing the league on Sunday.
Roster expansion
Each team in the WNBA technically has 12 roster spots, making room for 144 total players. In order to get more players in the league, roster expansion — rather than team expansion — is one possibility. But it’s not one that Engelbert agrees with.
While it seems like an easy solution, the commissioner says the situation would be more complex than it appears. She worries about playing time and player development.
“It doesn’t drive anything for the league,” she said of roster expansion. “So I’d rather do a development plan for players, rather than just adding them to a roster and not getting much playing time or experience.”
Unrivaled
Former UConn stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier recently announced the creation of Unrivaled, a 3×3 league that will take place during the WNBA’s offseason. It joins Athletes Unlimited as alternative options for players who have routinely gone overseas in the offseason to play and earn more money.
It also gives players an option that doesn’t interfere with the league’s prioritization rule, which penalizes players for missing the start of the WNBA season and makes offseason commitments difficult to navigate.
Engelbert says the WNBA supports both Unrivaled and AU.
“I think it’s a great idea. Anything that promotes the game of women’s basketball,” she said. “I would like us to become the center for all women’s basketball, whether it’s in our season or outside of our season.”
Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.