Phoenix Mercury Secure 84-76 Victory Over Minnesota Lynx in Game 3 of WNBA Semifinals
The Phoenix Mercury took a 2-1 lead in the WNBA semifinals with an 84-76 win over the Minnesota Lynx, marked by Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve's ejection and an injury to star player Napheesa Collier.
The Phoenix Mercury secured an 84-76 victory over the Minnesota Lynx in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals, taking a 2-1 lead in the series. The game was marked by the ejection of Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve and an injury to star forward Napheesa Collier.
With just under 30 seconds remaining, Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas stole the ball from Collier near midcourt and scored, extending Phoenix's lead to six points. Collier appeared to suffer an ankle injury during the play and left the court with 21.8 seconds remaining. Reeve, incensed by the no-call on the play, charged toward the referees and was ejected after being restrained by her assistants and a player.
Postgame, Reeve criticized the officiating, stating, "If this is what our league wants, then OK, but I want to call for a change of leadership at the league level when it comes to officiating." She added, "The officiating crew that we had tonight, for the leadership team to deem those three people semifinals playoff-worthy is f—ing malpractice."
Collier, the 2025 WNBA MVP runner-up, finished with 17 points but did not score in the fourth quarter and did not attempt a free throw in 37 minutes. She had five fouls at the time of her exit. Reeve expressed frustration over the lack of free throw attempts for Collier, noting that Minnesota attempted 11 free throws in the loss, while Phoenix had 22.
Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts refrained from commenting on the officiating, stating, "We haven't talked about officiating all the playoffs. We just play. We're worried about us."
The Mercury's victory puts the Lynx on the brink of elimination. Phoenix's Satou Sabally led the team with 23 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter. Tibbetts praised his players, saying, "We probably envisioned more of this throughout the year than we had. This is what we had hoped for, right? They've stepped up in big moments."
Game 4 of the series is scheduled to take place in Phoenix, where the Mercury will have the opportunity to advance to the WNBA Finals.