Despite having the home-court advantage, the Phoenix Mercury fell to the Las Vegas Aces in a tight 90-88 loss, with critical shots and playing from the Aces — specifically from their Olympians.
The Aces’ Olympians played a critical role in securing the Game 3 win in the 2025 WNBA Finals. MVP A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 34 points, including the game-winning jumper. Jackie Young followed with 21 points, along with two steals, nine assists and three rebounds. Jewell Loyd had 16 points, including 12 in the first quarter. Chelsea Gray celebrated her birthday with 11 points, along with five assists, two rebounds, three steals and three blocks.
Despite not having any points, Megan Gustafson played a critical role. With her two rebounds, she also played a role in keeping players from surrounding Wilson, especially when she hit the game-winning shot.
“That was just hopefully to get some movement behind it so they didn’t load up on A,” head coach Becky Hammon told reporters about having Gustafson on the court for the final play. “But they loaded up on A anyways. [Alyssa Thomas] completely left Megan and went over. But it did make her a little late.”
After Mercury forward Satou Sabally went down with a concussion, the Mercury caught up and managed to tie the game at 88. Kahleah Copper, who struggled in the first half, ended the game with 17 points. However, with five seconds left, the Aces had the ball. As the ball was passed to Wilson, she took the shot over Thomas and DeWanna Bonner, securing the 90-88 lead with 0.3 seconds left.
“Just give the ball to A’ja,” Hammon told reporters after the game when asked what the final play was, “and get out of the way.”
Wilson’s game-winning jumper earned attention from the basketball world, including LeBron James on X.
While Wilson’s shot made history, Loyd made history as well. She became the first player in league history to make four 3-pointers in the first quarter of a Finals game. The Golden Mamba has been hot in the last five games, scoring a total of 57 points, helping the Aces both secure their series wins against the Indiana Fever and putting the Aces up 3-0 in the final series.
Loyd has also been spotted sporting a custom pair of A’One shoes, which some fans, along with Wilson, believe to be helping her game.
“I had a front row seat to a sweep in the bubble with Jewell with gold Kobes on,” Wilson told reporters after the game. “And when I saw Jewell with gold Kobes on, I said, ‘yeah, it’s been cool.’ It’s beautiful to watch when she gets in that, I’m glad she’s got her A’Ones now.”
After Copper and the Mercury staged a comeback later in the game, Gray and Young made critical free throws and an and-1. However, it wasn’t enough to stop Bonner, who tied the game at 88 with little time to go. The Mercury put intense pressure on the Aces, but the Aces pulled through.
The Aces learned a lot from their previous games that came down to the wire, including placing the emphasis on making free throws. Out of 25 free throws, the Aces managed to make 23, posting a 92.0% accuracy. The Mercury, on the other hand, had 31 free throws, and only made 23. They had a 74.2% accuracy at the line, which was simply not good enough.
The Aces also improved in rebounds in Game 3, getting 12 offensive and 24 defensive. They also led in steals with eight and managed eight blocks as well.
Defensive pressure and solid offense is the key to this series. If the Aces can keep up their pressure, while also remaining tight on the little things like free throws, they have a strong chance of securing their third championship in Phoenix on Friday. Tip-off for Game 4 is at 5 p.m. PST at the Mortgage Matchup Center. The game will be live on ESPN.
