PHOENIX— Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson is a four-time WNBA Most Valuable Player for a great reason.
Wilson made a game-winning bucket after being double-teamed by DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas with 0.3 seconds remaining, putting the Aces on the brink of winning their third title in the last four years.
“Get the ball to A’ja, and get out of the way,” Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon said postgame.
According to ESPN Research, Wilson’s clutch basket with 0.3 seconds is the fourth-latest game-winning field goal in WNBA Finals history.
Her résumé since joining the Aces as the first overall pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft out of South Carolina has been impressive. Now, with Wilson just one win away from another WNBA Title, she’s making a strong case as one of the all-time greats in league history.
“I just needed the bucket to go in; I didn’t see who was in front of me. I didn’t care. It’s the finals,” said Wilson.
Oh my god #WNBAFinals pic.twitter.com/lDD3ui7Li4
— Aya Abdeen (@ayabdeen) October 9, 2025
A’ja Wilson Makes History
Wilson recorded a double-double of 34 points— her career-high in the WNBA Finals— and 14 rebounds, as Las Vegas won Game 3 of the Finals for the first time in franchise history after going 0-2 in their previous appearances.
She also became the first player in WNBA Finals history to post consecutive games of 25 or more points and ten or more rebounds.
“I feel like in that moment, if a coach has to tell me what to do, then I am not doing my job,” Wilson said. She (Becky Hammon) just drew me up a play, it wasn’t even a play, pretty much just what you saw. I’m appreciative that Becky trusts me in those moments. That’s playoff basketball, those are the moments you live for. So, I’m glad I was able to show up. I get on my guards for not coming to work, so I was glad I was able to come to work.”
A’ja Wilson for the win!
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) October 9, 2025
34 PTS (Finals career-high)
11/20 FG
14 REB
4 AST
3 BLKS
She also broke the record for most points in a single postseason
pic.twitter.com/J4er5d0ok9 https://t.co/qB4NUhPKMm
Jewell Loyd Sets the Aces’ Tone in the First Quarter
Once Aces guard Jewell Loyd checked in during the first quarter, she went 4-for-5 from 3-point range, providing Las Vegas with a boost from the bench. Loyd joined Kahleah Copper and Diana Taurasi as the only players in WNBA Finals history to make four three-pointers in the opening quarter.
Throughout the series, Loyd and Dana Evans have been difference-makers for the Aces’ bench on both ends of the court.
When it comes to the WNBA Finals, Loyd is 9-0 in games played and has won two championships with the Seattle Storm in 2018 and 2020, both via series sweeps.
When a reporter asked her about what she saw from Wilson’s game-winner, she said, “Honestly, I went right back on defense just to make sure when they (Phoenix) threw the ball in.”
“But once they called a timeout, it was just finding your teammates. Celebrate the moment; it’s a tough shot. I think the last play— I was still there trying to get a rebound just in case—I got a pretty good angle of the shot, but a lot of it was just next play.”
Phoenix Struggles After Sabally Leaves Game with Concussion
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Mercury trailed the Aces by 17 points, and their defensive woes against Las Vegas continued.
Although Phoenix lost by three points in Game 1 and two points in Game 3 against Las Vegas, forward Alyssa Thomas—who was close to recording a triple-double—believes they should have had a better start in the game.
“It’s how we should be playing from the start,” Thomas said. “It took us too long to wake up and play defense. I think the second half is our basketball and how we play. Shame on us for not coming out the way we needed to come out.”
Forward Satou Sabally finished the game with 24 points, five rebounds, and three assists before colliding hard with Kierstan Bell’s knee and leaving the game with over five minutes remaining.
After Sabally left the game due to injury, the Mercury rallied behind Kahleah Copper, who scored 11 fourth-quarter points.
Phoenix head coach Nate Tibbetts told reporters postgame that he does not have an update on her status.
According to the team, Sabally has been diagnosed with a concussion and will miss Game 4 of the WNBA Finals, which is a big blow on both ends of the court.
On the other hand, Tibbetts was proud of the Mercury coming back from a 17-point deficit to tie the game in the final quarter.
“We’re not into moral victories,” Tibbetts said. “This is a game that we wanted to get, needed to get. But for us to compete the way that we did just shows the character of our team – it’s the way we fought all year. We got down 17 at one point, and we had a key player go down in the fourth. We just kept fighting and put ourselves in a position to win against a really good team. I’m proud of our group for not giving in, and that’s what we expect on Friday. We’re going to keep fighting. That’s what this group is about.”
Jewell Loyd put on a shooting clinic in the @LVAces Game 3 win over the Phoenix Mercury, 90-88 👌
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 9, 2025
16 PTS (12 in the 1Q) | 4 3PM | 7 REB
Her 4 threes in the first quarter are the MOST in a quarter in Finals history!
Jewell Loyd is now 9-0 in the WNBA Finals.#WelcometotheW |… pic.twitter.com/kiR3ioXI47
WNBA Finals: Mercury on the Brink of Elimination
As the Mercury face elimination heading into Game 4 of the WNBA Finals, Tibbetts continues to praise his team for their determination and grit against Las Vegas throughout both the regular season and Finals.
“You look inside yourself and continue to compete,” Tibbetts said. “We’ve played them in two close games with 25 seconds, 40 seconds to go; it’s been a one-point game in two of the games. Obviously, those are games you’re in position to win. Besides game two, I think we’ve played them pretty solid, but obviously we had to come back tonight.”
Forward DeWanna Bonner finished the game with a double-double of 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Mercury. Both Bonner and Copper never gave their all for Phoenix until the final buzzer.
Moreover, Bonner became the oldest player to record a double-double in postseason history, surpassing Tammy Jackson in 1999, and the fourth player in postseason history to score 25 or more points off the bench.
“It’s the Finals – there’s no wear and tear,” Bonner said. “You just have to keep fighting. We aren’t just going to give up. It’s hard to get here, so we’re going to continue to fight until the very end. I feel like that’s what we’ve been doing all playoffs, fighting our way back into it. Just proud of the effort we did put in, but like Alyssa (Thomas) said, we can’t start that way, especially against them.”
Although the Mercury faced challenges from the regular season through the postseason, Tibbetts expressed his pride in the team for staying together, even with a new group of players for the first time.
“But we’re facing a team that’s been through this together – it’s not a team that is figuring it out. They’re a well-oiled machine in all these situations that they’ve been in together. They’ve won together, they’ve lost together. As hard as it is, that stuff matters. I was super proud of how we just kept fighting, and this crowd was unbelievable once again. Just gave us the energy to put us in position right to the end.”
The Mercury will host the Aces for Game 4 of the WNBA Finals on Friday, October 10, with tip-off set for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
