How Alyssa Thomas Fought to Push Mercury to Playoffs

Alyssa Thomas has been of the WNBA's top players, and when the Phoenix Mercury faced the Minnesota Lynx, she had strong performances.

Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) defends against Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) during the third quarter at PHX Arena on July 9, 2025. / Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Alyssa Thomas has been one of the most talked about in the WNBA this season. She did some amazing things throughout the season, and she made history in the process. She was named one of the Peak Performers, as she led the league in assists with 9.2 per game.

The Phoenix Mercury star also had eight triple-doubles this season, with three of them being in consecutive games. She had her first in a game against the Dallas Wings, then later on, she had triple-doubles against the Chicago Sky, the Connecticut Sun and the Indiana Fever to become the first player in WNBA history to have three in a row.

Jul 16, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) works around Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images / Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Thomas did a lot this season, and no matter who her team faced, she had strong games. Phoenix won multiple season series this year, but they lost a few as well. One of the team's that defeated them was the Minnesota Lynx.

Jul 16, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) defends against Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images / Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

The Lynx beat the Mercury 3-1 in the season series, and it started with Minnesota's 74-71 win over Phoenix. Thomas was not in action that time around, as she was out with a calf injury. Satou Sabally had a big performance, as she finished the game with 26 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Jul 16, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) goes to the basket against the Minnesota Lynx in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images / Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Kalani Brown had a nice game, as she had 15 points and five rebounds. Sami Whitcomb had 13 points, six assists and five rebounds.

Thomas was out once again for their second meeting, which was a Commissioner's Cup game. Minnesota won that game 88-65, and Lexi Held was Phoenix's leading scorer with 16 points.

Thomas returns, Phoenix picks up victory

Phoenix's star was back in action in the third meeting, and she led her team to victory. She a career-high 29 points, and she also had eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. Later on, she topped this performance, and had a career-high 32 points against the Indiana Fever.

The Mercury won that game 79-71, and they avoided the sweep. However, Minnesota would take the next game, as they beat Phoenix 79-66. That was a difficult game for the Mercury, and Thomas had 12 points, nine assists and five rebounds.

In Phoenix's last two games against Minnesota, Thomas averaged 20.5 points, seven assists and 6.5 rebounds.

Minnesota gave Phoenix trouble, but Thomas managed to play well when she was in action.

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