(1) Minnesota Lynx vs. (4) Phoenix Mercury
The top seed Minnesota Lynx and fourth seed Phoenix Mercury faced-off in the first semifinal series. The Lynx entered the series having swept their first round series, while the Mercury needed all three games to eliminate the New York Liberty. The teams met four times during the regular season and the Lynx won three of the games while Phoenix won one. The teams have not played since before the All-Star Break.
Game 1
Game one began as a tight affair, with Phoenix winning the first quarter 24–22. The Mercury extended their lead in the second quarter, winning the frame 23–18 to take a seven-point lead into halftime. Minnesota's defense played much better after the intermission, limiting the Mercury to just twelve points in the third quarter. The Lynx won that quarter 19–12 to eliminate the halftime lead and leave the game tied heading into the fourth. Minnesota used their home court advantage to dominate the fourth quarter, 23–10. The Lynx took game one by a margin of thirteen points.
Minnesota had three players score in double-figures and were led by Courtney Williams who scored twenty three points. Kayla McBride added twenty one points and Napheesa Collier finished with eighteen. The Mercury had four players score in double-digits, and all other players scored just eight points for the team. They were led by Kahleah Copper with twenty two points, Alyssa Thomas added eighteen points, Sami Whitcomb scored eleven points off the bench, and Satou Sabally scored ten points.
Target Center Attendance: 10,121 Referees: Eric Brewton, Angelica Suffren, Maj Forsberg, Jeff Wooten |
Game 2
Game two started off as a close contest with the Lynx winning the first quarter 21–19. Minnesota expanded their lead in the second quarter, winning the quarter 27–13. The Lynx enjoyed a sixteen-point lead at halftime. They came out of the break and started to extend their lead, which was twenty points at its peak. However, Phoenix went on a 12–0 run in the third quarter to cut the lead to eight. At the end of the third quarter, Phoenix came out on top 22–14. This left the lead at eight points heading into the fourth. The Mercury continued to whittle away at the lead throughout the fourth and Sami Whitcomb hit a three pointer with four second remaining to tie the game. Napheesa Collier had a shot at the buzzer to win, but it fell short and the game went into overtime. The Mercury won the fourth quarter 25–17. In the overtime period, Phoenix scored the first seven points and ended up winning 10–4. That gave them a six-point game win and they tied the series at one game a piece.
Phoenix had just three players score in double-figures and were led by Satou Sabally with twenty four points. Alyssa Thomas scored nineteen points and Sami Whitcomb added thirteen from the bench. The Lynx had four players score in double-digits and only had two other players score in the game. They were led by Napheesa Coller who also scored twenty four points. Kayla McBride scored twenty one points, Courtney Williams added twenty points, and Alanna Smith scored thirteen. Alyssa Thomas earned her second double-double of the playoffs by recording thirteen assists in the game.
Target Center Attendance: 10,824 Referees: Roy Gulbeyan, Tim Greene, Ryan Sassano, Ashley Gloss |
Game 3
Game three started with the Lynx edging the first quarter 22–19. The second quarter was a much more high-scoring affair, with the Mercury winning 29–22. The Mercury took a four point lead into the home locker rooms at half time. The Lynx however, came out as the better team in the third quarter and won 23–15 to take their own four point lead into the fourth and final quarter. The Mercury played lock-down defense in the fourth, limiting the Lynx to just nine points. Phoenix scored twenty one of their own points to win the fourth quarter by twelve points and the game by eight points. The Mercury took a two games to one series lead and are now just one game away from reaching the Finals.
The Mercury had three players score in double-figures. Satou Sabally led the way with twenty-three points and both Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper scored twenty-one points. Sabally scored fifteen of her twenty three in the fourth to seal the game. The Lynx had four players reach double-digits and were led by Natisha Hiedeman, who scored nineteen points from the bench. Napheesa Collier scored seventeen, Courtney Williams scored fourteen, and Kayla McBride added twelve points.
PHX Arena Attendance: 15,941 Referees: Isaac Barnett, Jenna Reneau, Randy Richardson |
Game 4
The Minnesota Lynx started game four strongly, winning the first quarter 25–14. However, Phoenix clawed its way back in the second quarter and took the frame 24–13. This left the game tied at the half. The second half was again a tale of two quarters as the Lynx won the third quarter 30–17. The Mercury faced a thirteen point deficit heading into the final frame. They erased the lead and surpassed the Lynx 31–13 in the quarter to win the game by five points. Their win resulted in a series win, three games to one. The Lynx could not overcome star Napheesa Collier's absence and were eliminated from the playoffs.
The Mercury had four players score in double-figures and were led by Alyssa Thomas who scored twenty three points. Satou Sabally scored twenty one points, and both Kahleah Copper and DeWanna Bonner added thirteen points. Thomas recorded her third double-double of the playoffs by adding ten assists. The Lynx had three players reach double-digits and were led by Kayla McBride who scored thirty one points. Courtney Williams added twenty points and Jessica Shepard scored fourteen.
PHX Arena Attendance: 16,919 Referees: Roy Gulbeyan, Amy Bonner, Fatou Cissoko-Stephens |
(2) Las Vegas Aces vs. (6) Indiana Fever
The second seed Las Vegas Aces and the sixth seed Indiana Fever faced-off in the second semifinal series. Both teams entered the series having won their first round series two games to one. The Fever entered the series as the only Eastern Conference team remaining in the playoffs. The two teams met only three times during the regular season, and the Fever won two of those games. The teams have not played since July 24, a ten-point Indiana home win.
Game 1
Game one started as a close affair, with the Fever edging out the first quarter 19–18. The Fever won the second quarter as well, increasing their margin slightly to win 22–18. The Fever took a five-point lead into the road locker room at halftime. The Fever came out of the break on a scoring streak, winning the third quarter 28–19. The Aces could not used home court to their advantage as they also lost the fourth quarter 18–20. Indiana won the same by sixteen points, winning each quarter.
The Fever had three players score in double-figures and were led by Kelsey Mitchell who scored thirty four points. Odyssey Sims scored seventeen points and Natasha Howard added twelve points. The Aces had four players score in double-digits and were led by Jackie Young who scored nineteen points. A'ja Wilson scored sixteen points, Dana Evans added fourteen points, and Chelsea Gray scored thirteen points. Two players scored double-doubles in the game. Wilson recorded her second of the playoffs for the Aces by added thirteen rebounds to her sixteen points. Howard added eleven rebounds to her twelve points to record her first double-double of the playoffs.
Michelob Ultra Arena Attendance: 10,409 Referees: Amy Bonner, Gina Cross, Isaac Barnett, Ashley Gloss |
Game 2
The Aces got off to a strong start in game two of the series, winning the first quarter 26–17. The second quarter was a closer affair, but the Aces still came out on top 20–18. The Aces took and eleven point lead into the break. They came out of the break and continued their dominating play, winning the third quarter by seven points, 24–17. The Aces completed the game winning all four quarters and they won the fourth 20–16. Overall, Las Vegas took game two by twenty two points to tie the series at one game a piece.
The Aces had five players score in double-figures and were led by A'ja Wilson who scored twenty five points. NaLyssa Smith scored eighteen, Jackie Young added thirteen, and both Jewell Loyd and Dana Evans added ten points from the bench. Chelsea Gray finished in double-figures in another statistic with ten assists. The Fever had four players reach double figures and were led by Odyssey Sims who scored eighteen points. Lexie Hull scored fifteen points, Kelsey Mitchell scored thirteen points, and Aliyah Boston added ten points. Boston earned her second double-double of these playoffs by added thirteen rebounds.
Michelob Ultra Arena Attendance: 10,516 Referees: Jeff Wooten, Fatou Cissoko-Stephens, Kevin Fahy, Marcy Williams |
Game 3
The Aces started game three on the road with a first quarter victory, 20–16. The Fever rebounded in the second quarter, and won 18–15. This meant Las Vegas took a one point lead into the halftime break. The game continued to be a close one during the third quarter and it resulted in the Aces winning 24–22 to lead by three going into the fourth. The Aces found another gear and won the fourth quarter 25–16. They finished the game with their biggest lead of the game, which was twelve points. The Aces' road victory left them one win away from a Finals berth.
The Aces had five players reach double-figures and only had one other player score points in the game. The leading scorer was Jackie Young, who scored twenty five points. NaLyssa Smith added sixteen points, Chelsea Gray scored fifteen, A'ja Wilson scored thirteen, and Dana Evans scored ten from the bench. Indiana had just three players score in double-digits and were led by Kelsey Mitchell who scored twenty one points. Lexie Hull added sixteen, and Aliyah Boston scored twelve. Lexie Hull scored her first career playoff double-double by adding ten rebounds.
Game 4
Game four started as a tight affair and the Fever edged out a victory in the first quarter 23–21. The Fever kept the pace in the second quarter, again scoring 23 points, however they held Las Vegas to seventeen points. Therefore, the Fever took an eight point lead into the half. The Aces emerged from the break as the slightly better team, and they won the quarter 24–21. The Fever held a slight five point advantage going into the final quarter. The game stayed tight, but the Fever won the quarter 23–21 to win the game by seven points. The Fever's win forced a deciding game five to be played in Las Vegas.
The Fever had three players score in double-figures and were led by Kelsey Mitchell who scored twenty five points. Aliyah Boston scored twenty four points and Odyssey Sims added eighteen points. Boston recorded her third double-double of these playoffs by adding fourteen rebounds. The Aces also had three players score in double-figures and were led by A'ja Wilson who scored thirty one points. Jackie Young scored eighteen points and Chelsea Gray added twelve points.
Gainbridge Fieldhouse Attendance: 16,022 Referees: Jeff Wooten, Isaac Barnett, Jenna Reneau, Randy Richardson |
Game 5
The final game of the series began as even as the series had been to this point, as the teams tied 23–23 in the first quarter. The second quarter continued to prove a close matchup and the Aces edged out the quarter 24–22 to take a two point lead into the halftime break. Las Vegas came out of the half and continued their scoring pace, as they again scored twenty four points in the quarter. However, they held Indiana to just eighteen points. Therefore the Aces held an eight point lead going into the fourth quarter. Indiana would not go down without a fight, and staged a furious comeback in the fourth. The Fever won the quarter 23–15 to completely erase the deficit and force overtime. The Aces found their scoring groove again, and dominated the overtime period 21–12. The Aces won the game by nine points, their largest lead of the game. They won the series three games to two and advanced to their third WNBA Finals in four years.
The Aces had just three players reach double-figures despite scoring over one hundred points in the game. They were led by A'ja Wilson who scored thirty five points. Jackie Young did not trail the leader by much as she scored thirty two points, and Chelsea Gray added seventeen points. Young recorded her first double-double of the playoffs by added ten assists. The Fever had six players score in double-digits and were led by Odyssey Sims who scored twenty seven points. Natasha Howard scored sixteen points, Kelsey Mitchell scored fifteen, Shey Peddy scored thirteen off the bench, Lexie Hull added twelve, and Aliyah Boston scored eleven. Boston recorded her fourth double-double of these playoffs by recording sixteen rebounds.
Michelob Ultra Arena Attendance: 10,529 Referees: Roy Gulbeyan, Isaac Barnett, Fatou Cissoko-Stephens, Kevin Fahy |
