Mercury Swept, Aces Establish Dynasty

The Mercury's excellent season has come to a disappointing end.

Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) pressures Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) in Game Four of the WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center on Oct. 10, 2025, in Phoenix. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Phoenix Mercury fell to the Las Vegas on Friday night, bringing their season to a close. The Mercury, playing shorthanded without Satou Sabally, fought valiantly to erase a 19-point deficit, but ultimately came up short, with the score standing at 97-86 as the clock struck zero. The Aces now have their their championship in four years, cementing their status as one of basketball's true dynasties.

Mercury Swept

It's a tough loss for a team that exceeded everyone's wildest expectations this season. A squad that featured just two returning players from last season battled injuries in the season's first half and emerged as a unit cohesive enough to knock out both of the teams that played in last year's WNBA Finals.

Ultimately, the Aces, a fine-tuned machine, and winners of 25 of their final 28 games to close out the season, were too much.

The series was very nearly a completely different one. Both Game 1 and Game 3 came down to the final seconds, and a bounce of the ball could have changed the result in either one. Instead, the Aces came out on top both times, and the Mercury found themselves in a hole they couldn't recover from.

Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper (2) reacts after fouling out of the game against the Las Vegas Aces in Game Four of the WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center on Oct. 10, 2025, in Phoenix. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Despite the sweep, the team showed fight. In both games in Phoenix, they roared back after falling behind by big margins, only to fall short in the end. A series of bad starts did them in, particularly on the defensive end. Phoenix gave up 101 points in first quarters in the series, a big surprise for a team that surrendered just over 80 points per game for the season. In all four games, the Aces scored more points than either of Phoenix's first two playoff opponents did in any game against them this postseason.

Oct 10, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates with teammates after game four of the 2025 WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

A'ja Wilson was dominant, and her teammates feasted as well, especially from the three-point line. Vegas set the Finals mark for threes in a first half two times in the series.

Offensively, the Mercury struggled with turnovers and were stagnant at times as the Aces switched up their defensive coverages, but there were still positive signs, especially from Sabally and Kahleah Copper, who nearly willed her team all the way back with a Herculean effort in Game 4 before fouling out.

Phoenix Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner (14) battles for position with Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) in Game Four of the WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center on Oct. 10, 2025, in Phoenix. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Mercury can hold their heads high after such a successful year, but they now enter an offseason full of uncertainty. Nearly every key veteran in the league is set to become a free agent as a huge influx of TV money is set to hit the league, and there's uncertainty about a possible labor stoppage amidst contentious collective bargaining agreement negotiations. There's no way of knowing what this Phoenix team will look like next season.

A lot will change between now and the (possible) start of the new season next spring. But for now, Mercury fans can be proud of their team and how far they've come in so little time.

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