Showing posts with label Phoenix Mercury. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phoenix Mercury. Show all posts
Friday, 10 October 2025
Thursday, 9 October 2025
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
Monday, 6 October 2025
Sunday, 5 October 2025
Friday, 19 September 2025
Thursday, 26 September 2024
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
Tuesday, 14 May 2024
GRINER OUT INDEFINITELY WITH TOE FRACTURE
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| USA TODAY Sports |
Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner has sustained a toe fracture on her left foot and will be out indefinitely, the WNBA team said on Monday.
Griner, who was freed from a Russian penal colony in a high-profile prisoner exchange in December 2022, will be re-evaluated in the coming weeks and Phoenix said updates on her condition would be provided as appropriate.
The WNBA's 2024 season opens on Tuesday with four games, including Phoenix at the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces.
Griner was arrested in February 2022 at an airport outside Moscow for carrying vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage.
She was subsequently convicted of drug smuggling and later transferred to one of Russia's most notorious penal colonies.
Griner was eventually released in a prisoner swap for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, a deal that was arranged after months of talks during a time of high tension between the U.S. and Russia after Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
In her first season back, Griner averaged 17.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in 2023.
Wednesday, 26 July 2023
Thursday, 13 July 2023
Thursday, 4 August 2022
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