Up 2-0 against the Phoenix Mercury in the 2025 WNBA Finals, the Las Vegas Aces are halfway to another title. But they are also entering uncharted territory. This is the first best-of-seven series in WNBA Finals history,
so they’ll have to win four games to end this matchup.
The No. 2-seed Aces have been in complete control so far, but as the series shifts to Phoenix for Wednesday’s Game 3 (8 p.m. ET, ESPN), there is potential for the No. 4-seed Mercury to benefit from some home cooking, which Jackie Young emphasized after practice on Tuesday:
Obviously, Game 3 is a big game, and them just playing at their place for their first home game. It’s important that we come in with the right mind, the right focus, knowing that even though we won two games, we got to take it one game at a time. It’s going to be a different environment playing at their place, but we have to stick together, stay within ourselves and just continue playing Aces basketball.
The good news for the Aces is that they have dominated this series. However, they have to keep it up on the road if they want to take a commanding 3-0 lead.
It’s not how you finish, but how you start
For whatever reason, the Aces have gotten off on the wrong foot in each Finals game so far. In Game 1, Las Vegas trailed 50-45 entering the third quarter. In Game 2, the Aces were down by three entering the second period.
They were still able to win both games. They closed things out late in the fourth in Game 1, while A’ja Wilson and Young came up big in Game 2. But it’s not an ideal way to play, as Jewell Loyd said, “For whatever reason, we’ve been working our way into the games. We can’t do that, it’s not fun to do it, we’re not trying to do it on purpose. It kind of just happens.” Wilson expressed a similar sentiment.
If you keep playing with fire, you’ll get burned. If the Aces start off slow against a Mercury team desperate to win at home, they could dig themselves a hole that’s impossible to get out of. They need to have a better start in Game 3 than they’ve been having during these Finals.
Backcourt takes center stage
With so much going well for the Aces, they essentially want to replicate the success they’ve already had. An aspect they’ve excelled in is guard play. Game 1 featured Dana Evans coming off the bench being a superstar by scoring 21 points. Loyd was right alongside Evans, also doing damage with 18 points.
Just like “The Godfather,” the sequel was even better than the original. In Game 2, Young dominated with 32 points en route to an easy win for the Aces.
If the guards keep playing this well, all while containing the Phoenix guards’ perimeter scoring, they’ll put themselves in a great position to win Game 3.
It’s A’ja Wilson time!
Good starts and elite guard play are ideal, but Las Vegas goes where Wilson takes them. As the MVP and the best player in the league who is increasingly making a case as the best player ever, she must continue to be the driving force for this team.
She slowly got going in Game 1 and Game 2, and it’s no surprise the Aces started taking control once she found a groove. Wilson needs to do that immediately on the road.
If she doesn’t comes out aggressively looking for her shot, establishing attention to defensive details and grabbing rebounds, it will be difficult for the Aces to get out to an early lead. In that scenario, the guards playing well won’t be a luxury, but a necessity. Life is better for the Aces when Wilson is great from the start of the game. If she does that on Wednesday, then they can win again and end this series on Friday.
