‘Those are the moments you live for’: Wilson puts Aces 1 win from title
PHOENIX — It’s a tale as old as time. It doesn’t matter how a team wins in the playoffs. All that matters is that it does.
The Aces would prefer to not have it happen the way it did in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals.
They went into the fourth quarter with a 17-point lead. The Phoenix Mercury’s leading scorer went down with an injury. That somehow triggered a rally that almost led to a comeback for the ages.
But the Aces know they can put the ball in A’ja Wilson’s hands with the game on the line.
“We give the ball to A’ja and get out of the way,” coach Becky Hammon said. “That’s all the play was.”
Wilson, a four-time WNBA MVP, delivered. Her team is one win away from its third title in four years as a result. Her turnaround jumper with 0.3 seconds left lifted the Aces to a 90-88 win over the Phoenix Mercury at Mortgage Matchup Center on Wednesday, giving her team a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
“I feel like in that moment, if a coach has to tell me what to do, I do my job,” Wilson said. “She just drew up the play. It was pretty much what you saw. I’m appreciative that Becky trusts me in those moments. Those are the moments you live for.”
Wilson finished with 34 points and 14 rebounds, following her 28-point, 14-rebound performance in Game 2. She became the first player in WNBA Finals history to have at least 25 points and 10 rebounds in two straight games.
Phoenix comeback
The Aces didn’t make it easy on themselves Wednesday.
They appeared to be in control after the Mercury shot 6-for-18 from the floor in the third quarter. But Phoenix outscored the Aces 29-14 in the final period.
The Mercury kept pushing even when forward Satou Sabally left in the fourth quarter after she was fouled by guard Jackie Young and her head collided with Aces forward Kierstan Bell’s knee.
Sabally, who had 24 points, was down for several minutes before being helped to the locker room. Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts didn’t have an update on Sabally after the game.
Mercury guard Kahleah Copper responded to Sabally’s exit by scoring eight straight points to cut the Aces’ lead to 84-83 with 3:06 remaining.
“Of course I want the game to be played out perfectly, but you have to give them some credit for getting hot and getting themselves a chance to win at the end,” Hammon said. “However, I thought we had control of that game for the majority of the clock.”
Young continued her strong WNBA Finals by recording 21 points and nine assists. Guard Jewell Loyd finished with 16 points off the bench, with 12 of them coming off her four 3-pointers in the first quarter.
Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner, who scored a team-high 25 points off the bench, hit a 3-pointer over Aces center Megan Gustafson to tie the game with 1:41 to go.
Redemption arc
The end of the game wasn’t all perfect for Wilson. She fumbled a pass while cutting for a layup with 40 seconds left.
Phoenix forward Alyssa Thomas missed a layup the following possession. The Aces got the rebound and called a timeout with five seconds remaining.
Wilson did the rest.
“I just had to get that one back because that would’ve crushed my whole soul, because (that turnover) is something that I just don’t do,” Wilson said.
Wilson came through to cap her first-ever 30-point game in the WNBA Finals.
She called it a must-win because the Aces lost their previous two Game 3s in the Finals in 2022 and 2023. They’ve checked that box. Now all they have to do is win one more game to secure a championship.
“My biggest mentality, and the thing that I relayed to my teammates, is we just need to win one,” Wilson said. “We don’t look at it too big. Win one game, win possessions, win the quarters and everything else is going to pan out.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.