Aces and Mercury Set for WNBA Finals Clash
LAS VEGAS – The Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury are set to face off in the 2025 WNBA Finals, marking a championship showdown between two teams boasting contrasting levels of championship experience. The Aces, seeking their third title in four years, will host the Mercury, who are aiming to secure their first championship since 2009.
The Aces advanced to the Finals after a hard-fought Game 5 victory over the Indiana fever, requiring overtime to secure their spot. Despite the physical toll, analyst Charlie Creme notes the rest advantage for Phoenix may be minimal.”Las Vegas will still get two full days off without any travel.While the Aces will sleep well after going the distance against the Fever, they will be doing it in their own beds. Even with the extra two days to prep, the Mercury still had to wait to find out their opponent. The rest might help a little, but 48 more hours at this time of year probably means little.” Both teams enter the series with fully healthy regular rotations.
Las Vegas’ offensive firepower has been led by a dominant trio: A’ja Wilson (35), Chelsea Grey (32), and Jackie Young (17) combined for 84 of the Aces’ 107 points in their Game 5 win. In the three regular season matchups following their initial meeting, Wilson proved pivotal, averaging 25.0 points. Young scored in double digits in each of those games, and Gray contributed at least nine points per game.
Phoenix, meanwhile, is riding the momentum of a Game 4 comeback win over Minnesota. Brittney Griner (23), Tina Charles (21), and Diana Taurasi (13) spearheaded the MercuryS scoring in that victory. Creme emphasizes the importance of a key individual matchup: “The advantage will go to the trio that separates itself, even if it’s by a small margin.” He also points to a previous Mercury loss where Tina Charles had just 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting and a recent game where Diana Taurasi was limited to six points, both games resulting in Las Vegas wins.
Throwing out the first regular season meeting (a Mercury win) due to Wilson’s absence, Las Vegas won the final three regular season contests.
The teams are statistically similar in several key areas. During the regular season, the Aces averaged 83.6 points per game to the Mercury’s 82.8,with net ratings of plus-3.7 and plus-3.4 respectively. Both teams shot around 50% from the field, with Phoenix holding a slight edge in 3-pointers made per game (9.4 to 9.1). The Mercury boasted a slightly better defensive rating (102.5) compared to the Aces (104.4), though Las Vegas has shown defensive improvement as early August.
Las Vegas boasts greater continuity, returning six players from last season’s championship roster, including Wilson, Gray, Young, Kiah Stokes, and Kierstan Bell – all of whom were also on the 2022 and 2023 title teams. Phoenix has only two players returning from last season’s roster: Diana Taurasi and Sophie Cunningham.
The head coaches, Becky Hammon (Las Vegas) and Nate Tibbetts (Phoenix), both bring extensive NBA assistant coaching experience to the Finals.Hammon served as a San Antonio Spurs assistant from 2014-2022, while Tibbetts was an assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers, and orlando Magic from 2011-2023.
Historically, A’ja Wilson has dominated matchups against Brittney Griner, averaging 21.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks in 26 career regular season and playoff games against her. Griner has averaged 15.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in those same matchups. Wilson holds a 17-9 overall record against Griner, including a 6-3 playoff record.
The best-of-seven series is expected to be a closely contested battle, with the Aces aiming to cement their dynasty and the mercury striving to reclaim championship glory.
