ACES' A'JA WILSON BREAKS 2 NAPHEESA COLLIER PLAYOFF RECORD DURING DOMINATING GAME 3

A'ja Wilson just made WNBA history, passing Napheesa Collier's playoff records as the Aces move one step closer to another title.

A'ja Wilson made history during the 2025 WNBA Finals, breaking two significant playoff records previously held by Napheesa Collier as the Las Vegas Aces took a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Phoenix Mercury.

In Game 3, Wilson officially surpassed Collier for the most points in a single playoff run and also passed her for the most stocks, according to a post from I Talk Hoops. Collier had set the previous marks during the 2024 postseason with 285 points and 48 stocks.

Through Game 3 of the Finals, Wilson has piled up 291 points and 50 stocks in the 2025 postseason, with both totals still climbing as the Aces close in on the championship.

Aces star's dominant WNBA Finals performance

The records were broken during a Finals run where Wilson has been unstoppable. Through three games, she's averaging 27.7 points and 12.7 rebounds, but it was her Game 3 heroics that stole the show.

With their season on the line at home, the Mercury battled back from a 17-point deficit to tie the game at 88-88. Just 0.3 seconds remained when Wilson received the ball and hit a fadeaway jumper over two defenders to seal the 90-88 victory. Her 34 points and 14 rebounds pushed the Aces to the brink of another championship.

That performance marked Wilson's ninth career 30-point playoff game, extending her own WNBA record. It was her fourth such game in the 2025 postseason alone, also a single-postseason record, according to ESPN's Alexa Philippou. She also became the first player in WNBA Finals history to post back-to-back games with 25+ points and 10+ rebounds.

At 29, Wilson has turned clutch moments into her calling card. The four-time MVP doesn't just dominate statistically; she delivers when the stakes are highest, making her the most dangerous player in postseason basketball. With the Aces one win away from their third title in four years, Wilson's legacy as a championship performer continues to grow.

- Jayesh Pagar

NAPHEESA COLLIER | WNBA ALL-STAR MVP

 

WNBA PLAYER RANKINGS

 

NAPHEESA COLLIER DROPS 42 TO TIE RECORD AS LYNX SWEEP MERCURY

MINNEAPOLIS -- Napheesa Collier scored 42 points to tie a WNBA single-game playoff record, and the Minnesota Lynx swept the Phoenix Mercury 101-88 on Wednesday night.

Collier tied Breanna Stewart and Angel McCoughtry for the 42-point record when she made one of two free throws with 3:18 left in the fourth quarter. It was one of only two misses from the free throw line in 14 attempts for Collier, who was subbed out with 58.3 seconds left.

Collier, who scored a career-high 38 points in Game 1, became the first player in WNBA history with 38-plus points in back-to-back playoff games. She also set a WNBA record for the most points (80) in a two-game playoff stretch. Collier reached 38 points in Game 2 with 5:55 left in the fourth.

Minnesota plays Sunday against Connecticut, which advanced to its sixth consecutive semifinals after an 87-81 victory over Indiana earlier Wednesday.

Kayla McBride added 15 points, and Bridget Carleton and Alanna Smith each scored 12 for Minnesota. Courtney Williams had 11 points.

Brittney Griner scored 24 points for Phoenix and Diana Taurasi finished with 10 before fouling out with 2:34 left. Taurasi left to a standing ovation from the Minnesota crowd before Collier came over to the Mercury bench for a brief handshake with her fellow former UConn star.

Taurasi hasn't announced whether this is her final year in the WNBA, but the Mercury honored her at their final home regular-season game.

Collier scored 11 of Minnesota's 21 first-quarter points after making five of six shots. Collier finished the half with 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting to help Minnesota take a 49-47 lead into the intermission. The rest of her teammates combined to go 10 of 26 from the field.

The officials reviewed a physical play in the third quarter involving Carleton and Phoenix guard Sophie Cunningham, who was assessed a flagrant 1 foul after the review. Williams was also assessed a technical foul. After it was all settled, McBride sank a wide open 3-pointer to give Minnesota a 58-53 lead.

Williams gave Minnesota its first double-digit lead of the second half at 72-60 with 2:17 left in the third quarter. The Lynx led by double digits the entire fourth quarter.

Minnesota improved to 5-1 against the Mercury this season.

It was Collier's third straight playoff game overall with 30 points, tying the A'ja Wilson for the longest streak in WNBA history, after scoring 31 points in a Game 3 loss to Connecticut last season.

- Associated Press 

US BASKETBALL NAMES 12-MEMBER. WOMEN'S ROSTER FOR PARIS

Reuters 

 USA Basketball announced a veteran roster for the upcoming Paris Olympics, boasting a squad where each member has at least an Olympics or World Cup gold medal.

The Phoenix Mercury's Diana Taurasi was named to her sixth Olympics, with 38 Olympics basketball games to her credit, the most of any women's player in USA Basketball history. She is second in Olympics points scored (414) behind Lisa Leslie (488).

The team, which consists entirely of players from the WNBA, also includes Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), Kahleah Copper (Mercury), Chelsea Gray (Las Vegas Aces), Brittney Griner (Mercury), Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty), Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm), Kelsey Plum (Aces), Breanna Stewart (Liberty), Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut Sun), A'ja Wilson (Aces) and Jackie Young (Aces).

Cheryl Reeve is the head coach of the team, after serving as an assistant coach the past two Olympics under Geno Auriemma (2016) and Dawn Staley (2020).

"We were supposed to be giving Cheryl a team that has experience and familiarity with international competition, familiarity with the coaching system, leadership abilities, versatility, depth at every position," national team committee chair Jen Rizzotti told The Athletic. "The 12 that we selected, we felt were the best when it boiled down to a basketball decision."

Not included was collegiate star Caitlin Clark, who took Iowa to the Final Four in consecutive seasons and is in her rookie WNBA season with the Indiana Fever.

"Certainly, the success that Caitlin had in college in addition to the way that she's played in the beginning parts of the (WNBA) season was taken into consideration as we talked about this roster, but I think out of respect for the process, we tried to make sure we upheld our integrity when it came to selecting the roster," Rizzotti told The Athletic.

"Marketability, popularity, TV viewership, jersey sales was not something that we were supposed to be measuring."

Clark addressed the pending roster decision Sunday.

"Honestly, no disappointment," Clark said. "It just gives me something to work for; it's a dream. Hopefully one day I can be there.

"I think it's just a little more motivation. You remember that. Hopefully when four years comes back around, I can be there."

Taurasi, Collier, Gray, Griner, Loyd, Stewart and Wilson all were in the 2020 Olympics squad in Japan that went 6-0 while winning the gold medal. Wilson and Griner each scored 16.5 points per game in Japan, while Stewart had 10.0 rebounds per game.

Plum and Young also won a gold medal at Japan, but that was in the inaugural three-on-three tournament.

Staley also was on the committee that selected the roster, in addition to the WNBA's Bethany Donaphin, Atlanta Dream general manager Dan Padover of the Atlanta Dream, LSU assistant coach Seimone Augustus and Old Dominion head coach DeLisha Milton-Jones.

The USA women's team will have training camp at Phoenix then play an exhibition game against a team of WNBA all-stars on July 20. The squad also is set to play an exhibition game against Germany on July 23 at London.

Team USA opens Olympics group play at Paris against Japan on July 29 before facing Belgium on Aug. 1 and Germany on Aug. 4.

- Reuters