The 2025 WNBA playoffs continued with a pair of first-round matchups on Wednesday night.
The Phoenix Mercury forced Game 3 by securing a blowout win over the New York Liberty, while the Minnesota Lynx became the first team to punch their ticket to the semifinals with a comeback victory against the Golden State Valkyries.
Phoenix Mercury 86, New York Liberty 60
Minnesota Lynx 75, Golden State Valkyries 74
Phoenix’s win over New York didn’t initially appear as if it would become lopsided, as the Liberty took a 9-4 lead to open the game before both teams were tied at the end of the first quarter.
The Mercury finally gained some separation early in the second. While they only had a four-point advantage with just under six minutes left until halftime, Phoenix went on a 15-0 run to take a commanding double-digit lead.
The Liberty struggled mightily against the Mercury defense in the second half, scoring just 23 points over the final two quarters of action.
Phoenix won with a balanced scoring effort, as five different players finished with at least 10 points. Alyssa Thomas put together a strong all-around performance, recording 15 points, seven assists, six rebounds and one steal while shooting 6-of-13 from the field.
For New York, stars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu combined to score a mere 15 points on 5-of-19 shooting.
The defending champions are now at risk of suffering a first-round exit.
As for the Lynx, New York’s 2024 Finals opponent, they’ll be moving on to the semifinals.
Minnesota fell into an early hole against Golden State, trailing by eight points at the end of the first quarter before facing a 41-28 deficit at the half.
The Valkyries appeared to be on the verge of pushing the series to Game 3, leading by as many as 17 points in the second half.
Golden State took a 14-point edge into the fourth quarter, but Minnesota opened up the final period on an 11-0 run to pull within striking distance.
The Lynx finally secured the improbable win with a go-ahead jumper by Napheesa Collier with just over a minute remaining, which was followed up by a pull-up bucket from Courtney Williams to give Minnesota a late three-point lead.
Collier led the way with 24 points and seven rebounds, shooting 10-of-16 from the field.
Kayla McBride also ended the game with 18 points and two steals for the Lynx, connecting on 61.5 percent of her shots.
Meanwhile, the Valkyries were officially eliminated from the first round of the playoffs to wrap up their inaugural season in the WNBA.
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